Is it too young to have my westie castrated at 9 months? He is at the humping stage everything in sight especially blankets or the kids teddies. We also have a relative with a female westie who is planning to breed her who is around often. We are not planning to breed or show he is just a pet (not just a pet he's my new baby thinking of trading the kids in for more westies no hassle or talking back) will it change his nature?

Why did you buy a male dog if you can't deal with having a male dog, it is up to you if you castrate but if you do you must be prepared to accept the possible consequences.

Sorry, but I don't agree that if you have a male dog that you have to put up with or 'deal' with any objectional behaviour, especially as something could be done about it. Just as if you have a female, you don't have to 'deal' with puppies!!
Guest, if you're not planning on breeding or showing, then *I* think they'll be no problems having your Westie castrated now, at 9 months and being a small breed dog he's almost done growing and maturing (unlike the larger breed dogs when it's advised to castrate later should you wish too) though it may or may not work for the humping. That's something that *you* could be putting a stop to now. I do think it unfair not to have him castrated if he's going to be around a non-spayed bitch.
Of course, your vet' is the best person to advise you about this :)

All puppies do things you may find unpleasant or unacceptable, it is all part of owing a dog, if you think that 'modifying' the dog to fit in with your needs and sensibilities is moral, well that is your opinion but not mine. I would question if you should be a dog owner at all.

http://www.showdogsupersite.com/kenlclub/breedvet/castrationindogs.html
Dean

Would advice people never to read just one persons opinion, much better to spend a few months talking to those who have real and extensive knowledge of the cause and effect before taking any action that they think will improve on what nature intended. If after full and proper investigation you think that redesigning your dog is the kind and moral way to go then fair enough, but if you have any doubts leave your dog to live his life intact and with every opportunity of developing and living his life with all his organs intact, testes and ovaries are not just there for reproduction they are part of a very complex system that is needed to make a health individual.

Now why couldn't you have posted that instead of the first reply above?
Actually Jackie, I do agree with you. I have a 5 yr old intact male, a puppy who shall hopefully remain 'whole', but an 8yr old spayed (for health reasons) bitch, believe me, *I know* the testes and ovaries are not just there for the reproductives.

Perhaps I've been hanging around on the US sites for too long, where spaying and castrating your animals is very actively encouraged.
Though I don't agree with neutering at a very young age, I do now think that the 'average' dog owner should get their animals neutered.... And why?....Well because otherwise this country is going to have just as bad a reputation as the US in regards to the over population (through no fault of the animals) of rescues and dodgy BYB's. We're already catching up with the number of puppy mills!
Already on this site, I've read about a bitch being agressive to her pups that in all honesty should never have been bred...an accidental mating (believe it or not) to the 'correct' breed, in a park for goodness sake!...and the list goes on!
It seems just lately that all you have to do to be a member of Champdogs is accidently breed your dog or come on and announce your dog has just had pups...that is of course right after you've ignored all other sensible advice to your previous question on whether or not to breed your dog!
In a perfect world, people would take responsibilty & 'deal' with the animals they choose to own. Nobody would have to question whether anyone should own an animal at all!
JMO of course!

Living in a country where there is a HUGE stray dog problem, where there is not a town in the land where you can't see dogs running loose in the streets. I encourage anyone I know to get their dog spayed/neutered unless they are planning a carefully thought out breeding programme or planning to show them. I understand about you wanting them 'unaltered', but in the real world here there are other priorities, which need addressing, of which spaying/neutering is but a small part of the equation!

Caroline

Hello

Castrating him will not stop him humping things, hopefully he will grow out of it, he is a mass of hormones at the moment, and still very young, if you must castrate, wait until hes a little bit older.
Dean

has anyone noticed how many castrated older dogs will hump anything and everything still?

Not just castrated older dogs - but also bitches........

If humping is a problem to you - why not offer him something else to do (distract him) like a game with a ragger or similar, so he doesn't get a chance/forgets how rewarding it is. Castration in dogs can lead to alternative 'problem' behaviours which aren't always so easy to train out of (like dog/dog agression :( )

jackie you are a little harsh with people sometimes when they are simply asking for advice!!! this person sounds like a loving owner,when there are lots of people who dont care for the pets they have. people will be put off coming on here for a chat if they get responses like yours all the time!!!!

...not again....most posts now end in telling offs for some reason or another! :rolleyes:

I can't say whether castration is right for your dog - however being his owner you have a right to choose - but I have a Labrador X that was castrated at 9 months old, purely because he is a crossbreed and at the time we went to a lot of dog training and shows, it was the right decision for us. He has had no problems, he is a bit of a wuss, but then he was before! :) Have had no real problems with humping before or after, although he does rather 'like' one of our nephews! We have just got a pedigree male puppy, but have no plans to neuter as the bitch is now spayed, and we are hoping to show. If you have a Vet you know you can trust then ask their opinion, but bear in mind, a high percentage of a vets income comes from vaccinations and neutering.

Good Luck with your decision

Hayley

I have a Westie who did exactly the same thing only to my younger afghan. Because of continual problems with constant bickering for top dog slot I was advised to get 1 castrated even though I had no intentions of breeding from any. I opted for the westie as at that time Afghans did not handle GA very well. Solved absolutely nothing! Unfortunately you are dealing with a terrier and even though mine is minus his bits he still firmly beleives he is the one and only top Dog! At one point it got so bad that the only option was to keep them seperate at all times and only now a few years down the line can they spend some time together. Only I hasten to add because the Afghan has excepted the lower position and doesn't bite back when the Westie kicks a**** My boy is a total dominence freak and it certainly was not a sexual thing more about confirming his status. Even though he doesn't do it anymore I beleive it is more due to the Affie becoming subservient to him than the snip. Just what happened to me so not sure if it will help. Mine was aprox 2 he was done however I was warned that if it is a habitual problem there was no guarantee it would solve it and like I said mine was more a dominence problem.

well sooz if certain people wasn't so nasty and abrupt in there replies then others wouldn't feel the need to post replies regarding there behaviour :)

Kane you may be right, I only lost my castrated dog last Easter after years of unnecessary suffering, and I am still very angry. Do not mean to be hash, just trying to stop people doing the same thing and taking the same risk. But expect I am wasting my breath, I am giving the best advice I can, research what owning a dog means before you buy one and do not try to adapt it to fit in with your like style, running the risk of damaging it's health. From now on I will do my best not to answer questions on castration, it will be hard though to think of those dogs that may well suffer when may be I could have stopped it. Never mind such is life and I will not spend mine giving unwanted advice.

<<<Never mind such is life and I will not spend mine giving unwanted advice.>>>

As you can see, Jackie, from the guests 'castration part 2' post, it certainly doesn't seem to be unwanted advice. It would be a shame if you were not to part with your knowledge in the future. Somebody somewhere wants all the advice they can get :)

Hi Jackie,
Like a lot of people, I have doubts about castration - it seems to be one of those things where you just can't weigh up the pros and cons, that's why I'm always interested to read other people's opinions on the subject! So I was just wondering really, what did happen to your dog that caused suffering through castration?
Hilda

how about rolling up a newspaper and "DISTRACTING" him from his new found pleasures

I have to say that I am amazed at the attitudes of some of the regulars on this board! They jump on anyone breeding unsuitable dogs, but they also jump on anyone wanting to neuter their dogs!
I own my own home, have a fully fenced back yard with a doggy door so my three dogs have full acces to the yard, and I am home with them all day. I do not have kennels, so therefore I have no facilities to keep my bitch away from my dogs if she were in season. My dogs are very much part of my family, they play together, sleep together etc. I chose to purchase two males and one bitch (over the years). They are now all neutered. It sounds like I should not be allowed to own dogs.
My oldest boy had a reaction to aneasthetic when he had his teeth cleaned, so should I be advising everyone to not to give their dogs an aneasthetic? I think not.
Pauline

Hi Pauline,
I don't think people are anti-neutering per se, they're anti any surgery that is done for no valid medical reason! As you know from your son's reaction to anaesthetic (I hope he's fine now), surgery is intrinsically dangerous, and you never know beforehand how anything is going to react (my bitch died from anaesthetic allergy). Therefore, as a sensible person, you personally would challenge anyone who says that anaesthetics are always safe, because clearly in your son's case (and my bitch's) this is false!

That is why doctors are legally obliged to outline the risks of surgery beforehand to patients. Vets don't always do this - this is where we, who have experience of side-effects of surgery, can help to balance the picture, and enable people to make a sensible, informed decision.
:)

It always causes a good debate this one, doesn't it?!:)
Jackie H was very helpful in advising me when we were going to have murph castrated and at the time, we listen to her advice, weighed it all up and decided not to do the deed! Murph has now been castrated - not because of any unwanted doggy behaviour....he rarely humped anything and for us that wouldn't have been a good enough reason on it's own to put him under anaesthetic. I can honestly say that up to now he's fine. Almost a year old and growing into a super dog, physically and temperament wise.
Jackie, as I said at the time, had I gone through what you went through with your poor dog, I would feel the same way so please carry on giving your advice here. We're all adults and should be able to make an informed decision about what we do with our pets. that involves hearing both sides of the argument.

Take care

Ruth

I do understand what you are saying, but in my opinion, for the average dog owner, neutering is a necessary procedure. (to help reduce the unwanted pet population for one thing!) I have been a dog owner, and lover, for many years, but I have no idea how to cope with a bitch in season, as mine have always been spayed. I think that if entire dogs are the norm, then "accidents" are bound to happen!
Could someone please let me know the "valid medical reason" for tail docking and ear cropping?
As far as the anaesthetic reaction goes, I am sure that most people are aware there is an element of risk, but in the majority of cases, the benefits outweigh the risks. (btw, I think you may have misunderstood a little...........my 'son' is a miniature long haired dachshund LOL)
Maybe opinions vary due to different countries as I am in Australia.
I do not mean to offend anyone.
Pauline

I must admit, when you referred to your son, I did indeed think you meant a person.

But my point remains - people need to be made aware of the potential hazards as much as the potential benefits, and, being intelligent, make an informed decision. My personal view is that surgery is sometimes a necessary evil, but I would never risk any member of my family (human or canine - or porcine - are guinea-pigs porcine?) without very good reason. In the 60s it was fashionable for children to have their tonsils removed - that fell out of favour after several children died, and others were damaged from anaesthetic. It is now very rarely performed. Likewise adenoid removal, routine circumcision, even grommet insertion for 'glue ear' is challenged.

If, <<for the average dog owner, neutering is a necessary procedure>>, then the average dog owner requires education so they can be sensible and responsible. Improve and alter the person's mind, rather than altering the dog! ;)
:)

JG & I seem to be in complete agreement about this.
I am not totally anti-neutering at all, but against the idea that neutering, particularly for males is seen as a miracle cure for all sorts of behaviour. If someone owns both sexes, then fine, it seems the only sensible answer for most people, but I am mystified when it is used generally as a means to stop unwanted puppies. Surely, the most important step is to keep your dog under control & not allow it wander in the first place?
Was it Pro-dogs had the slogan Education, not legislation? Maybe we should have an Education (for the owner) not Castration (for the dog) slogan ?? or maybe ...............
No I'd better stop there & go to work!! :D

Thanks, Anwen! :)

I sometimes get the impression also that people have their dogs neutered, and then think it's okay to let them roam unaccompanied. No it isn't!! If people don't keep their dogs under proper control, then perhaps they should reconsider ownership.

Or at least be honest why they're doing it - for their own benefit! I only had my 2 bitches spayed because we had to keep 2 dog puppies from the litter - if I'd been able to keep a bitch as I'd wanted,then they would still be entire.

Just a thought.
:)