I'm looking for some honest feedback on the downsides of castrating a (purebred)dog?

Question

I'm feeling alot of regret... at just 11 mos, he's too docile now & has lost his proud, happy 'joie de vive'. What have I done !?

he's a Tibetan Terrier, who had a perfect, bright, temperament. got done 5 wks ago(101/2 mo). He's not ill & the procedure went 'perfect'. I now feel that i wasn't fully informed, misinformed and outright threatened by the breeder, etc. to comply, so i buckled...thinking i was doing best for my beloved pet.

Answer 1

It's natural to feel regret for having castrated your dog. As a result, you become hypersensitive about changes in your dog's personality that are just that, natural changes in your dog's personality as he moves toward adulthood. Do you have as much spring in your step as you did when you were a little kid? I hope not. LOL

Serious, the most common side effect of castration is weight gain. My vet informed me that castration does not even stop aggressive behaviors (which my dog has), let alone altering the personality in any other way. The long and the short of it is, the pros of neutering your dog greatly outweigh the cons--you did the right thing. Your dog is merely coming in to his adult personality. Give him time, he'll work it out.

Answer 2

If he was recently neutered, he may just need time to recover and this is why he has not been as active. Once his stitches are removed, you can go back to having fun with him. Take him to dog parks, play ball, go for a fun visit to Petsmart or Petco and let him pick a new toy.
Neutering is the best thing you can do for an animal if you aren't showing. Downsides are not being able to show, breed, and there is a small possibility he could get a problem with incontinence. But the pros really outweigh the cons. By neutering your dog, you are helping to control the overpopulation of unwanted pets, as well as preventing testicular cancer. He will not cause any unwanted accidental pregnancies, nor will he be marking territory in the house and it lowers problems with dominance and aggression. Neutering/spaying your pet is a good choice to make!

Answer 3

I had my cat neutered, and it didn't change his personality in the slightest (I was kind of hoping it would). He's still just as much of a butt as always.

I've met a lot of neutered dogs, before and after the neuter, and never noticed much of a personality change.

Generally, neutered dogs are easier to live with. They are less likely to fight other dogs, won't spray your walls and furniture with urine, and less likely to run away from home in search of a mate.

My friend has an unneutered Rat Terrier, and he's an absolute terrier. He was OK before he became sexually mature, but now that he's fully mature, he's horrible to live with. He's obstinate, incorrigible, and wants to mate with everything (person's leg, spayed dogs, couch pillows). My friend wanted to keep him unneutered for breeding, but she has finally admitted that he's a horrible pet right now, and he's scheduled for neutering soon.

His personality changes might have nothing to do with being neutered. At that age, small dogs are just exiting puppyhood, and it's pretty normal for them to settle down a bit. His personality changes might also be attributable to some kind of medical problem; something that might be worth discussing with your vet on his next visit.

If you signed any kind of contract with the breeder agreeing to neuter your dog, then you were stuck doing it anyways. Decent breeders are usually careful about making sure the dogs they sell are spayed or neutered. There's such a pet overpopulation issue right now, and no good breeder wants to contribute to that unnecessarily. Since the Tibetan Terrier is such a rare breed, your breeder might have also been concerned that you might use him for breeding, and not as a house pet.

Hope this helps...

Answer 4

First I will address Sadie... the reason they become "real fat and lazy" is because they are not producing enough testosterone, which overregulates their metabolism. The only downside to neutering your dog is that you wont get to spend hours chasing him around the neighborhood while he breaks out of your yard in search of any female he can smell in heat. Neutering eliminates the possibility of testicular cancer, greatly reduces the chance of prostate cancer, reduces the urge to mark territory, helps control the pet population and reduces the risks of bacterial infections of the penis. Only dogs who have been screened by a vet as being in next to perfect condition physically and mentally should be left intact with the intention to breed. There are many genetic diseases and ailments that are not always visible, that a carrier of should be neutered right away. You may think I am being overly dramatic about them breaking out of your yard, but after 5 years of working in a vet hospital, I have seen MANY MANY intact male dogs who 99% of the time had the sweetest disposition turn "psycho" when around a unspayed female in heat. They have natural instincts that kick in, please remember this. You made the right choice. Your dog isn't thinking "where did my balls go" he's probably thinking about food right now as you read this. ITS A DOG.

Answer 5

Castrating a dog does not produce the changes you are seeing. 11 months is a natural age for the dog to move into a more adult set of behaviors. Castrating prevents not only unwanted puppies but also testicular cancer later in life which my dog had to undergo surgery for at 12 years old. Much more difficult at that age!

Answer 6

To be perfectly honest, I think there is a good chance you are projecting some of your feelings and anthropomorphizing the dog's behavior.

Neutering is the best thing for the health of the dog, for your household and neighbors, and for society in general (by reducing the amount of unwanted dogs in shelters and on the streets.) There is very little "downside" and they are greatly outweighed by the upside. Your dog is naturally going to calm and lose some of his "puppyness" and bounce as he moves into adolescence. It's not really a coincidence that so many dogs get given away around 1 yr old - the time when they stop being so unbelievably puppy-adorable and start transitioning into their adult personalities. The neutering probably helped a little towards calming him down and reducing any aggressiveness he has in his personality (and yes, cute puppy pride can be puppy insouciance - obedient dogs that follow your instructions and know the rules don't jump up on the table, or do cute things with your shoes, etc.)

The other thing I think, from what you wrote, is that you may have some issues with your vet. A lot of people hate being "rushed" into decisions or feel they are not "heard" properly. In health care, for example (human, not vet) a recent study I read about (I think in Time Magazine) showed that people whose doctors spent more time with them answering their questions felt that their doctors were better doctors, and were less likely to sue them for malpractice - even if those doctors were shown by objective data to be less qualified, to make more medical mistakes and in general be less efficient than their more brusque counterparts. In other words, people who had problems with their treatment were more likely to blame it on the doctor if their doctors are either jerks or simply businesslike - whereas people with friendly, kind docs support them even if they're not getting healthier.

My point isn't that you made a bad decision. I personally think vets and doctors should make a point of being accessible and providing you with all the information you need. But really, neutering your pet is a very straightforward and easy decision, and one that most responsible pet owners who don't plan to breed or show their dog should and do make as a matter of course. I'm sure your vet knows this, and he/she may have subtly shown their impatience with you when discussing the procedure. But they have done this a million times, and you are (presumably) a first time dog-owner who just wants to do the right thing by their baby pup. So they can lose sight of your needs. I'd say if any of this sounds right, you might think about getting another Vet that you feel more comfortable with - so many vets are really warm and wonderful, with great support staff, that it's not really hard to find one that suits you a little better.

edit - sorry - by the time I got into my answer I had remembered the big stuff but forgotten that it was the breeder you felt had bullied you. I think the same principle may apply - you don't have to be a great person with wonderful social skills to breed dogs, and they may not have known how to talk to you about this. Happily, you don't really need to have much to do with your breeder once your dog is an adult and is staying healthy. If the vet is one your breeder referred you to, than look into another one that's more your kind of person, and trust the vets, vet techs, professional breeders, pet owners, pet rescuers, pet sitters and just plain pet lovers who answer you on Y! answers - your breeder may have been short with you about it, but he/she was still telling you the truth - neutering is the way to go.

Answer 7

Neutering doesn't cause what you are seeing , growing up and maturing does that. There are NO downsides to neutering a dog only positive ones.

Neutering does NOT change personality!!!!!

What have you done??? well you've saved your dog from the frustrations of being intact and smelling every female taht goes in
heat within miles around you, you have saved it from a high risk of testicular and prostrate cancer, you have saved it from serious prostrate and other reproductive infections,you have allowed your dog to live a longer, healthier, happier life.

Neutering was NOT misrepresented to you in the least.

Also weight gain isn't a result of spay/neuter it is the result of over feeding. As dogs get older they require less calories not the same as they got as puppies or younger dogs. People need to reduce caloric intake.

Answer 8

Honestly, I really can't think of any downside. I've had dogs all my life and I've worked in rescue for years. I've never seen a dog not bounce back after surgery.

Can I ask the breed? And how long ago was his neuter? I'm not trying to be a smarta$$ =) I'm wondering if he's sick.

Answer 9

I take it you've never seen pound dogs. Your dog has lost his pride?! Take a look at those dogs and tell me whose lost their 'joie de vive', or their 'vie' itself for that matter.

Answer 10

Play with him more, run around. I have a puppy so I know. Play tug of war and if you still are worried take him to the vet