gharner
Middletown, PA
MH
Posts:512
 |
| 03/09/2010 6:11 PM |
|
Well, my pup is now around 5 months old, and begining to show some signs that its soon time for the big snip. Originally I wanted to wait for a little while before neutering him...but the more I think about it, the more I want to get it done around 6 months. I obviously don't plan on showing or breeding him so I was thinking of going earlier. What are your thoughts? What are some things I should consider?
Again, Im not positive that I want to neuter early just yet...but Im pretty sure its the right thing for us so far.
ps: Today at the dog park he....latched onto someones kid!!! He never humps ANYONE! It was so embarrasing, he started out playing and then all of a sudden, oh man. |
|
|
|
|
Rugergundog
Saginaw Michigan USA
MH
Posts:395
|
| 03/09/2010 6:20 PM |
|
My thoughts are unless you are dealing with an aggressive dog or a line with known cancer issues why neuter?
I do not intend to show or breed my GSP but will not be neutering him unless his behavior were to warrant the process. Currently nearly 2 and no aggressive behavior or such at all.
Past medical literature was primary pro clip; more and more recent literature is swaying the other way.
Im pro GSP sachel! |
|
Saginaw Michigan
Brittany- Ruger
GSP- Kilian |
|
|
dieterthegsp
Cape Breton, NS, Canada
MH
Posts:559
|
| 03/09/2010 7:03 PM |
|
| this is also something im not to sure about myself...gettin conflicting info |
|
Properly trained, a man can be dog's best friend.
Videos
|
|
|
zodiakgsps
NW PA
MH
Posts:1059
|
| 03/09/2010 7:31 PM |
|
I would wait. Most data shows ealry spay/nueter to have not a healthy benefit. Cruciate tears are linked to it, as well as higher cases of cancers, especially osteocarcoma. Let him grow & physically mature all the way prior to nuetering.
IMO, your pups action with the kid wasn't sexual in nature anyway, more so a dominance thing. Next time he does it, roll him on his back a minute & let him up, no need for yelling, spanking(less confusing to only say UH!! and nothing more, the correction is putting him to the ground).....more than likely he considered the kid "his level" which brought his actions about. It's not necessarily an aggressive thing, just one of the annoying things pups can do. DO nip it in the bud now though, this can turn into a rather nasty habit!
I have also seen pups that "overstimulate" easily, rough housing, excitement, etc will induce mounting behaviours, in which case learn your pups play "limit" and have a quiet minute before he gets to wound up. With kids, you may want to put him on a sit to greet them, make him perform an obedience command & be in control, he will learn.
It is hard to say what your pups "trigger" is, as I believe they do it for different reasons from dominance to sexual, just correct it, control it and redirect your pup to appropriate behaviour & he will be fine.
|
|
|
|
|
gharner
Middletown, PA
MH
Posts:512
|
| 03/09/2010 7:36 PM |
|
Yeah...I don't know. Im def. on the fence about it. The dog park that we go to has a policy that all dogs must be spayed or neutered, so that may be an issue.
What about wandering? My buddy waited to neuter his lab until he was over a year old, and their dog always used to wander. Now he is fixed he still wanders around any chance he can sneak away, so Im not sure if its just his dog or if its neutering related. |
|
|
|
|
gharner
Middletown, PA
MH
Posts:512
|
| 03/09/2010 7:39 PM |
|
| I did end up correcting him for it, and he did realize it was not a good thing to do...but it was awkard as anything with the little kid's whole family just standing there hahaha |
|
|
|
|
zodiakgsps
NW PA
MH
Posts:1059
|
| 03/09/2010 7:58 PM |
|
Don't feel badly. One time at a show, a big one...my male Buck ended up reserve dog after going around several times with the winning dog. While standing in line as the judge was handing out the ribbons, Buck lifted his leg on him in front of god and everyone!!!! It was to fast for me to react quick enough. Judge says to me, "Guess he told me what he thought of my judging!!" LOL.
You have a GSP, get used to being embarrassed by him........ |
|
|
|
|
Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:6748
|
| 03/09/2010 8:08 PM |
|
First, I would not neuter until at least a year and older is preferred. I like to wait until growth plates close and they are fully developed. Usually around 1.5 to 2 years. As for the humping it is likely not sexual or aggressive at his age. Ringo tried that at about the same age and I just corrected. I have had no problems since and he is not neutered. Ringo is almost 2 years now. As for the wandering that is more likely an training issue and not a neutering issue. My dogs know the boundaries of the yard and do not cross them. Of course, I do not let them go outside the fenced portion of my yard unless they are supervised. I also watch them closely and correct any wandering. All of my dogs are trained to a reliable recall, meaning they stop whatever they are doing and come immediately to me period.
My personal opinion with neutering is you should neuter a male you do not intend to breed, but you should wait until they are mature. The place where I board my dogs also has a spay/neuter policy, but I talked to them and they have made an exception with my dogs because 1) they are well behaved (better than dogs that they get that are spayed or neutered) and 2) I show my dogs in the breed ring. That said, I would talk to the folks that run the dog park if they give you any grief and tell them that you intend to neuter your dog, but want to wait until he has reached maturity for health reasons. Let them know that you will keep a close watch on your dog and intervene if there is an indication of any bad behavior. The most likely scenario is not that your un-neutered male will be aggressive, but that another male (could even be a neutered male) will try to jump him since his is young and intact. Most folks don't realize that and are not watchful for that type of incident. They always assume it is the intact dog that starts the ruckus. |
|
Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
     
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
|
|
Splat
Illinois (Northern)
MH
Posts:2439
|
| 03/10/2010 5:50 AM |
|
| I remember being a kid and a friends dog always humped us kids and we hated it!!! I didn't want to be the family with the humping dog and because I have kids and their friends come over I took the chance and neutered mine right away at 6 months cuz that was right for my situation....if I didn't have kids I would have waited.... |
|
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=2553
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=2554 |
|
|
Shelley
Bristol, UK
MH
Posts:693
|
| 03/10/2010 6:04 AM |
|
| Hogan started humping as soon as we got him at 8 weeks - we corrected him - fingers crossed he hasn't done it for a while now... |
|
|
|
|
gharner
Middletown, PA
MH
Posts:512
|
| 03/10/2010 6:19 AM |
|
| Yeah...Dax tried it once his 2nd day at home. I put an end to that really quick, he's never tried to hump me ever again. It was def. instigated from play at the dog park...the little girl was running around and he was trying to play...then he grabbed ahold haha. |
|
|
|
|
Shelley
Bristol, UK
MH
Posts:693
|
| 03/10/2010 6:46 AM |
|
Yeah - the very rare times Hogan does it now is when he is excited! |
|
|
|
|
dieterthegsp
Cape Breton, NS, Canada
MH
Posts:559
|
| 03/10/2010 8:07 AM |
|
| Dieter has not yet tried to mount a human..haha..but he does try to hump fin quite often. I immediately get him off.. now when he attempts i basically just have to look at him and he stops..hopefully this gets better |
|
Properly trained, a man can be dog's best friend.
Videos
|
|
|
Rose
MH
Posts:187
|
| 03/15/2010 1:06 AM |
|
"The most likely scenario is not that your un-neutered male will be aggressive, but that another male (could even be a neutered male) will try to jump him since his is young and intact."
That's exactly what's happening to Casey right now! We've had a few encounters where other male dogs, fixed, growl and show their fangs at him. We always have to be very watchful of not only of our dog, but of other dogs he may come across. |
|
Rose, Casey - GSP & Peyton - Brittany |
|
|
TessaGA
Georgia
MH
Posts:2378
|
| 03/15/2010 5:17 AM |
|
| I would wait until 12-15 months old to let his bones fully mature, and address the humping with obedience training. |
|
To live without dogs would mean accepting a form of blindness. [Thomas McGuane]
 |
|
|
jlp8cornell
Ithaca NY
MH
Posts:461
|
| 03/15/2010 6:03 AM |
|
I spoke to a vet here who specializes in reproduction. He said to spay/neuter---the pros outweigh the cons, especially with bitches. I showed him a paper someone posted on Gun Dog Forum. He said there have been no GOOD studies advocating for leaving dogs intact. Good is the key word.
There are a million opinions floating around. My advice for anyone struggling with this decision- Ask someone who knows the subject matter, the studies involved and that is very educated on the topic. |
|
Jen
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=2440 |
|
|
gharner
Middletown, PA
MH
Posts:512
|
| 03/15/2010 7:05 AM |
|
I think what Im going to end up doing is deciding if I would want to show him or not, and go from there. He really is just a pet and therefor I didnt have intentions of breeding. I would like him to be able to grow at least a year and then do it, but I think Im gonna play it by ear and make a decision that seems best suited for our situation. So far though, no more humping hahaha so thats good  |
|
|
|
|
Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:6748
|
| 03/15/2010 8:14 AM |
|
I would second Jen's post. There are allot opinions and observations out there, but nothing really conclusive. That is why it is vital that folks really think through and read up on the issues with spay/neuter. Also, don't let the emotional arguments either way influence you. Seek the advice of a trusted expert if you can. Then in the end, you have to do what you think is right for you and your dog.
I have had females my entire life (Ringo is my first male since I was a little girl). With some of the the female dogs that I have left intact, I never had problems and they lived to ripe old ages. I have had some that were left intact that developed mammary tumors that may or may not have been malignant (it was before the vets knew or tested much with that kind of thing), but my in any case they lived a long life even after surgery. On the opposite side I have had females I spayed at 6 months that lived long lives and others that died at early ages from other issues. So, this is a complicated problem. Dogs on both sides can have problems regardless of what we do, dogs can develop problems that are not associated with the reproductive system, so at the end of the day it is pretty much a crap shoot. So, as the owner you do what is right for you and your dog. |
|
Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
|
|