Hugobbear Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 (edited) HI Guys, We have a 5 months old mini Dachshund - we have no behavioral issues at this stage (other than too much love from us!) however I said to my partner on the weekend that we should book him in to be desexed and my partner asked why? He is always inside (inner city living) and always within our control at the park etc. He said he wasn't sure it was necessary in such a small inside dog and he doesn't yet hump anything. As a believer in movements like Oscar's Law i believe that unless you are a registered and ethical breeder all dogs should be sexed - however I didn't really have an answer other than "because we should". And also that 6 months is the best age as he will pretty much be fully grown. Does anyone have a link to why it is best to desex small dogs like ours? I would prefer a mutual decision with my partner and I and i personally dont have the answer to his question! Any assistance is much appreciated. Edited August 22, 2011 by Hugobbear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 (edited) I can't help because frankly I'm with your partner. If there is no issue and the dog is owned by a responsible person I personally am not fussed if the dog is neutered or not. If you had a bitch then I could give you a lot more reasons to help the cause - mostly health related Desexing prevents testicular cancer (that's a no brainer) but you need to know what is the risk of testicular cancer in your breed and more specifically in the family of dogs your dog comes from. Desexing was touted as reducing prostrate cancer but I have since read studies that suggests desexed dogs are actually more likely to have prostrate cancer. This one makes me wonder though - is it because there are proportately more desexed dogs now reaching an age where prostrate cancer is an issue? Do you have an agreement with the breeder of your dog that he will be desexed? If so then there really is no argument, you agreed and if you (I mean your partner!) wants to change that agreement you need to talk to the breeder about it. Edited August 22, 2011 by Sandra777 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugobbear Posted August 22, 2011 Author Share Posted August 22, 2011 Thanks Sandra, No agreement with the breeder. I just thought it was 'the right thing to do' but since i don't really have a valid response to my partner i am quetioning for what is right for the dog. Our family dogs have always been big backyard dogs (and female at that) so i hadn't really considered not desexing him. I guess seeing so many rescue dogs etc i thought it was the right thing to ensure there would be no 'accidents' we could be repsonsible for. Perhaps it should be left for now and if our circumstances change and we are in a different living arrangement then consider it when he is older or if he starts getting a little hormonal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atanquin Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 I'm with your partner as you both sound responsible. We have never desexed our dogs, cats yes but try are hard to keep inside and out of bad behaviour ;) I think it makes a more balanced dog but that is me But still good on you for seen the problem with not desexing your dog it can lead to all sorts of problems which is sad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristineX Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 I desexed Duke for a couple of reasons; (1) I had an agreement to do so, (2) risk of testicular cancer and (3) I've noticed that entire male dogs are often the first target of an aggressive offleash dog - and I seem to have a lot of those running around. It also decreased marking behaviour. In the end, it depends on your dog and your circumstances. Duke suffers from hysteria outside the house, so number 3 was very important to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Panzer Attack! Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 My toy breed is closing in on 7 months and his behaviour has changed remarkably since he, erm, hit puberty. He marks a LOT, and I've basically had to start toilet training him all over again. He's gotten very protective and barks a LOT more than he used to. He's also a lot more dominant than he used to be and will jump on dogs heads/hump them. Scary considering he's not even 3kg! If you think you can handle all that, then keep him un-snipped. Also this is my personal experience and you might not have a turd of a dog like I do :D. I'm keeping him undone for the time being because he was purchased as a show dog and I'm still trying to decide whether or not to take the leap with him, but the second I think he won't be suitable, he will be booked in for the snip. A more experienced owner would no doubt handle this situation with ease, but he's my first undesexed dog and it's something I'd rather do without if I don't have to TBH. Hope that helps E x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Another reason is that if he ever goes missing or get stolen he cannot be used for breeding. You may assume because he is indoors only & out with you & probably microchipped too that this will never happen or that you would get him back. Not always so. Make a list of pros & cons. It is also common & very much a man thing to have a horror of desexing. Some can go nuts at the thought of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 As others have said- risk of testicular cancer, castration does reduce wandering behavoiur (althoug if your dog is securely contained anyway its not an issue), entire males may be a target for dog fights, it is cheaper to register a desexed dog with your local council. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stitch Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 When he starts to behave in a way that says 'testosterone' you will know and that will be the trigger to get him 'snipped'. IMO it is better to wait until he is fully grown ie. 18mths of age as long as you can wait that long. Desexing does have an effect on the genitals ie. they shrink back or at least stop growing. Some dogs have difficulty in peeing because of the small size of the 'doodle'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minyvlz Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 (edited) Agree with this. I also wouldnt consider 6 months to be fully grown. My maltese x was fully grown at about 8 to 9 months of age, so it really depends on the individual dog. I didn't desex him because he had an undescended testicle (until 10months) and could do with a tad more testosterone. Once his hormones appear to be a problem he will be desexed. We also are planning not to bring him to the dog park anymore incase he starts humping other dogs. If you read the article on early desexing floating around here you might be more willing to wait too. When he starts to behave in a way that says 'testosterone' you will know and that will be the trigger to get him 'snipped'. IMO it is better to wait until he is fully grown ie. 18mths of age as long as you can wait that long. Desexing does have an effect on the genitals ie. they shrink back or at least stop growing. Some dogs have difficulty in peeing because of the small size of the 'doodle'. Edited August 23, 2011 by minyvlz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-Q Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 We don't have small dogs, all are 12kg+ but are indoor/outdoor dogs. When growing up we always had intact females, until we got Buster and decided to desex him to save any accidents. Now we have buster (8yrs old desexed male) Mac (5 year old intact female) and Quinn (15 month old intact female) Quinn will be desexed at around 2 years old when I know she is fully grown and matured. I plan on training her as a sports dog so want her to be as well constructed as possible but seeing as I will never breed her and she's an active Border Collie I don't really want to deal with messy heat, keeping her locked up for a few weeks and missing training/future comps for her menstrual cycle. My next dog will likely be male and if the breeder gives me a choice I'd probably prefer to keep him intact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elysia Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 Please don't assume that there will be behavioural issues in the future as the dog matures. My personal experience is that there may be, or may not be. I had one male desexed at a couple of years old because he was starting fights, and especially being a great dane, this was a dangerous situation. I have not desexed my current elderly male dog (tibetan spaniel x) because there simply have not been any issues that a small amount of training or management could not handle. He does not hump, start or attract fights, wander or mark indoors. My new male pup (border collie) will be done only if issues develop which I am very confident are best managed by castration. The health benefits claimed for castration I find personally unconvincing. My males have never been permitted to breed, and never displayed any behaviour that made me think they were miserable because of it. I am not saying don't desex your dog, just don't go looking for problems that may never come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzy82 Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 I see not reason to desex a male dog that is always under your control and supervised. Desexing doesn't prevent humping or marking, my male dog was desexed at 2,5 months and he both humps and marks. If I bought a dog from a breeder I would probably keep it intact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugobbear Posted August 25, 2011 Author Share Posted August 25, 2011 Thanks so much guys! So many pro's and con's to weigh up. I think as we are not dealing with any behavioral issues we should let him be and just keep monitoring him until he is older or if circumstances change. Yes it is definately a man's worst fear is to have to remove his puppies manlihood! i told him we could get prosthesis testes for him ;P hehe Thanks again - i feel releived that it not somehting we have to rush by 6 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flaves Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 It is purely your call. If your dog was a bitch, i would say dealing with seasons would be a PIA so yes desex, but as it is male, i dont see the point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 I'm with your partner. Have a read of this: http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/longtermhealtheffectsofspayneuterindogs.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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