Should I Neuture My GSD? - Page 1

If I neuter my German Shepherd will it stunt his growth and development? (He's 4 months old turning 5 months) Will it also take away his guard dog mentality?

would it stop a little boy from being a fully developed adult if you cut his balls of at age 2?of course it will chang him and his developement,both mentally and physically. i believe most people say wait until at least 2 years.

there are pro's and con's about castrating a dog at any age.

why do you want to do this is the first question you must ask yourself.
then you need to research all the ramafication - health, temperment and developement wise.

not long ago, there was a post about it on this site - search and find it.

do your homework and then decide what is best for yourself.

Of course it will affect him.  Some people like the differences, others do not.

Eunuchs (castrated before adulthood) are: taller, higher body fat/lower muscle content, smaller head, less gendered in behavior, far less interested in sex (but not completely disinterested), less likely to fight with same gender (but not completely unlikely to fight), less driven to seek out and identify the gender of other dogs, less likely to be territorial (protecting turf is analogous to protecting breeding territory).

There is some evidence that without sex hormones the joints form differently (hence the longer limbs).  There is some reduced risk of certain cancers (obviously testicular cancer risk goes to zero, but so does prostate cancer risk, which is hormonally driven). 

Whenever you see a very tall, barrel bodied, small headed male shepherd you are looking at a eunuch, castrated before 7-8 months.

Pediatric castration (four months or younger) is even more dramatic in its effects.  There are no good medical arguments for doing this to a dog.  The arguments are all about protecting the world from unscrupulous people who are not trusted to make sure their dogs do not breed indiscrimately.  Again, pediatric castration makes the puppy pay for human trust issues.

Adult castration (after two years) is desirable for a male who is fighting uncontrollably, running off looking for females, or going crazy because he is sexually obsessed.  Castration may help this sort of dog.  In fact, too many males live in kennels with females who go into heat just outside their reach, and these whole males often go for many weeks every year not eating.  Their lives would be arguably improved  by castration.

The bottom line is that it is only good for a dog to be castrated if the ADULT dog has shown he needs it.   The vast majority of castrations are recommended by people who don't trust other people, and who use the (poor) dogs as a means to control bad HUMAN behavior.  Some of those people are actually well-meaning breeders and well-meaning rescue folks, but whatever their good intentions, it is NOT the individual dog whose interests are being considered.  Most of those people recommend castration SIGHT UNSEEN.  So it can't be the right "medicine" if you don't know the patient.

 
 

SUMMARY
An objective reading of the veterinary medical literature reveals a complex situation with respect to the longterm
health risks and benefits associated with spay/neuter in dogs. The evidence shows that spay/neuter correlates with both positive AND adverse health effects in dogs. It also suggests how much we really do not yet understand about this subject.

On balance, it appears that no compelling case can be made for neutering most male dogs, especially
immature male dogs, in order to prevent future health problems. The number of health problems associated
with neutering may exceed the associated health benefits in most cases.

On the positive side, neutering male dogs
• eliminates the small risk (probably <1%) of dying from testicular cancer
• reduces the risk of non-cancerous prostate disorders
• reduces the risk of perianal fistulas
• may possibly reduce the risk of diabetes (data inconclusive)
On the negative side, neutering male dogs
• if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a
common cancer in medium/large and larger breeds with a poor prognosis.
• increases the risk of cardiac hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 1.6
• triples the risk of hypothyroidism
• increases the risk of progressive geriatric cognitive impairment
• triples the risk of obesity, a common health problem in dogs with many associated health problems
• quadruples the small risk (<0.6%) of prostate cancer
• doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract cancers
• increases the risk of orthopedic disorders
• increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations

For female dogs, the situation is more complex. The number of health benefits associated with spaying may
exceed the associated health problems in some (not all) cases. On balance, whether spaying improves the
odds of overall good health or degrades them probably depends on the age of the female dog and the
relative risk of various diseases in the different breeds.

On the positive side, spaying female dogs
• if done before 2.5 years of age, greatly reduces the risk of mammary tumors, the most common
malignant tumors in female dogs
• nearly eliminates the risk of pyometra, which otherwise would affect about 23% of intact female
dogs; pyometra kills about 1% of intact female dogs
• reduces the risk of perianal fistulas
• removes the very small risk (
0.5%) from uterine, cervical, and ovarian tumors
On the negative side, spaying female dogs
• if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a
common cancer in larger breeds with a poor prognosis
• increases the risk of splenic hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 2.2 and cardiac hemangiosarcoma by
a factor of >5; this is a common cancer and major cause of death in some breeds
• triples the risk of hypothyroidism
• increases the risk of obesity by a factor of 1.6-2, a common health problem in dogs with many
associated health problems
• causes urinary “spay incontinence” in 4-20% of female dogs
• increases the risk of persistent or recurring urinary tract infections by a factor of 3-4
• increases the risk of recessed vulva, vaginal dermatitis, and vaginitis, especially for female dogs
spayed before puberty
• doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract tumors
• increases the risk of orthopedic disor

do you have children ?? if so would you have your son NEUTURED at the age of 4 months,  why did you get a male in the 1st place why not a female you could have had the female neutered after her 1st season,  if  this wee boy gets a chance to grow up into a adult young male, if you dont have any bother with him then you dont have to get him NEUTURED if for any reason he turnes out agressive,or uncontrollabl, over sexed then is the time to consider this CASTRATION untill then let this little boy be a puppy and enjoy his life also if you socialise, and train him right he should be a fine fellow when he is older GIVE HIM A CHANCE FOR GOD SAKE  

I don't plan on neutering my dog, unless there are compelling health or behavior issues making it necessary.   In any case, I would try to at least wait until 3 years of age.

yup, wait till 2 or 3 and then decide.  you may find that its not even necessary.
pjp

Four or five months is too young for any dog to be neutered in my opinion. The youngest age I would spay/neuter would be 18 months of age, but I prefer to wait until they're two years old.

I agree with the rest of them.  My Vet is a great guy but all he can think about is "Snip Snip Snip"!  Thank goodness I found a great post on here that educated me before I let him spay my girl. 

The only suggestion I have may be a moot point but have you chipped the dog yet?  Is he tattooed?  An unaltered male can scale a fence and be gone in a heartbeat if there is a bitch in heat within miles of your home.  This is something to consider if you let him out in the yard unsupervised. 

Years ago I lived in Missouri and read an ad in the local paper that said, "Free puppies to good home.  Mother Irish Setter, Father good fence climber."  Several months later another ad appeared. "Free puppies to good home. Fence climber came back."  I'll remember that until my dying day!

So it depends on what you intend to do with your dog once he is mature.  If you have no reason to breed him and don't want to deal with the issues that may or may not arise, I would neuter him.  We have too many unwanted puppies out there now. 

Good luck with him and enjoy him.

Regards,
Deb