To de-sex or not ?

Hi everyone

We have a bit of a problem when Indy see's other dogs he gets soooo excited. So I might exercise him before we take him to walk/socialise. I usually have a long play ball session with him every day & we take him for a long walk every sat/sun at the beach on the esplanade. When we get there he thinks it's doggy xmas !!!!

He wants to play with most dogs but prefers bigger dogs closer to his size.Smaller ones often snap at him and he just looks confused. He saw another blue (puppy) last weekend and it was like he had found his long lost brother or something it was unbelievably cute.

Indy usually mimic's the behaviour of the other dogs, so if they get feisty he does too. Indy is a big boy he's 45cms tall ( at the back of his shoulders ) and is 55cms long ( from collar to start of his tail ) he's about 25 kgs .... as much as my 9 year old son.
Indy will be 2 in october. He is super strong.
We moved interstate last year and he wasn't desexed , we were'nt sure whether to de-sex him or not and was told by the vet we could get a testosterone quelling implant that would last for 6-12 months and since a relatives poodle would be around and was'nt desexed we did it as a precaution. It definately seems to work but has well worn off now.
So wondering whether or not to de-sex him ?
Would it affect his personality ?
Is 2 years well on the way to maturing ?

Any advise would be appreciated

The choice really is yours in all honesty, he is certainly mature enough and IMHO no it won't effect his personality Good luck with your decsion Xx

I personally don't neuter, but as Janey says, that's a personal decision.

At two years old he's mature enough to get done without it affecting his growth. But personality? That's a grey area. Some dogs don't change at all, some get a little calmer, others become quite nervous. Very difficult to say with any degree of confidence.

If you want him neutered, then that's entirely your decision. But don't neuter him in the hope that it'll make him easier to handle/control or calm him down, because you may be disappointed! Training & good exercise will help, though.

janey wrote:

The choice really is yours in all honesty, he is certainly mature enough and IMHO no it won't effect his personality Good luck with your decsion Xx

Thanks , it's good to get a few opinions from staffy owners....

Caryll wrote:I personally don't neuter, but as Janey says, that's a personal decision.

At two years old he's mature enough to get done without it affecting his growth. But personality? That's a grey area. Some dogs don't change at all, some get a little calmer, others become quite nervous. Very difficult to say with any degree of confidence.

If you want him neutered, then that's entirely your decision. But don't neuter him in the hope that it'll make him easier to handle/control or calm him down, because you may be disappointed! Training & good exercise will help, though.

Thank you , yes we're certainly keeping up with the training, he is pretty good most of the time , I guess we'll never stop learning

Onyx was born intact he will rest intact. I'm not going to relieve myself of my stuff, same for him. Friend of mine had his American bulldog, my sbt and a am staff all intact males resting with each other all the while a in heat female would prance her stuff in their face. Not a single male budged. I had a good read that showed specific points of neutering a dog. The only definite find was if you wanted to prevent litters or not. And that decision is on you. Otherwise there is no real concrete evidence of snipping a male dog is actually benificial or would change his outlook on other dogs or improve behavior

Train yourself and the dog and issues will be solved on their own

I personally don't neuter either but it is very much your decision

Onyx322010 wrote:Train yourself and the dog and issues will be solved on their own

That's a good comment.

Wouldn't neuter if given the choice.

Thanks all ...... it's really good to hear lots of opinions.
So far feeling it's best to leave him intact , we actually don't have to de-sex.
We wouldn't want him to go through it for no reason.

Working dog wrote:Wouldn't neuter if given the choice.

I'll co-sign that!!!!! It will relieve your mind of testicular cancer, but it increases other types of cancer. More so in female dogs if done PRIOR to first heat. Bone cancer being the highest increase in females but also noticeable increases in males

Onyx322010 wrote:

Working dog wrote:Wouldn't neuter if given the choice.

I'll co-sign that!!!!! It will relieve your mind of testicular cancer, but it increases other types of cancer. More so in female dogs if done PRIOR to first heat. Bone cancer being the highest increase in females but also noticeable increases in males

Sorry there are many arguments for and against and many statistics for and against.

Ok ... so we have found a good fenced off doggy park ......
and I think all the training must have paid off , Indy is fetching his beloved indestructible kong ball ............. (so far ) and is returning it , he's sitting on command or i won't release the ball for him. We have had fitness groups training in the same park and he stays focussed on the ball. Also have had a few owners and their dogs come in and Indy is doing really well , super pleasantly surprised.
I also bought a "Easy Walk" harness, where the clip is at the front of the chest and walking has improved 90% , best thing I've bought.
So all in all, when put into practice Indy has been great.
p.s and we've decided to keep him intact

Glad things are working out well.

Now, how about some pics?