Should I neuter?

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apollosdad
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2010 9:01 am

Should I neuter?

Post by apollosdad »

My 17 week old boxer has start the humping the game and is showing some signs of aggression if you take away his "humping toy". Is this a sign that he is ready to be neutered even though he is only 4 1/2 months old? I'm a strong advocate for neutering if you don't plan on showing or breeding your pet, and from what I understand will help a puppy relax.
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Mattie
Posts: 5872
Joined: Tue Jan 09, 2007 5:21 am

Re: Should I neuter?

Post by Mattie »

Many dogs hump for various reasons, at his age I wouldn't even consider neutering yet, in fact I would wait until he was mature, there is a lot of evidence that says many dogs are locked into the age they were when they were neutered, they never mature mentally. I had a ***** that never matured mentally, she was 17.5 when she was pts and stayed a pup.

There is quite a lot of information on here about neutering for and against neutering as pups, do a search.

I would give him something to hump, that way he won't learn to hump peoples legs etc. :lol:
[url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/Nethertumbleweed/PIXIE.jpg][img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/Nethertumbleweed/th_PIXIE.jpg[/img][/url]
emmabeth
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Re: Should I neuter?

Post by emmabeth »

Nope - I would not neuter a 17 week old puppy, hes doing it for a number of reasons and none of them suggest he is mature or grown up yet - he has instincts and hormones telling him to test out and try all manner of things - I have known bitches hump toys, each other, people and even NOTHING.... just air-humping, wildly and with much enthusiasm... no testicals there though!

So he does it and it feels good, so he does it some more. Maybe he does it and you react and he likes that you react so he does it more.

Ignore it, redirect it onto a toy. If he does it on your legs or your furniture, then either remove yourself or the dog from the room for a few seconds time out.

Do not waste time telling him off or making a big fuss about it or it becomes a Big Deal and an attention seekign tool (remember hes figuring out his world and working out what works.... and what doesnt. Making a big deal of something means it 'works' in some way.... so it gets repeated! You ever seen a little kid who has figured out that pulling his pants off in public and playing with his bits makes all the adults either laugh hysterically or rush around trying to stop him? Kid learns that is teh BEST way to get attention and does it till hes about 8 years old..... driving his parents wild! This can be the same sorta thing).

I neuter once an animal is mature, for middle to big breeds thats between around 18 months and 3 years old, for smaller ones 12 to 18 months old, if i think it will make no difference to their temperament/personality. If i have a particularly nervous dog I leave them longer as neutering removes the testosterone production (well, the majority of it, very little is produced elsewhere) and that can cause a sudden adn dramatic drop in confidence which on top of an alraedy underconfident nature can be catastrophic in some dogs.

The only guarantee with neutering a male is that he will not be able to reproduce, and he will not get testicular cancer. Everything ELSE is a gamble, an anecdotal 'benefit' or a coincidence. Puppies are a pain in the rear and it is usually NOT that they are neutered at 12 months that makes them calm down, it is that they just grew up!
West Midlands based 1-2-1 Training & Behaviour Canine Consultant
Leigha
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Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 8:02 am

Re: Should I neuter?

Post by Leigha »

emmabeth wrote:I have known bitches hump toys, each other, people and even NOTHING.... just air-humping, wildly and with much enthusiasm... no testicals there though!
Dixie has taken to humping the puppies lately. It's usually only when they're all romping and frolicking in the backyard and she's excited, then she'll start to pick on one puppy in particular (the lucky pup changes daily) and she'll hump him and play with him.
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