hi all
i have a 6 month old rottie pup, i took him to the vets last week as i was worried about his ears, and all i got off her was you must have him done as you will not beable to control him when he is fully grown, i no they can be very (dom) dogs and very strong.
he is a well behaved and trained dog for hes age and loves people and kids as i have one child my self.
Haley

if hes bred right, and your firm, everything should be ok---it is an option if you feel your not keeping on top of him, however if you put the time in, rotts are very responsive, also very keen to be doing something,

Don't know about Rotties, but in my breed if you castrate before they are fully grown, they never do. If you bought a male Rot because you like the look and presence of a male Rot then why on earth would you now want to change things. If you want to keep him intact then do so and prove your vet wrong. Bet he says the same to everyone.

Do think vets overstep the mark, if you ask their opinion then that’s fair enough but unasked for opinions they should keep to themselves. Once heard of a vet who berated a client because she had bought a docked dog talking about mutilation and then a few moments later bent her ear because she did not want it castrated. Talk about muddled thinking.

Do not let your vet pressure you into having your dog castrated, or to do anything else that you are not comfortable about. If ever in doubt get a second opinion.

As Dizzy said, if you bought your dog from a reputable breeder, one who breeds for temperament and health and not just looks, and if you keep up his training there is no need to consider castration yet if at all. With large breeds it is preferable to leave neutering until they have properly matured, which can be up to 18 months in some breeds. There will be Rottie owners along later who can advise you of the optimum age should you decide on castration.

My opinion is that non-breeding dogs should be castrated - there will be plently who disagree with me!

Haley,

Sorry, but your vet knows absolutely nothing about dog behaviour. Castration has no relation to your ability to control a dog - whatever the breed. Controlling a dog has everything to do with temperament and training. All castration does in some cases is reduce sex-drive related behaviours such as wandering for bitches in season and male-to-male dog aggression. And dog aggression is not a given in intact males.

Stacey

Bad vet

I sometimes think vet are only thinking of the money they can make from these operations. If your dog is well trained and knows his place then there is no need to castrate him. I kept two entire Wolfhounds together for six years and never had a problem even when my Dane bitches came in season and when I suddenly lost one the other was so upset I had to rehome him to a friend where he has settled in well and is spoilt rotten by his new family.

Any male dog whether intact or not can become dominant over other dogs but it will not prevent any bad behaviour/boisterousness that the dog might have, it will calm them down but it doesn't change anything. The only thing it can help is, preventing cancer in later life and pregnancy of other female dogs.
I had our Bullmastiff castrated for this one reason, no other.

It may prevent the dog impregnating a bitch if left to wander unattended, but it will not prevent cancer.

Hi Jackie,
That is the only worry I have. My dog is 19 months, and after lots of thinking and reading people's opinions, I've decided to leave him entire. But then on Wed night, our training instructor came in to say her dog (gsd) had just been castrated in a big hurry due to testicular cancer. He had no symptoms, yet she said she just had a feeling something wasn't right, just unexplainable. So now I'm thinking, suppose things go wrong and I don't have that feeling! The gsd was older, aged 11, so maybe I should still consider castration as my dog gets older - I just don't know!
Hilda

Hi Hilda, when you groom your boy, at least once a week, have a good feel around his testicles, be gentle but run your fingers all round, within a few weeks you will know how they feel, then should the worst happen and you feel something different you can take him to the vet for their opinion. Most of the time it will be a false alarm and it will be nothing. Whilst you are checking his testicles also check his mammary strip, that is the bit on either side underneath where his nipples are and make sure your fingers get used to how that feels too. It is possible that your boy could get testicular cancer or he could get cancer else where, it is true if you remove something it cant become infected but there is some research that shows there is an increase in prostrate cancer in castrated dogs although it is a very rare cancer in dogs. Please remember there are other things that can happen to a dog apart from cancer and some of those are made more likely or worse by removing a large part of the dogs hormone system.

Erm, it WILL prevent testicular cancer *lol* :)

wow thank you all you have helped me so much i have worried about this for a week now and just by reading all your posts it has help me to make my mind up IM NOT HAVE him done, i was so upset that day i took him to the vets she made me think that i had no choice in the matter and i was to have him done and that was that.
well im not going back to that vets again thank you all so much for your posts
Haley

Neutering male dogs eliminates the risk for testicular cancer and reduces the incidence of prostatic disease. The urge to roam will turn an intact male into an escape artist. Male dogs searching for female companionship are likely to be hit by a car or attacked by other dogs.

Intact male dogs also display marking behavior. Your neutered male is a more content, stay-at-home companion. The threat of being killed by a car or injured in a fight is reduced.

Neutering and spaying your household pets is a sound investment in their health and companionship . You are also doing your part to help control the pet population.

But not all intact males (even stud dogs!) mark or have this urge to roam! All cases must be considered individually!
:)

Where I am no expert in neutering of dogs I suggest you go here and look at a few other links.

http://www.cmah.net/spayneuter.htm

I must admit I have my doubts about any site that hides behind euphemisms! What is it about the word 'castrate' that scares people so?

I wonder when my (and my friends') entire dogs will begin these unwanted behaviours and develop these medical conditions. They will keep dying of old age first!

If you have your male Rott neutered before he's two years old, he will NEVER mature properly. His head won't 'crack' and will stay small like a bitches. We've had Rottweilers for 18 years and are on number 4 who is male and is eight months. He's just reached the teen stage, you just have to keep on top of them and be very firm and keep the training going. It can be hard at times and your dog will test you as Alfie is doing at the moment -and boy is he!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We will get him castrated after he's two. We had our last male castrated at 7 because he had a prostrate problem and I'd like to give Alfie every chance of a healthy life, which will help if he's castrated. It also helps to stop them being smellie from marking and calms them a bit (they don't have so much to worry about, thinking about bitches). Many people won't agree but I do think in the long run if you arn't going to breed (and breeding can make male Rotts even more of a handful) then its best to castrate. If not you do have to be prepared that at some point there will be a challenge between your dog and another intact male - not nice!!

I agree with the advice given.

Listen to advise from people who know the breed. Have the dog neutered (preferably between 1/2 years old) if you feel you'd like to and if the dog's heart is OK for the anaesthetic!

Get help with training your dog from a GOOD training club or breed specialist.

You have taken on a lovely, intelligent but powerful breed and you must now do it justice by learning how to bring out its full potential.

P.S. Neutering will NOT make your dog fat or lazy like lay-men seem to think - adjust feeding where necessary and excercise adequately.

"Each case is different" EXACTLY !! my male rott was neutered at 11months old and he developed just the same as my entire one from before,he is a big manly rott,weighing 10 stone and is quite a stunning boy and his temperament is calm and gentle but his instincts to guard are still there,he does not pee up my furniture anymore,doesn,t hump legs or scrap with other male dogs anymore.For my dog it worked for some it wont so nobody should make a desicion for anyone else!! Another poster once said castration of a male was mutilation,so is having a bitch speyed just as bad ?? My last rott bitch died of mammary cancer last year,she was not speyed,if i had her done earlier the chances would have been considerably lower.I have just had my 2 year old mastino bitch done so i dont have to put another dog through this type of cancer again.My friends male bulldog died of testicular cancer and it was a dreadful death for him!!

Kane how do you know what your boy may have been, you don't you just think he has matured properly. Like people who say I had my dog castrated 2 or 3 years ago and he has no problems, well I feel like saying wait and see, but then any future trouble will not be put down to his having been castrated unless like me you take the trouble to research why the dog is suffering from ill health. In some, may be most, cases you and the dog will get away with removing a large proportion of the dogs hormone system whilst his body still has need of it, well his body needs it for all it’s life but especially when he is growing, but other dogs are not so lucky and will have to suffer for your choice, I know I did it, only once, and would never ever risk putting a dog through it again without strong health reasons. And I don’t just mean the risk of cancer, which is nothing to what my boy went through. Of course, the dog is your property to do with as you like, so it is down the individual, all I ask is they look into it first and not be swayed by talk of "saving the dog future health problem" and daft threats of the dog behaving in a manic way if they are left intact.

Kane,

I'm one hundred per cent convinced that having your male neutered at 11 months will have impaired his maturing into a full on male Rottweiler. I'm sure that he is beautiful as you say but it's a personal opinion when to castrate and I know that a males head will not properly 'crack' if the castration is done before 2 years - some top breeders say that one should wait until the dog is three. I suppose it all depends on whether you want a male with an enormous head (which I do). That was one of the reasons that drew me to the wonderful breed all those years ago. They look magnificant.

i am not going to get drawn into an argument,but my boy has developed the same way as the the entire male i had from the same line,in body,size and weight i cant see the difference,!! He has alot of bone and a large bear head,and like i said before is quite a beefy looking male rott,and nothing like a bitch.actually a breeder that has won almost everything saw him and commented that she thought him stunning,handsome and would i consider him for stud,before i told her he was done!! the bottom line is i have no regrets and there is nothing wrong with my dog!! regards xx

Hi Kane can i be nosy and ask what lines your rottie is from as i have a rottie too he sounds lovely have you any pics