What's the age limit on neutering a male dog?

Madame Razz

Or is there one??

The dog is approx 4years old and a corgi.

Clare Bear

Nope not really. Obviously the earlier it's done the better but at 4 he should be fine provided he's a healthy dog.

Madame Razz

Clare Bear wrote: »

Nope not really. Obviously the earlier it's done the better but at 4 he should be fine provided he's a healthy dog.

Cool:cool:

He's very healthy tbh.

Am hoping it'll settle his temperament a little and stop him lifting his leg EVERYwhere:rolleyes:

Whispered

Sorry to hijak a thread but I don't think this warrents it's own one. If my dog, aged 8 months is not lifting his leg yet, will he ever? He's neutered. I think it's cute, but makes for pretty messy paws.

kazza90210

some dogs never cock their legs, mines over a yr and still doesnt!

deeksofdoom

Madame Razz wrote: »

Cool:cool:

He's very healthy tbh.

Am hoping it'll settle his temperament a little and stop him lifting his leg EVERYwhere:rolleyes:

Let me get this straight you want to castrate your dog to stop it lifting its leg!.... why don't you just lop the leg off that way he can't lift it.

Castration won't stop your dog from lifting his leg or calm him down either, in my opinion castration unless for a valid medical reason is wrong and you don't have a valid medical reason for it.

Dogs lift their legs its a fact and castration in my opinion won't solve this. Bitches on the other hand don't. As for calming the dog down why not take the time to train it. Find yourself a dog trainer and get lessons, you'll find a trained dog is a lot better companion than an untrained one.

It pisses me off when I look on forums and see people who are adamant about having their dogs castrated for stupid reasons, please have a rethink on this.

rororoyourboat

helena.ryan wrote: »

Sorry to hijak a thread but I don't think this warrents it's own one. If my dog, aged 8 months is not lifting his leg yet, will he ever? He's neutered. I think it's cute, but makes for pretty messy paws.

Sometimes my dog does and sometimes he doesn't.

It's something I can never figure out, but he seems happy and healthy, so we let him be!

Broad

deeksofdoom wrote: »

It pisses me off when I look on forums and see people who are adamant about having their dogs castrated for stupid reasons, please have a rethink on this.

Not altogether fair on those of us who castrate our dogs - you can call any reason "stupid" it you personally don't agree with it.

There is no age limit on neutering your dog. We had to neuter our family dog at eight because he developed prostate gland problems which the vet said he would never have had if he were neutered. He was a bit loony and it did calm him down a bit, and he was the same happy happy creature as before he was castrated. His distress and discomfort with his prostate disease were enough to lead me neuter my own boy dog at eight months. He half lifts his leg. He is a lively and happy creature. I also have three bitches, all are neutered. My friend had an un-neutered bitch who died age five of uterine cancer. Not to mention the "surprise" litters of puppies that happen. I honestly think that locking bitches up for one twelfth (a fortnight twice a year) of their lives is much harder on them than the brief discomfort of spaying.

Castrating your dog will not usually stop him lifting his leg if he is already doing it. Male dogs generally lift their legs and it is really a bit unrealistic to expect them not to! It calms some excitable dogs somewhat but is not guaranteed to do so. Most importantly it does prevent unwanted pregnancies in unspayed bitches if your dog is not 100% secure 100% of the time in his home/garden or never walked off the lead. And it is truly amazing what an un-neutered dog will do to get away when he scents a bitch in heat! If you are completely certain the dog is always under your control and get at any bitches then he is probably fine un-neutered. We may have been very unlucky with our first dog.

Best advice is to talk to your vet and ask their advice - they will be happy to talk on the phone about it so will not need an appointment, just leave a message saying you would like to talk about neutering your dog and need advice. They should call back and have a talk with you.

deeksofdoom

Broad wrote: »

Not altogether fair on those of us who castrate our dogs - you can call any reason "stupid" it you personally don't agree with it.

Okay fair enough point taken, but I do think castrating a dog because you think it will stop it lifting its leg is stupid. I have had a few dogs over the years mostly working gundogs, pointers and springers and I have never castrated one. I believe that castrating or neutering any dog is wrong unless it is for a valid medical reason.

Broad wrote: »

There is no age limit on neutering your dog.

But there should be, if you feel you have to neuter a dog it should be done when the dog is fully developed and not still a pup. Neutering a pup prevents it from fully developing. I have a friend who got a lab from the pound it was a year old and had been neutered shortly before they got him. He has since developed weight problem and is totally obese and not through lack of exercise.

Broad wrote: »

We had to neuter our family dog at eight because he developed prostate gland problems

Now that is a valid reason to castrate a dog

Broad wrote: »

His distress and discomfort with his prostate disease were enough to lead me neuter my own boy dog at eight months. He half lifts his leg. He is a lively and happy creature. I also have three bitches, all are neutered. My friend had an un-neutered bitch who died age five of uterine cancer. Not to mention the "surprise" litters of puppies that happen.

At 8 months your dog was still a pup, I hope he turned out alright afterwards, but I personnallly wouldn't have bothered. As for surprise litters of pups that's just irresponsible.

Broad wrote: »

I honestly think that locking bitches up for one twelfth (a fortnight twice a year) of their lives is much harder on them than the brief discomfort of spaying.

Not altogether fair on those of us who keep our dogs locked in a run. Dogs should not be allowed to roam free neutered or unneutered. A dog should have its own space in the home its responsible dog ownership. And heat lasts anything up to 4 weeks or more.

Broad wrote: »

It calms some excitable dogs somewhat but is not guaranteed to do so.

Castration/neutering isn't guaranteed to do anything except stop unwanted litters.

Broad wrote: »

Most importantly it does prevent unwanted pregnancies in unspayed bitches if your dog is not 100% secure 100% of the time in his home/garden or never walked off the lead.

What prevents pregnancy's in unspayed bitches is having your bitch properly under control at all times and ensuring that when she is in heat she is not left off the lead while out walking. Keeping the dog securely kennelled and her kennel and run clean with Jeyes fluid during heat will mask the scent from other dogs.

Broad wrote: »

And it is truly amazing what an un-neutered dog will do to get away when he scents a bitch in heat!

It sure is, thats why she should be kept locked up. However you will find that a dog that has not crossed a bitch before will be less likely to run off after a bitch in heat. As soon as a dog crosses a bitch he'll always want to be doing it and you can't blame him for that.

pitty lover

im not sure about males so i wonte say anything but it is a fact that spaying a bitch can lower the risks of mammary cancer dramatically and there are no chances of unwanted litters

Madame Razz

deeksofdoom wrote: »

Let me get this straight you want to castrate your dog to stop it lifting its leg!.... why don't you just lop the leg off that way he can't lift it.

Castration won't stop your dog from lifting his leg or calm him down either, in my opinion castration unless for a valid medical reason is wrong and you don't have a valid medical reason for it.

Dogs lift their legs its a fact and castration in my opinion won't solve this. Bitches on the other hand don't. As for calming the dog down why not take the time to train it. Find yourself a dog trainer and get lessons, you'll find a trained dog is a lot better companion than an untrained one.

It pisses me off when I look on forums and see people who are adamant about having their dogs castrated for stupid reasons, please have a rethink on this.

Bloody hell; talk about a barage:rolleyes:

The dog is trained. He is a corgi. Corgis by their nature are aggressive. Male corgis are moreso. I have no problem with the fact that he is aggressive, I can handle it, but that doesn't mean that other people can. He has a typical corgi temperament exacerbated by the fact that he was rescued from a bad home, so whilst he is disciplioned he is cross, and I worry about him with other people, particularly children, as they are drwn to him by his cute appearance, yet his personality is not so cute.

The leg lifting is more of a minor issue tbh.

Castrating a male can aid in reducing their aggression, which in turn reduces the risk of the dog with people. I don't see that as a stupid reason tbh.

deeksofdoom

Madame Razz,

Sorry but your original post did seem to make bigger deal of the leg lifting

Madame Razz wrote: »

Am hoping it'll settle his temperament a little and stop him lifting his leg EVERYwhere

Plus the fact there were several people posting about leg lifting.

And my rant wasn't just directed at you but anyone who would read this thread and get the impression that by castrating their dog they re going to stop it from lifting its leg.

Anyways back to your aggression problem, I would say that the resolution to your problem is going to require a little bit more than castration. Castration may or may not work to calm your dog down, but a behavioural problem can only be resolved by corrective training. Failing that your screwed and if the dog is too aggressive to be around humans then it should be destroyed before it causes harm.

Broad

Madame Razz wrote: »

Castrating a male can aid in reducing their aggression, which in turn reduces the risk of the dog with people. I don't see that as a stupid reason tbh.

Mme Razz - you are right that is not a stupid reason. Corgis are clever and high spirited but are often snappy and rescue dogs are often an unknown quantity - be assured that it will do him no harm to castrate him, and may calm him down somewhat. He will not become obese because he is neutered but he may need less food after he is neutered - if a dog becomes overweight after neutering it is because they are being given more food than they require. Ring your vet! He/she will be happy to advise.

Best of luck with your corgi whatever you decide:)

reality

OP, Neutering your dog may reduce his urges to mark his territory once his testosterone levels have dropped, however, at three years of age, the habit of cocking his leg is a behaviour that will be deeply ingrained in him! It's the same drift as how neutering a male dog at adolescence means that if he then smells a bitch in heat (the smell travels for kms!) he won’t have the urge to hunt her down to mate her and so is unlikely to go wandering, however, if you wait until a dog has already started wandering then neutering is unlikely to resolve the problem, because he has now learned that outside the realms of his home, lies a host of other interesting things for him to see/smell/do!

FACTS - VALID MEDICAL REASONS TO NEUTER
Castration prevents testicular cancer (2nd most common neoplasia in male dogs) and significantly reduces the risk of prostate disease.
Early castration means that males are less likely to learn/display male dominance aggression towards other dogs (reducing the risk of fighting and associated wounds) and towards humans.
In cats, early castration reduces fighting behaviour by up to 80% - consider that anti-social behaviour and mating behaviour are the main causes of FIV and FeLV transmission.

Spaying prevents cancer of the womb and ovaries. Also, a bitch spayed before her first season is TWO THOUSAND times less likely to develop mammary tumours (52% of tumours in bitches are of the mammary glands) than a bitch who is left entire until three years of age. An adult female cat is 7 times more likely to develop mammary tumours than a cat spayed at puberty. Spaying also prevents pyometra - a potentially fatal, but common (in dogs) infection of the womb.
Deeksofdoom…
“ I believe that castrating or neutering any dog is wrong unless it is for a valid medical reason.” - see above.

“If you feel you have to neuter a dog it should be done when the dog is fully developed and not still a pup.” - health benefits are maximised if neutering occurs before the onset of puberty and the production of sex hormones.

“Neutering a pup prevents it from fully developing. I have a friend who got a lab from the pound it was a year old and had been neutered shortly before they got him. He has since developed weight problem and is totally obese and not through lack of exercise” - sexual characteristics are the only thing early neutering stops from developing. Neutering DOES decrease metabolism, but this can easily be controlles with diet and exercise.

“As for surprise litters of pups that's just irresponsible.” - Neutering is the responsible choice.

“Castration/neutering isn't guaranteed to do anything except stop unwanted litters.” - and remove the risk of testicular /womb/ovarian cancer.

“What prevents pregnancy's in unspayed bitches is having your bitch properly under control at all times and ensuring that when she is in heat she is not left off the lead while out walking. Keeping the dog securely kennelled and her kennel and run clean with Jeyes fluid during heat will mask the scent from other dogs.” - male dogs become incredibly brave/creative/stupid when chasing a bitch in heat, it is not uncommon for them to break into/out of houses by jumping though windows. Even the most responsible pet owner cannot watch their dog 24/7.

“However you will find that a dog that has not crossed a bitch before will be less likely to run off after a bitch in heat. As soon as a dog crosses a bitch he'll always want to be doing it and you can't blame him for that.” - a very good reason for early neutering?

seedubya

Thanks for that Reality. I was try to figure out how to post a reply that didn't involve shouting.

songbot

I have a collie, he was very agressive and crazy and kept trying to escape before i got him neutered. I believe if you are not planning on breeding a dog then it is cruel NOT to get him done. my parents had one that they never snipped and he humped everything and went around with a big erection half the time looking miserable. i thought it was quite cruel.

also i thought the op wasn't making a big deal, just a joke about the dog marking - or at least thats the way i took it. the dog will always lift its leg when it pees because its habit, but when its neutered it will stop marking so he won't be peeing on stuff you don't want him to so much, he will be peeing cos he needs to pee! also i don't think that the pee smells as bad - maybe thats just me!

i really did feel though that it calmed my dog down a lot, as collies are like corgis in that they are very highly strung and quite nervous.

reality

seedubya wrote: »

Thanks for that Reality. I was try to figure out how to post a reply that didn't involve shouting.

Lol, i had to have a few deep breaths and count to ten before i started typing :rolleyes:

Sigma Force

Cripes, the OP didn't make that big a deal about the leg lifting just a lot of the other posts did.

People should be encouraged to neuter their pets full stop Ireland is awash with unwanted litters I don't care what the reason is for neutering as long as the dog is healthy behavioural issues or none neutering is the way to go esp. for pet dogs.

4 is still young I've had to have a 14 year old female spayed (otherwise in good health) years ago.

Neutering isn't a cure all esp. if a dog has developed bad habits but I don't see the harm in neutering anyway for whatever reason one less dog out there to possibly escape (no matter how vigilent owners are) and father an unwanted litter at the end of the day eh.

OP best thing to do is have a chat with your vet and also no harm at any age to start doggy obedience training, there's a good few good ones out there now plus it's a bit of fun for owners as well.

Madame Razz

Thanks for all the helpful replies. I was jesting about the leg lifting; it really wouldn't be a good reason to put a dog thru an op methinks:)

I probably will get him done at some stage over the summer; I'm letting him settle in for a bit first.

He is pretty 'spirited'; great fun tho:p