Is it wise to have a Greatdane castrated if kept for pet only? At what age should this happen?

We have a three year old Dane boy that was castrated at ten months old and he has had no problems at all :)

It is best to discuss with your vet at what age they would advise getting it done.

Hope That Helps

Grace :D

Hi,

I would definately recommend any dog or bitch not kept for breeding is neutered. It saves you a lot of problems and saves the dog going through the hormone changes every season or pining because he can smell a bitch in season.

Speak to your vet, but I would recommend waiting until he is about 18 months old and fully matured before having him done. :)

manda
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Hi,

I think it isnt quite as simple as it might appear. You will need to take a lot of factors into consideration.
How confident is your dog, what kind of character does he have?
Can you in all honesty say that you can cope with an entire male if the bitch down the road is in season?

Basically, i would say, if it can be avoided, dont get him done. If you can 100% say that he wont be bred from accidentally, that he wont escape and get hurt in the search for a bitch, then dont get him neutered.

There are some very good reasons to neuter, but it CAN AND WILL change some dogs temperaments. If your dog is slightly nervy, or underconfident, neutering could result in a very nervous aggressive dog, simply because you are removing his testosterone.
If you arent prepared for this to happen, then you could be making some serious problems for the future.

That said, if you arent sure that you can keep your dog away from bitches, or that you can cope with an entire male dog, then by all means, get him done, BUT, be aware of the risks. Work on making sure that he really is a happy, confident and well socialised boy, BEFORE as well as AFTER the op.

Good luck
Em

Hi Em,

I must say that in a way I agree, but also disagree with you :)

I would say best to get him done if you are not intending to breed, it's much easier not to worry about him going off his food, or peeing everywhere because the bitch down the road is in season.

Yes it can change the dogs temperament IF done before the dog is physically and mentally mature. This is when the problems occur and when there have been cases of lovely puppies being turned into nervous aggressive adults who have not been allowed to properly mature before they were neutered. This is why I ALWAYS advise owners to wait until at least a year old, preferably 18 months before neutering a dog and always until after a season for a bitch.

Once your dog is mature and he has his male hormones, this will make him more confident in himself, if you remove them at this stage, he already feel confident and has learned to cope with life and there will be no change (not for the worst anyway), BUT removing them before, will cause a change for the worse and this is when you see the underconfident dogs you are talking about.

Have you ever read any of the John Holmes books? He was always against neutering, believeing it changed the dogs temperament and because he had working and display dogs, he wouldn't do it, until one day he had to.

After this day, he had a whole team of fantastic working dogs, all neutered and always recomended it.

If it's done at the right time, no problem!!!!!!

manda
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