Neutering my puppy next week
I have an appointment to have my 9 month old pekingese-mix puppy neutered next week, and I'm starting to have serious second thoughts about it.
Is it the right thing to do?
We're mainly doing it because he has a bad marking problem and has absolutely destroyed our couch. We've had to take off the cover and scrub the couch itself for ages, and now its drying but still smells. This is a rented apartment so thats going to cost us, but also it just makes the place smell, which really, really bothers me.
Also, he has taken to humping our other dog.
These are what made us decide to have him neutered, but now that I think about it, is it worth putting him through the pain for such small things? I look at him and can't stand the thought of him hurting and having to wear that big stiff collar for 10 days. Am I just being a big wimp?
Have you neutered your dog? Did it change his personality? Did he gain weight afterwards?
Just so confused as to if this is OK or not!
Yes it is the right thing to do. The humping thing has to do with domination. Dogs certainly will hump for sex, but it is often to dominate the other dog/dogs in the house. I have females that hump females and males humping males. That will probably not go away. It could help with the marking....but that also has to do with him wanting to "claim" territory. It's used as a way to communicate.
And no....NONE of my dogs gained weight after being altered. That's a myth. Feed him good food, don't vaccinate after the first round ever again, and he'll be just find. Over vaccinating has much more to do with weight gain then alterering a pet. A bad diet and lack of exercise will do that as well.
Wish I could explain more, but I'm fff to the vet with my dog Kara for an ultra sound of her kidneys.
I can understand your concerns, but I think having your pet fixed is the responsible thing to do. I've heard that it keeps them from trying to run away from home, keeps them from becoming agressive/ having dominance issues and will also reduce their humping. And of course, keeps them from having unwanted puppies when there are already so many in this world. Never heard of a dog gaining weight because of it. The dog I have now was fixed as young as they would allow and he did not seem to be in much pain afterwards. He even jumped out a half open back window of a car the next day. (It was parked for a minute at my parents house where he knows his best dog friend lives & he wanted to play). I also never had them put on a big stiff collar, that is probably only needed if they try to chew their stiches. Make sure you go to a good vet.
I completely agree. It is absolutely the right thing to do. In addition to what has been said above, neutering your dog sends a good message to other animal caretakers out there. Maybe within your dog's lifetime a friend of yours will ask you the same question, and you can confidently say it was the right choice for you.
Plus... don't underestimate your dog's ability to run away, which as lisaanddini said, may be more likely in an unfixed pet. Not only will you be heartbroken, but your dog will be contributing to the overpopulation problem. Just one unspayed dog (and her offspring) can produce 67,000 puppies over six years.
Yes it is the right thing to do. The humping thing has to do with domination. Dogs certainly will hump for sex, but it is often to dominate the other dog/dogs in the house. I have females that hump females and males humping males. That will probably not go away. It could help with the marking....but that also has to do with him wanting to "claim" territory. It's used as a way to communicate.
And no....NONE of my dogs gained weight after being altered. That's a myth. Feed him good food, don't vaccinate after the first round ever again, and he'll be just find. Over vaccinating has much more to do with weight gain then alterering a pet. A bad diet and lack of exercise will do that as well.
Wish I could explain more, but I'm fff to the vet with my dog Kara for an ultra sound of her kidneys.
i had a friend with two large dogs, one male, one female. the female dog would hump the male dogs FACE! all the time. it was really very funny.
I also want to add in my "please! yes! neuter your dog!". If you want some more information about the subject, i bet there are loads of websites and books discussing the problems of pet overpopulation and health benefits, or rent Earthlings (its a documentary), it has a great section about companion animals and i think it could really answer a lot of your questions and inform you enough to inform others!
It's absolutely the right thing to do for so many reasons..his health, reproduction reasons, etc etc.
It may not change his bad behaviors...you do need to correct him and redirect him when caught in the act of marking and humping. Tell him "NO" when he marks and immediately remove him from the area (ONLY if you caught him in the act, telling him "no" when the only evidence is a puddle will only confuse him and he may think your reprimanding him for something else). When he humps, again "NO" and redirect him with a toy or another activity. Just because he is a little dog doesn't excuse him from behaving badly :)
He probably will not "gain any weight" from being neutered..If he does gain a few pounds just cut back on treats/food and up the exercise!
He will still be the same lil fluffy he's always been, just minus his danglies. Your lil guy will be absolutely fine! Let us know how the surgery went!
Suck it out. Suck it all out.
You are doing the right thing. I recently had our puppy spayed. It was the right thing to do, not a question. For me, the dog is the family dog, but the dog has decided she is my dog. We spend a great deal of time alone together, so this is probably why. It has become mutual and I found that leaving her at the vet to get it done about the worst part. She didn't cry, but she looked resigned that I had finally decided to give her away. When I came back, she would not look at me and didn't seem to register that I was there to take her back home. She warmed up when she figured out that she was not staying where I had left her, but my goodness it made me feel bad!
The only down side for us is that she turned into a complete and utter dog after that. She ran into the street last week because golly geez, it had to be done. She pooped on the floor, made a puddle, jumped up at company, went on several barking fests and dug in the trash, all within about 18 hours!!! I said, good thing you picked now to do this, Sandee, or you would not still be here.
hahaha thanks everyone! I appreciate it! I just don't want to feel that I'm taking something away from him that I don't have the right to take, if you know how I feel.
But I am going through with it.
Poor lil guy. He'll survive, I'm sure....
NEUTER YOUR PET.
The heartbreaking conditions the wonderful people on this forum see so regularly when they participate in animal rescue operations and shelter help are a direct result of people having those second thoughts.
I applaud you doing so. You will all be happier together, and the world will be just that much better off, too. :)
Neutering your dog is the intelligent, responsible thing to do. Full males roam, run away, get hit by cars, etc. when they sniff a female in season. No matter how well-trained a dog is, if he is off lead and smells the magic scent of a female in heat, he's away, and no commands, shouting or pleas will register. He won't respond to you--he'll only follow the scent. If you're feeding him a sensible diet and giving him plenty of exercise, games etc. as well as walks, there's no reason he should gain weight.
The smell problem will certainly improve as part of the elements that cause the smell in his urine will be removed. He will feel less need to mark, especially if you do it early enough that the habit hasn't become ingrained. As for the dominance, in my personal experience with both dogs and cats, neutering does help a great deal, the animal becomes calmer and more laid back.
And he won't miss anything!! I grind my teeth down to stubs here in Spain when some uninformed cretin spouts "Well if you're gonna cut em off why don't you just have him put to sleep!" Animals do not define themselves like humans, sexuality is a part of life but if the source of the hormones is removed, they never miss them. And if it's done as soon as possible, you can't "miss" what you've never had.
You are the human, you have to make responsible informed decisions for the pet you have promised to care for to the best of your ability for the rest of its life. It's up to you. Have it done. You'll both be glad you did.
In case anyone comes searching these forums if they are feeling guilty about neutering their puppy, I have to update:
Mylo got neutered a few weeks ago, and although he was confused for about a day, the confusion came mostly from that god-awful cone that was around his head (to prevent him from licking or biting his stiches). I was nearly crying when I picked him up and took him home, but ended up in tears of laughter because it was just pathetically funny (laughter is how this household gets by).
It was supposed to stay on for 10 DAYS, but it was causing more trouble and confusion for him, so after the 3rd day, I took it off and monitored him the rest of the day. He barely seemed to notice what was missing! Never licked at his parts, didn't try to bite the stitches, didn't even LOOK in that area, just seemed relieved to be rid of the cone.
So, now I do see that I was paranoid for no reason. My female dog was the same way after she got spayed. Weird for a day, then back to normal after that as if nothing had happened. Its just hard to remember that when you are thinking of putting another dog through the same thing.
So if you are reading this, and are in the same situation, just do it! Its for the best!
He also no longer humps my other dog, and the marking has improved, but only slightly.
Thanks everyone for your encouragement!
I'm so happy to hear that you went thorough with it and had a positive experience! Good for you and good for your lil guy!
I know what you mean about how you got all worked up and it seems the animal didn't care at all. I do that all the time. When Guinevere was spayed, i tried to keep her as bed ridden as possible...put up baby gates and such to encourage her to calm down....But when she started jumping over them...I decided she was gonna get more hurt by my trying to baby her than just letting her roam the house!
again, good for you! ;D