I was off doing some training this weekend and, as usual, had dropped the dogs off at their dog sitter. So far so good.

Saturday afternoon comes around and I am finally a) off a live fire range and b) reunited with my bags and find out that I have about eight missed calls and three voicemails from my wife and two missed calls from the dog sitter. Apparently the dogs have been marking everything they can raise a leg against and the older of the two had had an argument with a jack russel over some food. Not so good.

Both my dogs still have their nuts intact, but the dog sitter is insistent that having them both neutered would stop the marking pretty much instantly and would probably stop the behaviour that resulted in the argument over food. Given that one dog is four and the other two, they’ve had their time to grow up and I doubt that I’ll be using either to breed from, so…

Do I book them both in for a trip to the vet, and why do I feel so reluctant to have them snipped?

Where’s the dilemma?

How would you like yours removed?

If you don’t intend to breed from them then snip them off. Better for everyone, especially the poor little pups who get dumped at a rescue centre/river should they unknowingly to you get their way with a bitch when out somewhere.

I really don’t see the point in having a dog with balls that doesn’t need them. Their wee stinks, they try and hump everything and are more aggressive while they have balls. At 2 and 4 they are fully grown adults now as you say.

it will be a bit strange though for a while as they will seem different. But life will be easier.

Go for it – it will stop them wandering off in seach of love action (if they tend to do that now).
As already said, balls pointelss on dogs unless you’re planning having pups.

“How would you like yours removed?”

Sucked out by Scarlett Johannson since you ask.

Sucked out by Scarlett Johannson since you ask.

Why did nobody tell me that was an option?

Get them off. Dogs will stop trying to hump / mark / kill quite so many things.

Trout had a thread a whiles back about this, never did hear back how he thoughts on how it affected Paddy (IIRC).

The best post on that thread, was:

rexated – Member
as a vet said to me, whilst advocating castration: imagine you have a massive sex drive but aren’t allowed to sow your oats or spank off. how bad would that feel?

a sound argument, delicately put

My dog minder won’t consider any ‘entire’ dogs; just too much trouble for her.

Neutering and spaying is best for dogs from which there is no intention to have litters. I see it all the time in our park. Spaying is certainly good for bitches’ health long term. I hear the world of blokes saying “No, I couldn’t do it to him” in the park. They soon change their minds once the dog’s been involved in a scrap or starts pissing all over everything it finds.

Neutered male dogs are much more contented. The constant urge to mate, roam, mark and compete can be very stressful for a dog.

It is usually blokes who object on the grounds that they wouldn’t like it doing to themselves. Don’t anthropomorphise, it isn’t the same thing – the dog is completely unaware and will lead a healthier, happier life. This isn’t a personal opinion, it is well researched and I’m sure any vet/animal welfare person you spoke to would say the same.

With the amount of strays and unwanted dogs in shelters, it is the responsibility of any animal loving person to spay and neuter their dogs.

I really don’t see the point in having a dog with balls that doesn’t need them. Their wee stinks, they try and hump everything and are more aggressive while they have balls.

Tha doesn’t sound anything like my 11 year old ‘intact’ dog. Basically judge each case on its merits. We always said that if he became an amorous pain he would get ‘done’. He never has done and so is intact. The bitcvh wa speyed from day one in case of other interested males. I have also seen great male dogs basically ruined by being done, no energy or enthusiasm, no interest at all in anything.

There are hormones you can try in advance of the snip that give an insight as to how the dog will behave post-op.

Our dog is whole but we show him so he has to be. When out and about with him you you can tell if a bitch in season is around from his behaviour. Nose to the ground, foaming at the mouth ect. When he’s like that you just have to be aware of the situation and recall him as and when needed.

All you need is two bricks. Just watch your thumbs

Also most owners get recomended by the vets to send in there dog in for the snip around the one year old mark. This is the ” teenage years” for dogs and castrated or not can be a right pain in the arse. I know of a lot of owners have said it made not one bit of difference to the dogs behaviour. Well apart from the vets being £80-150 better off 😉

We had Monty booked in the first day we saw him cock his leg (apparently that’s the signal for maturity) but he does still mark A LOT if he’s allowed to. Just a very dominant dog according to the trainer, but we’ll manage that out.
I was advised to get them off as early as possible (on maturity) as if you leave it late then a lot of the bad behaviour becomes habit anyway.
In shirt, get the spuds off, but don’t expect it to bs an overnight fix.

Will it stop them crapping on the beaches?

I really don’t see the point in having a dog with balls that doesn’t need them. Their wee stinks, they try and hump everything and are more aggressive while they have balls.

Tha doesn’t sound anything like my 11 year old ‘intact’ dog. Basically judge each case on its merits. We always said that if he became an amorous pain he would get ‘done’. He never has done and so is intact. The bitcvh wa speyed from day one in case of other interested males. I have also seen great male dogs basically ruined by being done, no energy or enthusiasm, no interest at all in anything.

There are hormones you can try in advance of the snip that give an insight as to how the dog will behave post-op.

This is pretty much what our vet said, paraphrased, unless its a problem leave them.

Well, it looks like it became a problem at the weekend.

Looks like it is going to cost around the 250 quid mark for both dogs, and have a 1 week lead time (hate thinking of it in those terms), but if it is going to stop them marking everything in sight (including other dogs and even some people) and getting a little aggressive about their food, then it might be money well spent.

I suspect I will still feel like a traitor to him though.