[mgps]

Petroc is now getting on for 9 months and shaping up well. Whilst there remains lots and lots of training and further work to do, am quietly confident that he's going to cut the mustard for what I wanted from my third dog: no field trial champion, but hopefully a useful sort that can come rough shooting with me and maybe do some picking up at small local shoots. I increasingly find training him utterly compulsive and the more we do the more I want to do with him.

If he were going to be another pet dog like Moo or Pip, I would have no doubt that he would be destined for the snip in several months, but am wondering if that's the right thing for a working dog - hence posting the question in this part of the forum.

Grateful for your thoughts, in particularly whether neutering could have any adverse impact upon on his drive and working development?

Thanks,

Michael

 

[Ettinsmoor]

Not sure I can be of much use Michael. Really only you can decide.

The majority of Working Dogs are not neutered, not entirely sure why! Obviously if you are headed for FTCH you will want to use the dog as a stud dog, but I think in the main it is probably a "man" thing about not wanting to even think about castration!!!

I have three bitches here at the moment who obviously come in season six monthly and I would struggle with three entire dogs, so my oldest two dogs are castrated. They do tend to get called "No Nuts" when out on the shoot though which doesn't bother me in the slightest but I would guess might bother a man.

I do not think it actually has much affect either way working wise, unless someone brings an in season bitch out on the shoot :roll: .

So really the decision is up to you.

 

[mgps]

Thanks Jill. I can't imagine wanting to offer Petroc at stud, not my thing and I can't see us ever having the time for trialling. Reassuring to know that neutering is unlikely to affect his working ability, so think I probably will have him done, though may leave it a while yet to make sure he's well muscled up beforehand.

Plan is to perservere with training at home and occassional lessons and make some contacts to go watch the local picking up lines. As a total new comer to shoots I'm expecting quite a bit of ribbing anyway - "no nuts" likely to be the least of it!

 

[_Sam_]

I had coal done at 6 months old and he's got all the drive in the world.

So i personally don't think it matters but i'd do whats best for you and way up all the aspects.

 

[monkeyboy]

Well I've got a mixed kennels, and I would only neuter a dog for health reasons.

To me it's a medical procedure that should only be done if necessary.

I've got entire dogs that I don't intend to breed from, as well as dogs that are used at stud.

Yes, I'm a bloke, and therefore in Jills' eyes biased, :wink: :wink: , but I have known dogs that have been castrated, that are just as big a pain in the arse as any untrained entire male could possibly be.

Andrew

 

[honeybun]

I agree with Andrew. I know that castration seems to be the norm nowadays but I worry about the risk (however small) of anesthetizing a normal healthy dog. I have had 3 male dogs in the past and none of them were castrated and I never even thought about it. Maybe I'll have to eat my words with Oscar but I hope I can manage him without having to go down that route. Fingers crossed!!!!

Norma

 

[mgps]

Interesting perspective. I don't have any worries about managing an entire dog as such, I've always just taken the view that they're best neutered to avoid any unintended couplings/unwanted litters should the dog ever go AWOL: a slim but not unheard of possibility, and we still get the odd strays round our way.

I do wonder if the risk of anaesthetising is any great than the risks we take with them all the time - jumping into water/submerged hazards, running on wet grass, hurdling fences, jumping wire etc etc.

Anyway thanks for your comments - food for thought!

 

[Dunsash]

JohnW posted a link to the site about Long-Term Health Risks and Benefits Associated with Spay / Neuter in Dogs.

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf

You may find it interesting