To de-sex or not to de-sex

Hey staffy world,

I have a puppy andwas very lucky to able to get him fully registered and NOT de-sex. I live in Queensland Australia and for some reason breeders here do not like to sell their puppies not de-sexed so it took us sometime to finally find a breeder that not only gives you them fully registered but also they do not de-sex them. Since we've had him he has been to the vet a couple of times once was just to get a check up and the other was for his shots. The last time the vet did her best to scare the poo out of us and really started to push us into the idea of getting him de-sexed.

What I would like to know is does any one have any idea if a dog is de-sexed if it may effect the growth of the dog?
Also just by de-sexing a dog is that really going to stop him from running off, I can understand him loosing a bit of interest in females but if he wants to run off he would I thought?

I am in between a rock and hard place now, spent all that time looking for a dog that has not been de-sex and now I have the vet telling me it is the best thing I can do for my boy................... I find that hard to beleive to be honest..................


Any help will be good help.............

We love this subject on here lol and no doubt u will get lots of different opinions......
My personal one is that yes u should get him de sexed, if he is purely a pet then he doesnt need them and it will benefit his health against cancer etc. But 12 weeks is way to early to consider it......If there is an imdeadiate threat of him fathering pups ie u have a un spayed bitch in your house or have another entire male etc then as soon as his testicles have droped at around 6 months, do it then. If not then as long as u are a responsible owner and keep him "safe" then i see no reason not to wait till he is a little older x

Oh boy, here we go again
This is a hot topic on here, and everyone has a different opinion. Myself, I waited until my boy was 12 months before I had him done as I wanted him to develop fully. It did settle him down a little, but it hasn't stopped him trying to escape.
I think if he is not out of control and causing any problems, then let him go as long as possible. But please, do not breed with him, leave that to the experienced breeders. There are way too many staffy's in shelters here in Oz, it is heartbreaking

Uh uh talk about opening a can of worms....

I don't have my dogs desexed. I understand the health benefits and are all for them. I just dont think its our right to start messing with nature just to make a dog fit into our lifestyle. Neutering not only removes the sex organs but also prevents hormones produced by these organs entering the body. Since hormones, comfort and instincts are what drive animals I just feel like by neutering I would be taking away part of my dog.

I understand that it is these hormones which can sometimes cause illness. My smallest dog JRT x has just had a lump removed from her mammary gland and had to be spayed at the same time to avoid further cancer cells growing. I do realise that she probably wouldnt have got this lump if she had been spayed when she was younger but then I wouldn't change her for the world!
I think it is a bit rich for your vet to say that neutering your boy will stop him running off! It will stop him straying to look for bitches in heat because he wont have that urge but its not going to stop him getting out for other reasons such as boredom or simply to explore!! I'm not sure either about it affecting the dogs growth, I think once they have been neutered they lose the ability to keep weight off and build muscle mass as effectively but I think this could be hormonally linked. The height, shape and build of the dog is determined by its genes though how it develops muscle and loses/gains weight is determined by its exercise regime, hormones, and food.

lol!!! the hot topic returns! haha.

Personally if a dog is not been used for breeding purposes then i will always say de-sex, but this is my opinion everyone has there own views on this subject.
I dont breed from mine as see how many are in kennels and dont want to add to that, vinnie was castrated at 6months .. Diesel (r.i.p) was castrated when we rescued him .. and skye is only 12wks so too young at the mo, but will be neutered when she's of age.
i think the castration/neutering linked to weight gain etc etc is poop to be honest, feed your dog well, exercise your dog well, treat your dog well it shouldnt make a differance if they dont have them particular parts lol.

yes this is always a hot topic!! Jethro was done at 6 months as I only wanted him for a pet and I didn't want him responsible for ever bringing any unwanted puppies in to an already over crowded canine world. Would you believe I have already had an offer to mate Winston!! I mean the poor little bugger isn't even 13 weeks old! He won't be .. he will be getting the chop too! ( insert evil laugh.. )

pmsl ere we go !!!


dave i think its up to yourself what you think is best for you little lad it does prevent cancers and other health issues and can also calm them down others won't agree but i think it does my buster is alot calmer now , also when a bitch is on heat i have known a male to go through a fence panel to get to her and been hit by a bus in the process to which he got up and walked away (hard nut)i have no reason to believe it would affect his growth although females do put weight on after been spayed ,

i myself have posted about my little man on ere a few weeks back and he has been done now lol he is now 10 months old and we had him done a week ago and he is fine

i lost my last staffy to cancer and was heartbroken for months on end so i have made the decision with my new little lad to get rid of anything that could harm him .

good luck with what you decide to do

vanessa wrote:


yes this is always a hot topic!! Jethro was done at 6 months as I only wanted him for a pet and I didn't want him responsible for ever bringing any unwanted puppies in to an already over crowded canine world. Would you believe I have already had an offer to mate Winston!! I mean the poor little bugger isn't even 13 weeks old! He won't be .. he will be getting the chop too! ( insert evil laugh.. )

good for you staffys are such a superior breed and im so gutted they are used for making money when i had my 1st 20 years ago they were very very rare now they are so over bred really makes me angry in fact i had a staffy running around my front garden tonight she was gorge the little duk but had escaped from 6 doors up so had to hand her back my buster is like one of my children i can't get over people just letting them out willy nilly

This topic is always likely to start a debate! There have been so many arguments for and against neutering on here and, to be honest, every dog forum in the world, probably!

I'm not against neutering as such, and I think that if you decide to neuter that's fine as long as you have done your research properly & weighed up the pros and cons - and there most definitely are cons. I've often put this link up for people who want a balanced view of neutering, so spaer a little time to read through it.....
http://www.doglistener.co.uk/medical/neuter.shtml

I personally don't neuter my dogs & have only ever neuterd one (my first bitch, who had pyometra and had to be spayed to save her life). I've never had a problem with non-neutering related cancers, neither have I had any problem with male hormone-related aggression. And neutering doesn't actually stop a dog from running off - only training will do that!

It's also a misconception that a dog will completely lose interest in an in-season bitch. They'll often still be very interested, just can't do anything about it!

My personal advise is, if you decide to neuter, allow your dog to mature (about 18 months for a male, and if poosible after a second season for a female). This will allow hormone related growth of both body and mind to take place. A dog neutered too early may often display signs of nervousness (male and female) and may always stay in that 'teenage' stage, which is entertaining enough in a 6 month old pup, but very wearing in a four year old!!

I am 50/50 on the neutering subject and both female dogs Ive owned have been neutered for different reasons. I definatly feel that a neutered dog looses something
If there was something medically wrong then I would neuter but other then that I wouldnt in my case.
Just because you have a entire male dog doesnt mean they are sex maniacs running around looking for girly dogs cause they arnt, and doesnt mean they are going to get cancer so I think its unfair your vet has made you feel this way dont rush and decide for or against you have plenty of time to see how your dog matures and by the way (how cute )

Wow every one thanks so much, you are all very supportive and I am thankful for you help with this. Stanley is only 12weeks this Saturday so I have allot of time before I decide.

I agree with so many of every ones theroies and I completely understand about leaving the breeding up to the breeders. Just want you all to know that Stanley is our child and I just wanted him to be complete and not have to alter him in any way unless it was for health reason. I am pretty sure when people have children they dont go around cutting their bits off if they are miss behaving, well not here in Australia I am pretty sure.

The vets are keen to get it done at smack on 6 months but I wanted to wait and see how he goes as he gets older. Now with every one giving me some advise it will help us with our decission.

Cheers All

We had the same problem with breeders regarding desexed pups. Some breeders who show their dogs are looking after their Kennel name and nothing more...

We took Jimi for his first check up this week and I was waiting for the vet to bring up desexing, which she did lol.

I've never desexed any of my dogs except one bitch who had to have it done. If you don't want to do it don't. I won't desex my dog unless there's a health concern.

So many different opinions, I'll try to keep mine short.. I think it's totally up to you on what you're going to do. I have my staffy sterilised but she was a rescue so it wasn't up to me but I have a JRT too, and after a long time of thinking, I've made my mind up of not de-sexing him. He's such a hyper little fella, and I reckon he wouldn't ever be the same dog. Both not de-sexing and de-sexing have its positive sides, you still have got plenty of time to think!

citybeatx wrote:.. I think it's totally up to you on what you're going to do.

Just make sure you've read the pros & cons so that you can make an informed decision. Don't let anyone rush you one way or the other!

I dont know how to thank you all for the advise it has been very helpful and special thanks to Caryll for the link I am sure it will help me once I get around to reading it tonight. I am pretty sure I have made up my mind on what to do now it is just up to have a chat with the wife about it and see how she feels about all the help we have had from you guys on this site.

Again a huge thank you to every one.