LizT Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 I think all 'pet' dogs should be desexed regardless of sex because of the health benefits and it's the right thing to do (erasing all possible mishaps/accidental pregnancies/fence jumpers etc). I had my girl done on 6 months on the dot at my vets advice and she's still the same mental pooch :) For some reason some men seem to get attached to their dogs balls and want to leave them be, I'll never understand that! Tell me about it. My daughters ex-boyfriend wanted to get his dog desexed and would say so yet put it off and put it off and even when he finally brought the dog in to be done was still all sookie and OH..poor doggie blah, blah, blah until the Vet nurse gave him a serve of "You blokes and your attachments" speech. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leema Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 (edited) In everyone's experience how much does desexing change a dogs personality I have only one desexed dog, and didn't find a change in personality. does it calm dogs down that are already calm or only calm dogs down that are highly energetic or is it all a myth and a bit of placebo and the dog has just matured naturally? I think it's a myth that desexing calms dogs down. Desexing often just coincides with when the dog would naturally 'calm down'. Is 6 months the best time to have them desexed? To me, desexing is not a necessity - it's your personal choice whether you want your dog to be desexed or not. There is no 'best time' for desexing. Some dogs it's 'best' to leave entire. Just because he has his balls on doesn't mean you have to let him use them. Edited February 1, 2012 by Leema Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 :laugh: They even have those nut implants for males that owners can purchase if they want the fill the sack. It's purely cosmetic and I bet it's a man thing :laugh: Not sure if they do it here but I've seen it on an American show Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizT Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 :laugh: They even have those nut implants for males that owners can purchase if they want the fill the sack. It's purely cosmetic and I bet it's a man thing :laugh: Not sure if they do it here but I've seen it on an American show I heard a story about a gundog exhibitor who had one put in his dog when only one testicle desended. How he was found out was the day a Judge discovered his dog had three balls. The testicle had finally dropped. Naturally he got in trouble and rightly so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 Oh my god!!! :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvsdogs Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 (edited) I decided to let Tilba have 1 heat after reading this article before getting her. http://www.alabamacaninecoalition.org/earlyspayconsiderations.pdf And then this after getting her. http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?app=core&module=attach§ion=attach&attach_id=230510 Before getting my JS puppy I wouldn't get one from a breeder with a desexing contract. Unfortunately both his testicles are retained & he will have to be done much earlier than I wanted. If I were you I would wait until he is 12 to 18 mths old especially as he's a large breed. Edited February 1, 2012 by luvsdogs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattycake Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 :laugh: They even have those nut implants for males that owners can purchase if they want the fill the sack. It's purely cosmetic and I bet it's a man thing :laugh: Not sure if they do it here but I've seen it on an American show They do it here, I seen Dr Chris do it on Bondi Vet.............and yes it was the bloke who wanted them implanted :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 (edited) I think all 'pet' dogs should be desexed regardless of sex because of the health benefits and it's the right thing to do (erasing all possible mishaps/accidental pregnancies/fence jumpers etc). I had my girl done on 6 months on the dot at my vets advice and she's still the same mental pooch :) For some reason some men seem to get attached to their dogs balls and want to leave them be, I'll never understand that! Tell me about it. My daughters ex-boyfriend wanted to get his dog desexed and would say so yet put it off and put it off and even when he finally brought the dog in to be done was still all sookie and OH..poor doggie blah, blah, blah until the Vet nurse gave him a serve of "You blokes and your attachments" speech. :laugh: Ummmmm I have an entire male dog who will never be used. I don't plan on desexing him any time soon. He lives with 8 other entire bitches and has never mated any of them, never jumped a fence or even wanted to!! I believe all dogs owned by irresponsible owners should be desexed and that has nothing to do with a dog being a pet or not. I am female and certainly not attached to his nuts, I just believe that there is no reason to take them off when there are possible health benefits and I know I can keep him contained- which is the same choice I think others have the right to make. I was given a serve off a vet nurse because he still had nuts and I questioned her knowledge in the matter and when it became clear I had done more research than her we agreed to disagree :). ETA- also whats the problem with males wanting to keep male dogs entire so long as they keep them contained and monitor their health? Edited February 1, 2012 by Jumabaar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karly101 Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 The growth plates close at 9 months and I've spoken to a few vets who don't think there is any benefit to waiting longer to desex than that. Mine is 10 months and I would get him done now but waiting as he is having skin issues. I haven't noticed any behavioral changes in the past with our dogs but I'm sure there are dogs with testosterone issues in which case it does help. The only thing is it does make them gain weight so adjustment in feeding quantity after being desexed is a good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 The growth plates close at 9 months and I've spoken to a few vets who don't think there is any benefit to waiting longer to desex than that. Mine is 10 months and I would get him done now but waiting as he is having skin issues. I haven't noticed any behavioral changes in the past with our dogs but I'm sure there are dogs with testosterone issues in which case it does help. The only thing is it does make them gain weight so adjustment in feeding quantity after being desexed is a good idea. depends on the breed of dog, growth plates aren't closed in my dogs at 9 months. Desexing a dog does not make it gain weight usually. What happens is the desexing coinsides with maturity and people forget to stop feeding their adult dog like a puppy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emgem Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 I had my girl done on 6 months on the dot at my vets advice and she's still the same mental pooch :) Don't forget that you have a toy breed. At six months she would have been physically mature or very close to it. I had my medium/large chap done at 5.5 months to make the registration deadline, but he gained another 8cm in height and 6 kg in weight afterward. He has also been quite slow to mature mentally, though that may be a breed issue. If I had the decision to make over again I would wait and risk the fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisovar Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 The growth plates close at 9 months and I've spoken to a few vets who don't think there is any benefit to waiting longer to desex than that. Mine is 10 months and I would get him done now but waiting as he is having skin issues. I haven't noticed any behavioral changes in the past with our dogs but I'm sure there are dogs with testosterone issues in which case it does help. The only thing is it does make them gain weight so adjustment in feeding quantity after being desexed is a good idea. The age that the growth plates close varies from breed to breed. I would never desex a large breed before 12 months and would prefer to wait till around 15months, my Vets agree. Most issues people try to fix with the snip are training issues not rampant hormones. I have left most of my male dogs entire, and have never had any problems with their health or behavior as a result. For the average pet owner who may be unable to ensure they put in the work to train their dog and provide secure housing desexing is however a good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karly101 Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 The growth plates close at 9 months and I've spoken to a few vets who don't think there is any benefit to waiting longer to desex than that. Mine is 10 months and I would get him done now but waiting as he is having skin issues. I haven't noticed any behavioral changes in the past with our dogs but I'm sure there are dogs with testosterone issues in which case it does help. The only thing is it does make them gain weight so adjustment in feeding quantity after being desexed is a good idea. depends on the breed of dog, growth plates aren't closed in my dogs at 9 months. Desexing a dog does not make it gain weight usually. What happens is the desexing coinsides with maturity and people forget to stop feeding their adult dog like a puppy. The papers I've read on desexing have indicated that removing the hormones can lower the metabolic rate. Sydney University vet even recommends dropping food intake by 10% post suture removal. I know the paper I read on cats indicated their rate can drop by 30%. But yes it also does coincide with maturation in which case food intake should be lowered anyway. It all depends on the owner though... coming from a shelter background they'll desex at very immature age and have been doing so for some time and there are many people I know who I would not trust with an entire dog/cat! If you are responsible enough to contain the dog there are definitely benefits to keeping entire for longer and the health benefits of desexing males I think are not so many as females. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 The growth plates close at 9 months and I've spoken to a few vets who don't think there is any benefit to waiting longer to desex than that. Mine is 10 months and I would get him done now but waiting as he is having skin issues. I haven't noticed any behavioral changes in the past with our dogs but I'm sure there are dogs with testosterone issues in which case it does help. The only thing is it does make them gain weight so adjustment in feeding quantity after being desexed is a good idea. depends on the breed of dog, growth plates aren't closed in my dogs at 9 months. Desexing a dog does not make it gain weight usually. What happens is the desexing coinsides with maturity and people forget to stop feeding their adult dog like a puppy. The papers I've read on desexing have indicated that removing the hormones can lower the metabolic rate. Sydney University vet even recommends dropping food intake by 10% post suture removal. I know the paper I read on cats indicated their rate can drop by 30%. But yes it also does coincide with maturation in which case food intake should be lowered anyway. It all depends on the owner though... coming from a shelter background they'll desex at very immature age and have been doing so for some time and there are many people I know who I would not trust with an entire dog/cat! If you are responsible enough to contain the dog there are definitely benefits to keeping entire for longer and the health benefits of desexing males I think are not so many as females. Most dogs being desexed at Sydney University probably need their food intake dropped by 20% with or without being desexed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizT Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 I think all 'pet' dogs should be desexed regardless of sex because of the health benefits and it's the right thing to do (erasing all possible mishaps/accidental pregnancies/fence jumpers etc). I had my girl done on 6 months on the dot at my vets advice and she's still the same mental pooch :) For some reason some men seem to get attached to their dogs balls and want to leave them be, I'll never understand that! Tell me about it. My daughters ex-boyfriend wanted to get his dog desexed and would say so yet put it off and put it off and even when he finally brought the dog in to be done was still all sookie and OH..poor doggie blah, blah, blah until the Vet nurse gave him a serve of "You blokes and your attachments" speech. :laugh: Ummmmm I have an entire male dog who will never be used. I don't plan on desexing him any time soon. He lives with 8 other entire bitches and has never mated any of them, never jumped a fence or even wanted to!! I believe all dogs owned by irresponsible owners should be desexed and that has nothing to do with a dog being a pet or not. I am female and certainly not attached to his nuts, I just believe that there is no reason to take them off when there are possible health benefits and I know I can keep him contained- which is the same choice I think others have the right to make. I was given a serve off a vet nurse because he still had nuts and I questioned her knowledge in the matter and when it became clear I had done more research than her we agreed to disagree :). ETA- also whats the problem with males wanting to keep male dogs entire so long as they keep them contained and monitor their health? Ahh, that's the 20 million dollar question? "All dogs owned by irresponsible owners". Who decides that? There is nothing wrong with keeping your dog entire, it's an owners choice but I do believe the OP has already stated their intention to desex and is asking opinions about the operative time and any changes it may or may not make to her dog. And incidently, my daughters ex-BF's dog repeatedly escaped their property, and even managed to squeeze out of his bedroom window when opened only a small way. According to his owner this dog was way overdue to be desexed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizT Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 The growth plates close at 9 months and I've spoken to a few vets who don't think there is any benefit to waiting longer to desex than that. Mine is 10 months and I would get him done now but waiting as he is having skin issues. I haven't noticed any behavioral changes in the past with our dogs but I'm sure there are dogs with testosterone issues in which case it does help. The only thing is it does make them gain weight so adjustment in feeding quantity after being desexed is a good idea. depends on the breed of dog, growth plates aren't closed in my dogs at 9 months. Desexing a dog does not make it gain weight usually. What happens is the desexing coinsides with maturity and people forget to stop feeding their adult dog like a puppy. The papers I've read on desexing have indicated that removing the hormones can lower the metabolic rate. Sydney University vet even recommends dropping food intake by 10% post suture removal. I know the paper I read on cats indicated their rate can drop by 30%. But yes it also does coincide with maturation in which case food intake should be lowered anyway. It all depends on the owner though... coming from a shelter background they'll desex at very immature age and have been doing so for some time and there are many people I know who I would not trust with an entire dog/cat! If you are responsible enough to contain the dog there are definitely benefits to keeping entire for longer and the health benefits of desexing males I think are not so many as females. That's probably why Harem eunichs ,who were castrated before becoming sexually active and therefore not able to become a nuisance with the harem women grew into such big hulks of men. So wouldn't desexing make for a larger dog??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristineX Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 I've had two male dogs - Quin, ex-stud dog, not neutured - but he was always a pleasure to handle even in the presence of on heat females. However, he was definately a target for any male dog looking for a fight. Duke - desexed at approx 2 years old - rescue dog - no change in behaviour at all - he remained, and remains at 5, a nutcase. However, he stopped getting mugged by other dogs, which for me has been very important. Vet said "he'll be sleepy and wont want to eat" - umm - I had to tie him up to stop the non-stop zoomies, and he stole everything edible in sight. Like everything, there are positives and minuses in getting your dog desexed, and you need to weigh them up for your dog and your situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emgem Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 For males at least, the rush of testosterone at sexual maturity speeds up the closure of the growth plates. That's why dogs and men neutered before sexual maturity tend to be taller than average, but most of the height increase is due to extra length in the long bones. It wouldn't cause additional muscle development. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 I think if you can keep your dog contained, train it and live with it then desex him after 12 months. If you cannot control behaviour aided and abetted by hormones, then desex him at 6 months. I would leave a dog until after maturity but I have the facilities to handle multiple entire dogs and have no issues with behaviour, or can accomodate any that may arise. My bitches are desexed after they no longer need their bits for breeding or are of the age age they will not be used for breeding. Any that should not be bred from would be desexed after maturity. Boys are not desexed unless medically necessary, or if they are of substanded quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizT Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 For males at least, the rush of testosterone at sexual maturity speeds up the closure of the growth plates. That's why dogs and men neutered before sexual maturity tend to be taller than average, but most of the height increase is due to extra length in the long bones. It wouldn't cause additional muscle development. No they were probably just fatter due to the slower metabolism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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