To neuter or not to neuter that is the question

Ok first of all apologies for all the questions so far but please be assured, as a first time owner, their be plenty more to come lol!

We acquired buzz 3 days ago he's a 2 yo unneuteured male and I didn't even think about it till I kept getting asked ,has he been done, by fellow dog walkers. So we are now looking at getting him done but my friend said they should be done ideally when they are puppies and may cause more harm then good!?!

Can anyone enlighten/advise on benefits/disadvantages of neutering an older dog.

TIA

Ps does it calm them down at all?

I've had Milo neutered when he was 9 mths & I can't see any difference in temperament but then we had him from rescue centre at 7 months old. The only thing is that he doesn't pee half so much .  

Thanks, the peeing not so much would be great I'm sure he doesn't drink half as much as he pees lol! I'm leaning towards getting him done ive been priced £143 is that reasonable?

Ta

It really comes down to personal choice but its unlikely to calm him down!

Thats the price for a female to be speyed - the dog costs less around £100 (I think mine was £90)

Personal choice, my friends lab calmed down hugely after the op but that isn't in all cases x

My dog was neutered by the rescue before I got him. I think it very unlikely that any entire dog would pee and mark any more than him. My dog can lift his leg 6 times or more even before the end of the street (and it's a short street). I would say that neutering appears to have made no difference to his wish to spread his unique smell about the neighbourhood. If I had had the choice, I may not have chosen to have him done (though I do understand why the rescues have a strict policy on this - there are far too many unwanted dogs and the backstreet breeders must not be encouraged).

Perhaps it depends if there is an unwanted behaviour that you'd like to see changed and whether it can be proved (or at least strongly assumed) that neutering would mitigate it. As I explained, neutering doesnt seem to affect the marking behaviour (which I wouldnt classify as a problem anyway). If your dog has a little dog aggression, I can also confirm that it makes no difference there either (not in my dog's case - he is mostly not friendly with other dogs). So that leaves interest in females. If he's an entire male, you cant blame him for that. So I guess the thing to do is to work out if that's a big problem.

There is good advice elsewhere on this website on the pros and cons of neutering, including the health aspects.

Meant to say previously - if he's only 2 years old, he's bound to be full of energy, whether neutered or no. At 2, they need a lot of exercise and stimulation.

I'm having this conundrum as well. Mine is 8 months now and I suppose I always thought I would probably get him done but now I'm not sure. Most people around me - fiancé, friends, family, vets - are overwhelmingly for neutering, I just can't decide. He has no hint of aggression towards dogs or people so it certainly wouldn't be a behaviour based thing. He does get mad phases where he pants a lot and wants to hump everything though! If I thought neutering might make him more comfortable I'd be inclined to do it. One of the main arguments I've heard against it is that it stunts their growth, and I definitely wouldn't want that.

neutering won't cause or cure behaviour problems but it will help to cure the problem of thousands of unwanted puppies

im pro. my boy stopped wanting to escape all the time, he stopped being overly cock sure of himself and trying to dominate anything and everything. i will say though that the only time i have cried in my adult life was when i brought him home.

I am pro as well, it prevents many unwanted puppies, I am getting loki done as he can be terrible and follows anything with a pulse.

Bruce is 1 year old now. And have not had no problem.
I dont think ill get him done.
Its personal choice tho. Just have a think about it.
Am sure wat ever chioce you make. You will still have the same dog

Just resurrecting this thread rather than making a new one.

George is now four years old. He seems pretty indifferent to bitches (and there are loads around here) and doesn't ever hump anything. He is frequently (but not always) aggressive around some other dogs though, especially male ones which are entire.

We are working on trying to sort out the dog-on-dog aggression, but want to know if it is worth considering neutering at his age? Might it make some difference in conjunction with work on behaviour? I had done some research and it seems to not make a big difference.

Have a read of the link below, it is normally recommended to wait until the dog has reached maturity around 3 years old:

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t12763-long-term-health-risks-and-benefits-associated-with-spay-neuter-in-dogs?highlight=health+risk

Thanks Kathy, I think I found something similar about the health pro and cons when searching elsewhere. I am more interested in any behaviour benefits. It really is not something we want to do (and the husband is very unhappy about it for some reason), but if there are real benefits in terms of behaviour, then we might consider it, especially as he is older now so some of the negative health effects should be much reduced.

From what I have read, there are not that many behaviour gains, but it's worth hearing what others who have experienced neutering an older dog might say. If nothing else it can give me some kind of response to people who think we are irresponsible for not having him done.

Got our 2 done 2 and a bit weeks ago. Bitch was £177 and the male was £160.

hasnt done my boy any harm, i will admit to crying and sleeping on the stairs with him that night though lol