I have taken the plunge and booked Monty in for "the snip" later this week, it just occurred to me will he still cock his leg afterwards as he has only just learnt to do this without falling over and I would rather he didnt go back to squatting!!!

Is it usual to have doubts over this Op ? it has taken us months to decide to have him done even though we wont be breeding/showing him I dont like interfering with nature so I have a niggly feeling I should not be doing this!!!

Jude

When I was a young slip of a lass (many many moons ago) ;) our crossbreed was 'snipped' and continued to happily cock his leg :)

HTH

liberty

Morse is done and enjoys a leg cocking contest with his pal Rhys, and spraying every blade of grass in the area, so dont worry. :)

I too had my doubts leading upto Buddy's snip but luckily it's all turned out fine. He cocks and squats but does'nt seem to be any worse off, if anything he's much better in that he is better behaved. This may just be a coinceidence though. But hey ho all's well with him and that's what matters to me.
Budmag

A lot will depend on how old and how far his body is matured, all maturity to do with the hormones produced by the testis will stop, so apart from internal things you will not really notice or know about, the outward sexual behaviours is likely to remain as they are now. If leg cocking is established it may well remain at least to some extent. If he is in the play bonking stage that may well continue because he will not mature out of it as would an intact dog, if he is beyond the teenage stage then he will may continue to behave toward bitches as he did before.

Have only had one dog that I own personal castrated and he did not cope at all well, I know a lot do although some of the problems caused in later live will not be put down to the cut in hormonal production at puberty, unless the problems become so bad, as they did in my case, that the whole system is assessed for the cause of the problems. Having had this problem I would not castrate a dog again except for urgent health problems and although I am sure and hope your dog will be fine I would not feel it right not to say it can cause problems that last far longer that the teenage stage. All I am saying is please make sure you have good reason for doing what you are. All the best to you and the dog and if you go ahead I hope you, or rather the dog has no problems.

My working cocker was still squating when he got the snip, however he started lifting his leg later on to pee on trees etc. There must be an instinct inbred in them that isn't just hormone related. With regards to your worries, my chap was fine and it helped with a number of issues, including other intact males going for him in the park and at dog training class. I got Bilbo done because he was so distracted by girls, and therefore I couldn't do any obedience work with him because I did not have his full attention, within weeks he was interested in nothing else but me and my sausages.

If he cocks his leg now he will cock it after castration. Both my lads were castrated, one at 3 one at 9 months. Castration has had no effect on their working ability, weight, guarding or made them any more attractive to entire dogs and were/are still VERY male; they just did not have the other unwanted behaviours that can go with entire dogs eg bitching, dribbling at both ends, leg cocking for the olympics etc.

Olympic Leg Cocking - at last a sport for Morse and me! :D

Hi

My young one was done at 11 months and did not 'cock' before the snip. He is now 22 months and still doesn't 'cock'!! Will he ever?? Who knows!!

Hi Jude,
Oscar was done at 6 months before he started cocking his leg and now at almost a year he still doesnt do it. Good luck! :-)