Yep and there is really no need for it................

No don't think so it is just that vets are used to taking a big bite and the idea of a new technique is strange to them.

Most vets do not seem to give the results of castration much thought or research but when I started looking into the effects, many many years ago, I spoke to a number of older vets and they had all seen detrimental effects but seemed to have the attitude of shrugging it off and dealing with them as they occurred, one did actually say he was amazed that no one had taken their vet to court because it is not the norm to explain to the owner just what the effects could be but thought it was because the final decision was the clients.

Josh

Upon reading your subsequent posts including;-

Currently I have a Golden who was neutered aged 3 ½ years, a large crossbreed neutered aged 4 ½ months (big mistake never to be repeated!), a Papillon neutered aged 9 months and a Cavalier neutered aged 10 months, so a variety of breeds and ages. All of these will mate and tie. (As did my previous Cavalier who was neutered aged 3. He was still trying to mate aged 15!) Oh and I have a 2 ½ year old Malinois currently implanted with Suprelorin -he is to be castrated next month. He mated and tied despite the Suprelorin although he only did it ONCE, then lost interest.

I would suggest that your question should have been more along the lines of 'how can I keep an entire dog amongst so many neutered ones?'

Regarding All of these will mate and tie - how on earth do they get the opportunity?  I agree that some bitch owners may be irresponsible but the chances of your dog meeting up with them at the critial time is minimal.

I have 4 entire bitches and they continue to go for off lead runs in the local forest - BUT we go very early so not to bump into any other dogs and therefore avoid such situations.

I think you'll find those comments were posted by Marianne not the OP.

Josh

Upon reading your subsequent posts including;-

Currently I have a Golden who was neutered aged 3 ½ years, a large crossbreed neutered aged 4 ½ months (big mistake never to be repeated!), a Papillon neutered aged 9 months and a Cavalier neutered aged 10 months, so a variety of breeds and ages. All of these will mate and tie. (As did my previous Cavalier who was neutered aged 3. He was still trying to mate aged 15!) Oh and I have a 2 ½ year old Malinois currently implanted with Suprelorin -he is to be castrated next month. He mated and tied despite the Suprelorin although he only did it ONCE, then lost interest.

I would suggest that your question should have been more along the lines of 'how can I keep an entire dog amongst so many neutered ones?'

Regarding All of these will mate and tie - how on earth do they get the opportunity?  I agree that some bitch owners may be irresponsible but the chances of your dog meeting up with them at the critial time is minimal.

I have 4 entire bitches and they continue to go for off lead runs in the local forest - BUT we go very early so not to bump into any other dogs and therefore avoid such situations.

I think you'll find another user posted this. I don't have any dogs at the moment but will be getting a pup in September hopefully.

Apologies - my mistake

> Don't wish to be rude but why do you think you can improve on nature, neutering not only removes the ability to procreate it also removes a large chunk of the hormones the dog, or bitch, needs to live a normal life (hence the use of HRT). So unless it is medically necessary it is surely wrong to amend your dog in this way. And do not think that in nature a dog has the expectation or right to mate anything he likes or even anything at all it does not work that way only a few are successful studs whether domesticated or wild

if the dog wont be allowed to procreate it is useless.
Yes it reduces a large amount of hormones that they dont need. I have never known a dog not lead a normal life. What a very strange comment.

Again i will state, it is a personal decision no matter your view if someone wishes to neuter their animal it has nothing to do with anyone else.

Yes it reduces a large amount of hormones that they dont need.

What a very strange comment.

I also very much regret having my much loved dog neutered aged 3. It definitely made his behavioural problems worse, sadly leading to him biting my OH. :-(

agreed nova. glad you realise your comment was strange.

If you don't mind me asking, I am being totally sincere and not doubting you, but how do you know it was neutering that caused your dog to bite your other half?

Because it first happened about two weeks after the operation.

(It also removes the risk of testicular cancer-

And how many dogs do we know of with that? It's a typical vet excuse. I worked as a vet nurse at home in Sweden and never once saw a case of testicular cancer. This was when it was illegal to neuter dogs in Sweden. I've had entire dogs for 30 years now and have never seen it.)

I have lost a dog to testicular cancer and wish with all my heart I had neutered him when he was younger.  Had I done so I would not have lost my gorgeous boy so soon.
I have owned entire and neutered boys over the years and have to say if I am honest my neutered ones have been the best dogs ever.
With the amount of unwanted dogs sitting in rescues these days I think if more people had neutered then this number would have been drastically reduced.  
Many people are very responsible with thier entire males but many are not and those that are not are highly unlikely to be found on forums getting advice, so for most of those I would strongly advise neutering. 
Neutering can stop unwanted behaviours in some dogs and even if it doesn't then those dogs will at least not be producing unwanted pups because of an accident.
I live in an area with a lot of irresponsible dog owners, whose dogs run riot, are never walked on leads, wander round with no owner to be seen and attack other dogs.  This ends up with lots of unplanned pregnancies too.  Had all these dogs been nuetered at least it would have stopped all the unwanted pups that will more often than not end up repeating thier parents misfortunes.
A very sad sign of the times.

> Many people are very responsible with thier entire males but many are not and those that are not are highly unlikely to be found on forums getting advice, so for most of those I would strongly advise neutering. 
>

but these are exactly those that are very unlikely to neuter and in fact use their dogs deliberately, so neutering by responsible owners will have very little impact on the number of unwanted or badly bred litters, and dogs ending up in rescue..

I have 2 male GSDs and 2 b1tches of another breed. Until a few months ago both b1tches were entire. (They've now been spayed because they are past breeding age & I do believe that spaying b1tches has far more advantages to them than castrating dogs.
My 2 dogs get on fine (even when the b1tches were in season) and have no desire to wander.
I've owned a variety of breeds over 50 yrs and never found it necessary to have them castrated, none have sired an unwanted litter. In my main breed, I had one escapologist (must have spent £1000s on fencing over the years!) who was castrated at 6 yrs although not for that reason (long, long story) which was just as well as it didn't stop his wanderlust. Until a few weeks before he died (nearly 10 yrs after being castrated)  he was still plotting escape routes.
Many GSDs lack confidence when they are young and I feel castrating them can only make matters far worse.
I own male dogs because I like male dogs. Why would I want to alter those male characteristics? (Infuriating though they can be at times!)
I find the pro-castration argument that it prevents unplanned litters entirely spurious - mainly for the reasons Brainless gives above.

> I also very much regret having my much loved dog neutered aged 3. It definitely made his behavioural problems worse, sadly leading to him biting my OH.

I've seen a few cases like this - testosterone can sometimes provide a bit of a 'backbone' an make a dog more confident/at ease, remove it and the dog becomes nervous and reactive (i.e. how it would be without the support of the hormones).  Doesn't happen all the time but it does happen.

It's precisely why, whenever I've seen clients with entire males with behavioural issues (mainly aggression), I advise against neutering - not only because of the above but simply because when a dog already has issues, instigating a massive hormonal change will do anything but help.

Unfortunately most vets don't see it that way and advocate neutering as a fix-all solution :-(

> Unfortunately most vets don't see it that way and advocate neutering as a fix-all solution :-(

It's this I find disturbing, discussing with our vet recently my great regrets for neutering one of our dogs, he could/would not believe that the dogs problems stemmed from castration. I realise he did not know the dog before, but kept saying he just hadn't come across it and didn't think there was any conection. When I answered that 'yes' he had shown interest/charged bitches on heat when out  & resulting in being heavily kicked', his response was 'that it had to be done, there was no option'. Makes me mad that castration is pushed and entire males take the responsibility for bitches exercised when in heat. Never seen a dog & bitch mate, but don't allow our dogs out of sight long enough for it to happen neutered or not.

agreed nova. glad you realise your comment was strange.

Not mine yours, do you really think that the dog does not need the hormones produces by it endocrine systems, suppose you do or you would not have made the statement you did.