Getting Samson 'done'...???

Hi all,

I was after some advice really for my paticular situation.

While out at the park on Sunday there was a large police presence looking and advising on 'dangerous' dogs. Anyhow the dog warden there too. (first time i have met one). Sam was off the lead and well behaved also but I thought when she asked to speak to us that this may be a problem of which I was ready to jump to our defence!

Turns out she just wanted to ask some questions. She asked about his tag which he had on, was he chipped? Yes. Did he have insurance? Yes. Did I have waste bags? Yes. She commented on how well behaved he is for an 8 month pup and that I was a responible owner.  

She then cupped his nuts and asked if we were thinking of breeding him. Now we are not going to breed him and will probably have him done at some point (was thinking 12 months old) but she said get him done asap and said she would send a free voucher for our local vets. Now Ive been reading about it and some sources say soon as due to roaming, fighting, cocking of legs etc but he is so well behaved I just dont know. Then there was the part about him niot developing correctly and his bones not fusing together properly? This worries me as I dont want him to problems in the future. Also he is good as gold with my daughter who is 2 but we are having another baby in Nov when Sam will be 12months. Do you think we should have him done asap? Wait till 12months then do it? Or leave him and hope he continues his good behavior and get him done if he becomes terriortorial with ohter dogs etc.

Cheers

Dogs done early may not mature and can be leaner than a normal staff and sometimes more immature. I personally would let him be and not consider it until he is at least 2 years old. You don't have to at all, as even if he becomes territorial end of the day neutering will have little to no effect on behaviour.

Pretty much covered by Hayley. 

Cheers guys.

That's what I was thinking really. Ok I will leave him and see he goes.

Diplomat wrote:Cheers guys.

That's what I was thinking really. Ok I will leave him and see he goes.

Good idea!

We waited till our boy was 18 months, and for no other reasons than we were not going to breed him and it lessens the interest from other people in him. I have to admit, he had no vices before the op, was just young and playful, but he has matured lovely over the last few weeks since and I'm really pleased we did it. Good luck whichever decision you make

She is in no position to tell you to neuter your dog and definitely not ASAP!

I personally do not neuter full stop, but if you are wanting do let him mature first and not get him done before 18 months although 2 years and older is better

Im fed up with my vet rattling on about getting Duke done, i have told him my reasons for not wanting him done i took on board Caryll's advice about growth plates  and he just poo pooed that view, i told him the real reason you want Duke done is to stop breeding well i want my Boy to grow and mature as nature intended and i have no intention of breeding from him, he replied , you do know it will cost more as he grows bigger, i replied who said i was ever having him done at all .

I'm so lucky with my vets! Yes, they sugested neutering when he was a couple of months old, but I explained that I wouldn't get it done & they've never mentioned it since.

Like Ella & Mick I don't neuter my dogs & with good, consistent training I've never had a problem.

You are lucky Caryll, the original vets i was at constantly banged on about getting harvey done, oh we will give you a discount if you book it now, oh it's half price if you book today *le sigh*

I hate that sort of badgering!

Yep it's one of the many reasons we no longer go there!

mickgill wrote:Im fed up with my vet rattling on about getting Duke done, i have told him my reasons for not wanting him done i took on board Caryll's advice about growth plates  and he just poo pooed that view, i told him the real reason you want Duke done is to stop breeding well i want my Boy to grow and mature as nature intended and i have no intention of breeding from him, he replied , you do know it will cost more as he grows bigger, i replied who said i was ever having him done at all .

Nah they get money for doing a dog, lots of people don't bother to bring in puppies so there is more money in neutering than pups

My vet never mentioned it ever to me about any animal. If they have their beach balls then they check them and say they are healthy! i love my vets. They only answer questions that are asked!

My vet even checks Dempsey's pompoms for lumps & bumps, even though I do that myself from time to time! 

A good vet is worth his/her weight in gold! 

All great advice and well my mind is made up now. I won't be having him done. Nor will I be breeding him either. He is very obedient at the moment but are there any signs I should be watching for meaning he is challenging the pack hierarchy? And how should I correct it.

Like I say, good as gold off the lead, fetches, great with all people and all dogs encountered although the hair on his neck goes up a little? Is this a threat or a sign he is threatened

Most dogs will raise their hackles a little when they're in new situations. It isn't necessarily aggressive, it's often just uncertainty.

The more telling signs are if a dog is stiff legged, has his tail raised above/over his back & held stiffly, and is staring fixedly at another dog.

Caryll wrote:Most dogs will raise their hackles a little when they're in new situations. It isn't necessarily aggressive, it's often just uncertainty.

The more telling signs are if a dog is stiff legged, has his tail raised above/over his back & held stiffly, and is staring fixedly at another dog.

Thanks ill keep a look out for it

This is an interesting thread. So....six months (the date I've been told repeatedly) is actually too soon to desex, and it is best to wait until 24months?

At 6 months a Stafford is still mentally and physically immature. Any nervousness will be made worse by neutering, and growth will be affected. Also, bitches could have their genital growth stunted which can lead to urinary burn. The chance of bone & prostate cancer are also increased.

At 6 months almost all breeds won't be mature mentally or physically, Id always advise leaving until a minimum of 18 months but 2 years and longer is best!

Good to know, sounds like we'll be waiting. Thanks!

doesn't mean he needs to be done at all

Hmm, yes, I think it will eventually depend on behaviour. He's free range on the farm so not locked up in a yard. If he starts wandering or humping the sheep or something (joke), that'll be the end of it. Long way to go until then, he's still a pup.

that would be an interesting sight!

I was told by my vet when we first got Kuchar at 3 months old, that 6 months old was the recommended age to castrate, it would prevent humping, aggression etc. I was a bit gobsmacked at this because, although I had only had bitches previously, I had always been told from one source or another that the earliest age for castration should be when the dog is regularly lifting his leg to wee.

Well, I went away and researched the subject online and also took advice from this forum's members, and came to the conclusion that 6 or even 9 months old was far too young for castration The evidence of bone growth and the higher incidence of later bone cancer in early castrated dogs was enough to convince me to wait.

To be fair to my vets, they didn't badger me on this, and for some time I thought I might let Kuchar remain entire - he wasn't aggressive, wasn't a humper (except very occasionally) and didn't seem more interested in bitches than in any other dogs.

But when he was 16 months old, I just felt in my bones that the time was right. Our walks were not so much walks as progressing from one little bush to the next, all of which he had to "mark". Any dog that we met (and they are mainly boys), he dived underneath to lick at their "bits" (never appreciated!). And (how can I put this delicately) anywhere that he sat or lay (like my duvet, car seats etc etc) bore, um - deposits of a particularly male kind. And he always seemed, well - wired - always on the qui vivre. So, he was "done".

3 months later .... he still marks, but not obsessively - maybe 4 times per walk (including the necessary wees) as opposed to the umpteen x 10 times pre-op. He hasn't humped anything. He leaves other dogs' genitalia unmolested. His "man blobs" ceased after about 2 days. He's still the outgoing, loving, exuberant and friendly to all little person he was before, he's just that easier to live with and less frantic on his walks.

This is just my experience.