Neuter or Not

[mshipway]

Hello,
I have a 2 year old Male. I am wondering if I should now get him neutered. When out he always sniffs stuff and then gets really stuck on spots to the point he gets all.drooling and his mouth starts to chatter. We don't interact with a lot of other dogs, but tonight while.i was playing frisbee in the park he spotted a dog or smelt before I noticed and he ran over and instantly went to humping.
He loves to try and pee on every single tree or post on walks - never in our house.


Please share some thoughts based on his behaviors.

 

[Lizbeli]

Jasper (1.5yrs) does the teeth chatter and such if I let him sniff spots. He gets all foamy and nasty too. But it really comes down to training. I just don’t allow him to mark when we are on a structured walk. When I feel him pull towards a tree he gets a prong correction. He learned he isn’t allowed to stop at every tree and mark. However, I do use a command (“break”) where he is allowed to sniff and mark wherever he wants. That way he gets some dog time. It really does work. I say “break” and give him full leash length. He does his thing, then I say “heel” and he knows its back to plain ole boring walking.

Humping is another thing. Jasper doesn’t hump so I can’t comment on that. I guess I got lucky there.

If I didn’t have a breeder contract I probably wouldn’t neuter. I truly believe most unwanted behaviors can be fixed with training unless the dog has genetic temperament issues. Im looking into dog vasectomies. It has been hard for me to find a vet who does it. My current vet didn’t even know it was possible.

 

[Ravenbird]

Everything @Lizbell said. All sniffing, mark-peeing, humping should be corrected, they are behaviors that are either allowed or not. If you never allow them (except for "free dog time" as stated above) then they won't happen. And biggest news of all: Neuter doesn't change behavior, it only changes ability to impregnate. I can't tell you how many neutered dogs I've seen that want to hump. And the owners just roll their eyes rather than tell the dog to stop.

 

[mshipway]

Oh i stop it immediately, no doubt there. Super embarrassed. He was doing so well earning my trust in the park recently I thought 2 years old all my hard work training is laying off. Then we let each other down. Me by not spotting the other dog and being prepared and him for ignoring me

 

[Kaiser2016]

I agree that the annoying behaviors are wrongly blamed on the dog being intact. Given how much work you have put into Argo, maybe you could work on sharpening the recall? If you tend to be around loose dogs, I would say that's a fairly good reason to get him fixed. Chances are good that nearly all the other dogs are fixed too, but all it takes is one accident and then what?

Jasper doesn’t hump so I can’t comment on that. I guess I got lucky there.

Same here, but there is one exception: His bed. If I move it, he'll grab it with his arms and then start the humping motions lol. So I learned my lesson and taught him to move his bed by himself. He hasn't tried to hump any dogs either. Prior to Covid, we would get his nails done at someone's house and he would politely play with all the females - he loved sniffing them, but he never tried mounting.

If I didn’t have a breeder contract I probably wouldn’t neuter.

What about contacting your breeder and letting them know you have no plans to breed him but want to keep him intact for health reasons? That's what we did with ours.

 

[Ravenbird]

Oh i stop it immediately, no doubt there. Super embarrassed. He was doing so well earning my trust in the park recently I thought 2 years old all my hard work training is laying off. Then we let each other down. Me by not spotting the other dog and being prepared and him for ignoring me

Sounds you are doing what you can in all the best ways then. We all make mistakes & our dogs love to take advantage, so don't feel bad. Like as @Kaiser2016 said, just work on obedience, especially instant recall under distractions. I don't have anything against neutering after 2 years, just trying to point out that the behaviors may not change.

 

[Oh Little Oji]

Oji does all that garbage.

I let him sniff and do whatever for 95% of his walks, but when he's on a heel, sniffing is prohibited – not even allowed to put his beak toward the ground.

Oji is OBSESSED with the scent and urine of any type of animal, and does the licky, chompy, frothy.

Oji does tend to be a humper as well – even showing this propensity when it comes to humans.

He will also pee on other dogs. I've seen him turn and pee right in the face of a dominant female dog. He has left a yellow stripe on a bright white dog through a picket fence. I know, I know: Bad owner!

I agree that neutering will probably not change the behaviors. I do wonder, if I'm honest, if neutering quite young would prevent some of these behaviors from developing. ? Not that I advocate doing that of course. I've never neutered any of my Dobes thus far.

@Lizbeli , a couple of the breeders that I've contacted as I'm researching my next dog purchase have acquiesced in non-committal language that they would make an exception in their contract on the neutering. This, after I have cited the possible health detriments of altering a medium or large breed dog before about two years or older.

 

[NikiL02]

Neutering doesn't change it, but it can help. Nero did all the aforementioned things. He still will pee on everything if you let him, but now it's not the only thing he does. I've even seeing him squat to pee vs finding something to pee on. There is less of the sniffing and certainly less of the chuffing and drooling, but it still happens. The biggest difference I noticed was the lack of smegma everywhere and an increased appetite. I was cleaning the couch once a week before and now I haven't done it in months! I used to order him to eat and now he drools for it.

While I'm glad he's neutered now, I wish I'd waited another year and a half. But I think he will always be a thinner dobie.

 

[DD4MSpock]

I am not in favor of neutering, unless there is a specific and immediate/emergent medical need for it. The behaviors mentioned above do not qualify as "immediate/emergent." Nor is the need to "keep overpopulation down." As long as I, the owner, keep my dog safe and inside my property, he won't be contributing to that "overpopulating." All of the dobies I had as a kid were all "in tact" and we never had any behavioral issues.

 

[Kaiser2016]

The biggest difference I noticed was the lack of smegma everywhere and an increased appetite.

Reduced smegma, well, now you have my attention. Been working from home since the pandemic and the daylight sure does reveal the special splashes in unexpected places I've been slowly scraping away at them using my fingernails, I know, how gross, right?

Kaiser will squat in the yard for most of his peeing, that shift came around age 3, but he has always lifted his leg during walks since around 6 months old - Reminds me of when I saw that leg go up for the first time: On a soccer goal post at the neighborhood school field, on a cool fall evening around dusk. Then I knew the dreaded teen phase was starting.

 

[Oh Little Oji]

Neutering doesn't change it, but it can help. Nero did all the aforementioned things. He still will pee on everything if you let him, but now it's not the only thing he does. I've even seeing him squat to pee vs finding something to pee on. There is less of the sniffing and certainly less of the chuffing and drooling, but it still happens. The biggest difference I noticed was the lack of smegma everywhere and an increased appetite. I was cleaning the couch once a week before and now I haven't done it in months! I used to order him to eat and now he drools for it.

While I'm glad he's neutered now, I wish I'd waited another year and a half. But I think he will always be a thinner dobie.

At what age did you get him neutered, if you don't mind my asking?

 

[Oh Little Oji]

Reminds me of when I saw that leg go up for the first time: On a soccer goal post at the neighborhood school field, on a cool fall evening around dusk. Then I knew the dreaded teen phase was starting.

Or, for men who own dogs: "Phew!"

 

[Atingles10]

Reduced smegma, well, now you have my attention. Been working from home since the pandemic and the daylight sure does reveal the special splashes in unexpected places I've been slowly scraping away at them using my fingernails, I know, how gross, right?

Kaiser will squat in the yard for most of his peeing, that shift came around age 3, but he has always lifted his leg during walks since around 6 months old - Reminds me of when I saw that leg go up for the first time: On a soccer goal post at the neighborhood school field, on a cool fall evening around dusk. Then I knew the dreaded teen phase was starting.

I do not miss the smegma haha I will say it did take a month or so to stop after my guys neuter. Shampooing a large sectional to get rid of it all was not my first choice of what to do with my Saturday haha

 

[NikiL02]

At what age did you get him neutered, if you don't mind my asking?

18 months

 

[NikiL02]

Reduced smegma, well, now you have my attention. Been working from home since the pandemic and the daylight sure does reveal the special splashes in unexpected places I've been slowly scraping away at them using my fingernails, I know, how gross, right?

We have dark brown couches and there would be stuff smeared all over. Like you didn't want to sit down and I cleaned them once a week with a damp cloth with a touch of soap on it. (Because microfiber couches... sigh. Hubs didn't want leather...) Hubs calls it d*** cheese.