Age of castration?

[gypsysmum]

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My new rescue is 15 months old and entire. He is quite randy around other dogs and, although very friendly with most dogs, he is a little confrontational with entire dogs when he first meets them.

I am going to get him neutered and have read that some people recommend leaving them entire until at least eighteen months while others say that leg cocking for 3 months is a good indicator of sexual maturity.

Tigan is quite a shy boy and I know that keeping his testosterone will help him with his confidence issues. At the moment he cannot be let off lead unless it is a very remote area not frequented by bitches.

I wondered if anyone had any thoughts on the benefits of leaving his testosterone alone until he is 18 months or castrating him now that he has been cocking his leg for 3 months?

 

[eingana]

Hi

I don't think that you'll find any single right answer to your question unfortunately. There are good reasons to neuter but there are also good reasons to either delay or not neuter. If he's being a bit of a pest to bitches I don't think that his future will involve remaining intact for very long (either an offended bitch or another entire dog will at some point come to blows with him- my money's on it being a girl ) but the data for when to neuter is really still very incomplete.

We know, for instance, that there are multiple studies showing variously that neutering protects from prostate cancer, has no protective factor against prostate cancer and reduces the rate of prostate cancer if performed after a certain age. Clearly they can't all be right, but there is insufficient clear information to show what has produced such wide variety of results.

I would distrust anybody who claims to know that there is conclusive evidence at the moment because all I can find is contradictory. I wish you luck in making the right decision for you and your lad.

I was happy with the age that Molly was neutered, but she later developed spayed bitch incontinence and will be on medication for the rest of her life because of it.

 

[gypsysmum]

Thanks Eingana

I was more looking for the emotional effects it has on a dog. Testosterone gives a dog confidence. If it is taken away too early the dog can lack confidence in later life. I wondered if anyone had done any research on the age factor. One bit of evidence says that the dog needs to have been cocking his leg (denoting sexual maturity) for three months. Another states that a dog needs to be at least 18 months of age. This one seems a bit of a puzzle as a JRT would be mature much earlier than a GSD.

 

[eingana]

I agree entirely- there would be no arbitrary age which denotes maturity. It varies breed to breed and individual to individual.

I've known several dogs that by 12 months old they were so full of hormones that there could be no doubt whatsoever that they were sexually mature. They have all been staffy size or smaller, and most GSDs are big babies until at least 18 months, so again, there is no single right answer.