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Topic Dog Boards / General / when to get labs neutered
- By GreatBritGirl [gb] Date 20.05.10 22:38 UTC
Ok i know a lot of people dont agree but that aside i am getting 2 male labs next week they will be 8 weeks - when is the best time to get them neutered? i want them to mature fully but i would like to avoid as much aggression as possible?
- By Nova Date 21.05.10 06:12 UTC
Why do you think you will get aggression? I keep several intact male dogs together and have done for years I have never had a fight or anything that looked like turning into one. Wait and see how things work out and if necessary do not neuter both only the  meeker one and do not do that until you absolutely have to and make that as late as you possible can say 2 to 3 years at the earliest.
- By Justine [gb] Date 21.05.10 07:04 UTC
With dogs our Vet always says unless there is a problem, e.g prostate, retained testicle, fighting etc he prefers to leaves well alone.  If people do want them neutered just for peace of mind, he will ask them to wait if possible until the dog is nearly fully grown.

With bitches, he'd prefer them to have a season before they are neutered.

My friend has LB gun dogs and 2 entire males and has no problems either.  I'd too wait and see how they mature before you make any decisions, you might find they get on famously!
- By kayc [gb] Date 21.05.10 09:05 UTC
I have 4 boys living happily together, and rarely have bad words.  OK, they are not brothers, but there is only a few months between them.

I would wait until they are at least 18months, and if you do begin to have problems, only castrate one of the boys, the weaker one.. leave the more assertive boy intact, this will maintain a reasonable pecking order.  If you castrate both boys, you will have the same problems as pre-op because the playing field is still level...
- By copperfield [gb] Date 21.05.10 10:11 UTC
Please wait.  This may not be necessary.  We have three giant breed entire stud males who can happily live together.   Research also shows that castration only has a 50-90% chance of taming aggression.  Give these guys a chance.
- By Jetstone Jewel [ca] Date 22.05.10 16:49 UTC
And this piece of research shows that aggression is actually worse in the neutered/spayed population than in the intact population.  That's of the dogs in the study of course.  The study itself concludes by saying more work needs to be done on the behavioural aspects affected by neuter/spay.

http://www.acc-d.org/2006%20Symposium%20Docs/Session%20I.pdf

Caveat:  I don't think the study specifically addressed the question of aggression between two males brought up from puppyhood together, which is what the OP's concern is?  Not sure exactly if that's what the OP means.
- By Tarimoor [gb] Date 22.05.10 17:26 UTC
I have had enquiries for two pups at the same time (I have Labs), and wouldn't ever consider selling two pups to the same home.  There are a couple of reasons, I'm sure you already know that you will find it harder to bond with the pups individually, and that they are more likely to bond with each other.  Also, God forbid there is a genetic defect within the lines bred from, you may end up with two pups suffering from the same genetic defect - we test for what we know, but there are an awful lot of unknowns out there.  One pup is hard enough and had me tearing my hair out, two pups does not make it any easier at all, it is very much the opposite.  Also, as the majority of reputable breeders won't sell two pups to one home, so you have to ask yourself why the breeder you are buying from is happy to do so.  I've turned down very good homes for these reasons, because I an a staunch supporter of ethical breeding, what might come as a surprise, is that I haven't actually bred one litter yet, but because of my beliefs, and the way I have approached breeding, I have a good waiting list of people. 

As for neutering, as others have said, it doesn't solve anything, good handling skills are the key.  Personally, I wouldn't neuter a dog unless for health reasons, I see no other reason to do so. 
- By JeanSW Date 22.05.10 23:37 UTC
I have 4 stud dogs, 2 different breeds.  Three of them actually sleep together.  The tiny tot sleeps with a spayed girl, but it's his choice.  These are toy breed stud boys.

I also have a Border Collie, not a stud dog.  They all play chase together. 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.  :-)  :-)
Topic Dog Boards / General / when to get labs neutered

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