I know folks that this topic has probably been discussed many times before, but as a fairley new person to this board I hope any one can give me some advice.

Our 10 month old Goldie is now in the "larger lout "stage, loving in every way, but just now and again trying to push things a little.We have been considering getting him castrated for health reasons mainly (our old Lab was done at 10 yr and had adeoma's so we had to have him castrated),people tell me different stories, do it now,- wait until he is about 14-18 months, so you have to let him mature properly.

Over the last 2 weeks we have noticed his feathers have grown and does "perform" on his blanket, that dosent really bother us, as our old fella did that, but it is almost as though the teenager in him is taking him over a bit, and he is trying to get more attention.

Any help and advice is very much welcomed.

Hi,
At 10 months his hormones will be starting to surge to maybe 3 times the level they will be when he is mature, so any hormonally-influenced behaviour you see in the next few months will be the worst they are going to get. If this behaviour is not unacceptable, you should not need to worry behaviour-wise.

Teenagers (of both sexes) of all species like to see how far they can go - then they grow up!

If his feathering is just starting to grow, he has a lot of developing to do before he looks like a 'real' male - which I assume is what you wanted when you chose a male pup?
:)

Thanks Jeangenie,
His behaviour is a mad lunatic, he has no signs of agression in him,at all, just as you say he is testing us, his feathering began to suddenly "spurt" about 2 weeks ago, and from that moment on, he has become a hooligan.!His dad is from working stock so he is a leaner looking Golden, all 33kgs of him, vet says that his weight is ok, and to stay at that, and to tell you the truth confusion reigns, something tells me to leave castration until about 14 months, on, and then people say do it now so you can enjoy him properly as it will take about 6 months for him to "calm down". He has a wonderful nature and is a true character and I dont want to spoil that.
Also yes we did want him to look "male" we saw both Mum & Dad, and when we saw Dad I have to say my heart stopped, he too had a wonderful character, and temprement, and he looks more like him day by day,so I am in total confusion..............

It is indeed very confusing! One sure thing is that he will 'calm down' in time anyway when his hormone levels settle back to their adult level, whether you castrate him or not.
:)

He sounds just like my Beardie boy at that age and Boxers I have had in the past. If you can stick with it and come out the other side i think you will find it worth while. There were times when i despaired when they ran off or bounced about just out of reach but I worked at it and Cava is now a complete pleasure to own great with other dogs, comes when called and just an ideal pet. He never went far away but could be a bit deaf when it suited him. It may take about a year but I tried the tardac(sp) injection and saw not a bit of difference so castration would probably not have helped in Cava's case.

Thanks to those who answered my post, we are going to "hang on in there" as they say!, have had a chat with a friend this morning who has an 8 yr old Goldie and she said hers was just the same he calmed down all of a sudden at about 13 months, she said at first she thought he was ill he was so quiet!.
We will castrate for health reasons but probably not yet until he is fully grown,as I would not like to hinder his growth pattern.
Thanks again.

<We will castrate for health reasons but probably not yet until he is fully grown,as I would not like to hinder his growth pattern.>

Can you please advise what the health reasons are for castration. I am still entire and consider myself healthy, why is it a benefit to a male dog?

snomaes

Have to agree, can think of health problems that may come from not being castrated but know of advantages that come from keeping them. True he will not get testicular cancer but then he may well be more prone to prostrate cancer, to say nothing of the problems you may get from the cutting off of your hormones. And lets face it the testicles are easier to keep a check on than the prostrate.

I can only reply this as my old Lab had to be castrated on advice from vet as he had developed periphial adenoma's and again on vet advice (he was 10 at the time), he would not get testucular cancer etc....

If anyone has any other advice would be gratefully received.

Why fix something that aint broke? If he has no medical or temprement problem that castration will cure, then I think he should be left as nature intended.

Bethina, sorry to hear about your boy, but that is a different matter, he was castrated because of a health problem and not when he was a 1year old in case of. Ten year old dogs get all sorts of problems and there is no way you can know at 1 year which bit of his anatomy to remove in order to stop that bit causing trouble when he reaches the last years of his life.

As said in a recent post we are leaving things as they are now , thankyou to all that have replied and given advice.