# Not neutering warnings



## Apex1 (May 19, 2017)

I have no intention on neutering until 2 years if ever. Pup is 6 months. My forum/Internet search didn't go well. I am wondering if your dog exhibits behaviour that indicates roaming potential for a female in heat. When does this behavior tend to show its self? Does behavior change when neutered later in life? Any input story advice is welcome.I have never had an unaltered dog. I just want to be prepared. We live in a rural area.


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## eddie1976E (Nov 7, 2010)

Mine was 3 when I had to neuter him due to health issues. He never roamed...never once did he show any signs of roaming or anything. My dog is never out of my sight. Ever! If he is outside, I'm outside. And we are usually engage in play of some sort. He has grown up knowing that I'm THE BEST thing in his life and given the chance to go to my neighbors house to play or stay home and play with me...he always chooses me. This brings up another point, I don't like people engaging with my dog. If they want a dog to pet, get their own! I don't want my dog getting play, treats, or anything "good" from anyone that is not a close family member. He has to think that I give him all the love, fun, food, treats that he wants, and there is nothing that can even compare outside of our little universe. 

If you are the kind of person who wants to leave the dog outside to his own vices, then there is a potential of having issues. Or if you think it is ok for your dog to enjoy all the goodness that strangers want to give him, then you have the potential of your dog seeking that attention away from you...leading to roaming, mating, etc.


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## cloudpump (Oct 20, 2015)

No issues with not neutering. 2 in November.


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## Apex1 (May 19, 2017)

Never outside alone ever. I fail at the can we pet your puppy to often more often when he is using manners to great. That said with engagement increasing everyday, I thought that some potential instinctual erge might over come obedience and 1 open door might be all it takes. I don't know how strong the erge is. 
Thanks for the response


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## eddie1976E (Nov 7, 2010)

Apex1 said:


> Never outside alone ever. I fail at the can we pet your puppy to often more often when he is using manners to great. That said with engagement increasing everyday, I thought that some potential instinctual erge might over come obedience and 1 open door might be all it takes. I don't know how strong the erge is.
> Thanks for the response


Don't get me wrong...I failed at letting people pet him sometimes. It's a balance. But I think most people saw his "in training" vest and they understood not to ask. 

My breeder helped me understand, since there is so much (mis)information out there about this topic. I had read about dogs chewing through walls to get out and mate. Which is crazy. The breeder told me to make sure OB is solid, have a great relationship with him and he will be fine. Turns out she was right....I suppose it is also specific to the dog also.


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## Apex1 (May 19, 2017)

How much time do I have? When if not neutering is it fair to expect solid OB, most importantly a COME command not ignored? I might be moving to slow. My pup is great, we put in hours, im also a noob, can I call him off a cat chase? NO, not yet. Does he come once he lost the cat 100%. I know that is whole other topic. I am a DIY kind of person, but if it's urgent I am completely willing to find a professional.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I have had multiple intact males, various breeds. None have ever roamed or showed a tendency to. Vets are making you paranoid about intact males as being some monstrous breeding machines. Manage and train them and they will focus on you. Most issues are training issues. Removing their testicles doesn't make them obedient either. Think show dogs; they NEED to be intact in order to be shown.


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## Apex1 (May 19, 2017)

My vet supports the choice no pressure. I just dont count on my vet for the best advice. Another whole different topic. Learning curves for me. It is my mind that links them to the breeding machine! My false preception.  
Thank you for your experience it really helps. I have watched him maturing, everything seems to happen so fast, this pup has grown mentally and physically so much faster then i could ever imagine, such a short time. Figured I should try to get ahead of anything if I needed to.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

I had Max neutered when he was two years old. He had a retained testicle otherwise I would of kept him intact. I can say he has not changed at all after he was neutered. His energy did not wane nor his intensity. He still continues to fill out and mature nicely. His grandfather lived till 16 and I hoping Max will live just as long. Karat our working line was intact he lived till 12 years arthritis started creeping up at 8. He was a serious intense calm dog that would stay on the front step if you told him to all day not leaving the yard- not that we did. There were no issues with him being intact what so ever. The most challenging intact dogs I found were the little dogs. We had our chihuahua neutered at a year and half as I had it with his antics.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Jenny720 said:


> The most challenging intact dogs I found were the little dogs. We had our chihuahua neutered at a year and half as I had it with his antics.


That is true or at least my experience.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Yes it is where I felt neutering was the trick with the little guys.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

I have a 5 1/2 year old intact stud dog. So he knows what that smell means and knows that he likes it. Still doesn't roam. Is at least 95% not a mindless moron when around females in heat, even when there for breeding. Some males are different, of course. But who knows if that is their nature or that they were allowed to because their owner assumed that it was "natural" and didn't try to redirect their behavior.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

All the police K9's I have met and seen, have been intact. They still do their job because they are trained.


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## DDRGSD56 (Aug 16, 2011)

i dont like to neuter males even if i have no intention of breeding, I dont think its good for the dog for a variety of reasons. i dont own, never will own a female, so i cannot say what i would do with heat cycles


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Heat cycles are not fun but I have not seen Luna want to escape or try to. Not sure what I was expecting. She had not even been flirty. The two males at home are neutered and with no interest. Although,I was unsure about the chihuahua even neutered,I was unsure how he would react but all was good - no interest. I always felt the German shepherds were discplined, focused ,many easy to train and don't have tendency to wander or get side tracked which make it easy to own them intact.


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## Slamdunc (Dec 6, 2007)

Apex1 said:


> How much time do I have? When if not neutering is it fair to expect solid OB, most importantly a COME command not ignored? I might be moving to slow. My pup is great, we put in hours, im also a noob, can I call him off a cat chase? NO, not yet. Does he come once he lost the cat 100%. I know that is whole other topic. I am a DIY kind of person, but if it's urgent I am completely willing to find a professional.



Neutering will not make obedience any better. What you are describing is simply basic obedience. That has nothing to do with wether or not the dog has testicles. You can expect solid obedience when you put the time into quality training and working with your dog.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Yeah it took me a long long time to call off Max from chasing a cat or deer and some help with a trainer. It was a process I went through for sure. That was one of our biggest challenges and we live across the street from woods which were the home of many feral cats and deer. Neutered or not neutered no shortcuts. Good news all the efforts controlling the prey drive with training pays off as frustrating as it can be and we are incredibly bonded because of it.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Apex1 said:


> I have no intention on neutering until 2 years if ever. Pup is 6 months. My forum/Internet search didn't go well. I am wondering if your dog exhibits behaviour that indicates roaming potential for a female in heat. When does this behavior tend to show its self? Does behavior change when neutered later in life? Any input story advice is welcome.I have never had an unaltered dog. I just want to be prepared. We live in a rural area.


Bud died at 14. Intact. 
I had some issues with him roaming but not to do with females. All to do with him being able to clear a six foot fence. 
The first time was the last time. His obedience was stellar. I could easily have titled him.
It was his manners that sucked. Lol.


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

I have two intact males a one yr old and a two yr old. I also have a female who just went through her heat cycle a month ago. All it took was a simple leave it command and they would leave her alone. I still done the crate and rotate once she was about two weeks in. Leave it worked when the boys knew that if they went too far she was gonna get the point across in a not so nice way. But I figured if she became a willing partner leave it may not work. Two of my neighbors have bitches, and my boys have never tried to escape when they have been in heat. " they do let me know when their dogs are in cycle" just so I can be aware and monitor a little from my side. There have been girls at club in heat and once Rosko gets the scent a simple leave it and he's back to doing obedience and forgets about it. Point is that if you put in the time before it is an issue it makes it easier to deal with when it is an issue. But, that isn't any excuse for stupidity. Set your dog up for success not failure.


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## Apex1 (May 19, 2017)

Good to hear that quality training and working with your dog supersedes. Thank you all for taking the time let me know. I may have to get professional help for the chasing, but I think it may be to early to tell? Not being a professional myself it seems to take me longer to accomplish most things.


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## gsdluvr (Jun 26, 2012)

I neutered my male at 3 for health reasons AND because I was bringing in a female. Even so, he does not realize he is fixed!! :surprise::hammer::crazy:


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

Apex1 said:


> Good to hear that quality training and working with your dog supersedes. Thank you all for taking the time let me know. I may have to get professional help for the chasing, but I think it may be to early to tell? Not being a professional myself it seems to take me longer to accomplish most things.


Don't worry. I am far from professional. But it is nice to see the results from the hard work put in training your own dog. Plus the bonding established. But having a professional show you how to do some stuff sure can make life a lot easier.


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

Internet searches will scare you because gonadectomy in America especially is heavily driven by AR shelter agendas and not true health for the individual dog. They'll have you believe that every intact male dog is an aggressive nightmare that jumps through windows to find a bitch in heat 10 miles away, all while being completely filled with cancer from his testicles. 

In truth, a lot of it comes down to training. My best dog I've ever had is my current intact 4 yr old boy. Granted, we do a LOT of training together, and he is with me constantly. But I have never once had an issue with marking, or dominance, or aggression, or drive to run away. I also have a 7 foot privacy fence and he's not left alone outside. I would maybe not risk having an intact male alone on acreage alone where he could easily roam. I also feel that dogs left on their own outside alot probably arent getting the training and interaction they need, and are more likely to have behavioral problems regardless.


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

CORRECTION on my previous reply that I have no issues with marking or inappropriate urination. Someone had an intact, IN HEAT bitch at petsmart last week that he sniffed, two aisles later he marked all over the aisle. And by mark I mean he doesn't hike a leg, he squats to urinate, so he squatted right in the middle and unleashed the flood gates. On the plus side, made for easier cleanup :headbang:


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

gsdluvr said:


> I neutered my male at 3 for health reasons AND because I was bringing in a female. Even so, he does not realize he is fixed!! :surprise::hammer::crazy:



Same experience here! My male was 3 when he was neutered, due to an enlarged prostate and very bad infection. A lot of people won't believe me when I tell them he actually mounted AND tied with my in-heat female! Then I show them the pictures I took as proof! :grin2:


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Yikes. I guess I'm lucky. Russ grew up with intact bitches, and by the time he was 3 he was becoming impossible to live with. For about 2 weeks it was non-stop barking, screaming, wailing, growling. He stopped eating, and dropped a ton of weight. So he was neutered. He's now 4 and a half. Scarlet (my new girl) came into heat in June, and he had no reaction. At all. I was so happy, lol.


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