He will be 18 months when/if I get him done. He has no problems other than being a bit of a blue smartie head. He doesn't hump, isn't aggressive, isn't sexual but he looks just like a young labrador puppy and with more and more dogs being stolen I am worried that if he is still in tact he might be stolen. We also do flyball and he is around 100's of dogs at the weekend and as he is a crossbreed I would hate for him to create pups being a crossbreed.

Can you give me your pro's and con's for male castration. I've read on the web but would prefer personal reasons.

If he's going to be stolen, he'll be stolen whether he is entire or not I'm afraid - not many thieves would lift his tail to see if he still has his bits before deciding whether to swipe him or not!

I personally would never neuter a male dog unless I had VERY good reason to - my dogs don't have access to in-season bitches, they don't hump nor urinate inappropriately, they have perfect recall, we don’t have any neighbours so no local bitches who may come into season and rile them, and are rarely around other dogs that they have to get on with - so I do not see any reason to put them through an operation just for the sake of it.

I also believe that it is far more beneficial to a dogs health to keep them entire - the pros outweigh the cons for me.

I keep a group of all boys - three rescues who were neutered before they came to me, and two who are entire - and there is rarely a cross word between them, they all get on fine.

Although – I don’t know much about the setup or going ons of flyball competitions, but if there are likely to be bitches in season there (although I wouldn’t have thought there would be) then you might want to consider it in a bit more depth – not so much the risk of mating, but more because he probably wouldn’t listen to a word you have to say, and dart off if he caught scent of a nearby bitch in season!

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''Dogs are like chocolates, you can never have just one!''

Dogs are stolen irrespective of being castrated or not.

Do you think your dog is at special risk of being stolen for some reason?

My entire dog is around hundreds of dogs every week, but as he is fully under control I am struggling to understand why you think your dog will randomly impregnate a bitch.

Are bitches in season permitted to be at flyball events?

I have had 3 males, two have been castrated, one because it was cryptorchid, another at 3 due to behavioural issues and one who at 7 is entire and has managed thus far not to be stolen or create any puppies.

can I ask what this means please?

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I OWN A CHOCOLATE ROAN COCKER SPANIEL
RIP David xx Run free at the bridge. Love you always xx 19th February 2011
RIP Jack and Mickey xx Run free at the bridge. Love you forever xx 20th June 2011

think it's when one or both testicles don't descend

retained testicles

in this dog's case he was a billateral cryptorchid.

Read this thread and the links.

Why would a rescue ask this?

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Transplanted Geordie
RIP Jake, my best dog. 10.8.10
RIP Boomerang, beautiful horse. 27.5.08

All my dogs have been entire males, I haven't had any problems with them so for me it isn't necessary.

None of my dogs have been responsible for litters either wanted or unwanted.

As Badger's owner this is a decision you have to make, there are a lot of reasons for and against having a dog castrated.

It is a very personal decision and is up to the owner, if there is no behavioural or medical reason to neuter then you don't need to...but personally I'm in the 'if you're not gonna use them, then loose them' club

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I personally feel that the health benefits of keeping them entire out weigh those of neutering, so my lad won't be getting done

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Harvey - staffy
Chance - american bulldog (rescue)

19 snakes, 5 geckos, phibs, T's, inverts, fluffies and hedgehog.