Not Neutering
 

:aimeeyork After thinking about it for a while, and speaking to some people here and there, some who had up to 10 dogs, i decided not to neuter Rocky.
I see it as a wrong thing to do to a dog or anyone for that matter. Sure breeders will tell you otherwise, they dont want you breeeding dogs, they loose money. And doctors will almost always tell you to go for it!!! $$$$ for them. Its a business just like anything else out there, just like docking tails, $$, which is illegal in England.
Our doctor said to wait and decide later, but did not push me to do it or not do it, told me to wait.

AS for the puppy becoming spoiled if not neutered, thats bull as well. THe dog is either trained or conditioned from day one or not.

Please note, by no means am I trying to offend anyone or anyones lttle monkeys out there. This my personal belief and opinion, just wanted to share it with a Yorkie community.

Thanks!:aimeeyork

As for someone who's trying not to offend anyone, you surely have some strong opinions! ;) . It's the dog's owner business, so I guess everybody does whatever is suitable for them. I had Pepper neutered because he's house trained and I didn't want him start lifting leg and marking. Other people have a male and a female and don't want trouble twice a year (my friend had to place her female in friend's house twice a year for a couple weeks as the non-neutered male would go crazy and having them simply in separate rooms was unbearable...

skoshi is 9 months this month and i dont have him neutered yet im still debating. But i dont have anything against doing it. My stepdad doesnt want me to get it done he says he thinks it changes their personalities and he loves skoshis (as do i) there are also a lot of people who disagree with that. so its just everyones own opinions and beliefs.

A reason to spay/neuter your pet.... your pet will NOT get some cancers if they have been spayed or neutered.

It's up to the individual owners to do what they think is best for their pets.

Wishing you all the best. :)

I alter all the dogs I have except for those I want to breed with.
I do not feel "it changed thier personalty" at all.
But it is up to the owner to make the choice for their pet.
Good luck either way.

I agree it doesn't change their personality. Pepper was neutered about 8 months ago and he's as hyper, active and crazy as he was before.

I neuter because I do not want them to spend their life wanting something that they will never have, I do not want them to attempt to escape trying to get to females in heat (they can smell them from 2 miles away!) and I would like to reduce the risk of testicular cancer. I have no reason not to neuter. A friend of mine decided not to neuter her boxer, he died age 4 of testicular cancer, very very sad and she will never forgive herself for making a decision that ultimately killed him. Also if you have a female that goes into heat then its not as simple as keeping the male separate from them, he will usually go crazy pacing around, stop eating and become very distressed. I think most human men would be the same if they never got to have sex, ever.

Its up to the owner and nobody should be critisised for the desision that they make, whatever it may be.

Marcel is 10 mths old and is supposed to get neutered this Wednesday. We waited this long bc of his size. I'd almost rather not do it - but he is marking like CRAZY right now. I don't know how you get around that part of it....?

Philosophically, I think it's an interesting subject. I think it is positive in terms of over population. However, I don't totally buy that it is better for the pets bc of "cancers" - like all the vets are trained to say. That is like US HUMANS saying - "well, we must remove everyone's ovaries and testicles and breasts to avoid cancer!"....uh huh, right. ;)

Jeeze I was hoping when Penny got spayed, she'd calm down a little. LOL

I was also against neutering Max, but he began marking and I had to or my house would have become disgusting from the smell, I couldn't take him anywhere or he'd mark, etc., etc. I was advised by a lot of YT members, my vet, etc. that it is healthier in the long run because it prevents problems like certain cancers down the road.

I've had other male dogs - neutering never even occurred to us. Things were very different in the 60's and 70's. (I had cats in the 80's and 90's and they must be neutered). They were also large males and didn't mark in the house. These little guys seem to mark more inside.

At any rate, I had no choice nor any regrets. Maybe you can do your own research with nobody's input but science. I never did because I didn't have a chance.

I agree with you. :thumbup:

I grew up with a dog - female - who never got spayed, we had to watch her like crazy though and she never got pregnant too. At about age 10-11, she got lumps all over her insides and had to have a complete hysterectomy because of cancer. That was another reason to have Pepper neutered

Rocky is not marking yet, and i hope he doesnt. If he does I might explore the option a little further.
Taking his testicles off takes more than just an urge to have sex.
AS for cancer, a lady who had neutered her s**tzu had her dog die from cancer 2 years later so i dont think its a very valid argument. Cancer is a scary word used today, sometimes for wrong reasons, so we have to be very careful.

It is your option to neuter or not neuter...a "single male" is not that much of a problem..except for marking in most. ..but so many people have more then one dog...males can fight and females get pregnant..and keeping them apart is a hassle..so S/N works best for most...

All you have to do is read all the threads about peeing males, accidental breedings etc to see the need...

In general, I don't agree with blanketly spaying and neutering. However, my thoughts are starting to change on atleast spaying. A large number of unspayed females develop mammary cancer. It is a scary thing. The other side to that is pulling female parts out of the body because of fear seems a little bit over the edge. Ellie's vet really wants to spay her because she is very concerned that Ellie could develop a pyometra. If that would happen, Ellie being so small, it would be hard to get the infected uterus out of such a small space without dumping the contents into the abdomen. Ellie also doesn't go into heat reguarly which says her hormones aren't right. I am still thinking about it. Neutering is a harder decision. I definately support not neutering but about 1% of dogs who aren't can die from testicular cancer. There are a large number of unneutered males that will have to be neutered later to remove testicular lumps. It is a hard decision, especially since there are always risks with the procedure.

There are several reasons for neutering a male.
I would speak to your vet or at least look up the reasons.
One is CANCER. To neuter is to protect them from it and to
give them a healthier and longer life span.
Also to keep them from marking their territory and lifting
and peeing on everything. Your the owner, it's your business for sure.
Money means nothing next to a healthier life IMO.
Buddy is my third male. All have been neutered. Two lived for
16 and 17 yrs with absolutely no health problems. I pray for the
same with Buddy. Never, once did they lift their leg in my house
or any one else's. I would never own a male without him being neutered.
It's safer and cleaner. Who needs a male humpimg all over the house also.
If they are not used for breeding purposes that's the way to go for both
owner and pet.

This is definitely going to be a heated subject. The decision to spay/neuter is entirely a judgment call that will go on an individual basias. When I had lex I had him neutered because he started the humping and the marking in the house. Once it was done all that stopped and he remained the same loveable lex. I also had him done because I could tell when we were outside if a female had passed by that was not spayed he knew and you could see the change in his demeanor. Plus I knew I was getting lulu. I didn't want to chance any accidental pregnancies being as she was only a quarter of his size. I recently had lulu spayed and there is no change whatsoever in her personality.

Before having the procedure done I really thought hard because I know sometimes things (cancer) can be a big exaggerated. You never know with heatlh care in general and the need to make money. But after living with a male marking and the behaviour when a female came in his vicinity I knew it needed to be done.

Not everyone will agree with doing it or not doing it but I don't regret doing it. If I had it to do all over again I would do it.

Just one thing I would like to say...we all have our own opinions and everyone should remember not to be judgmental because someone chooses the opposite stand. People should also realize that even though you want to get your point across you don't have to be snippy about it.

First off ,I hope that you did not buy him with a spay/neuter contract if you are not going to get it done. I feel that would be wrong to do,You have to Honer your contract. If you did not buy with a contract, then it is your choice to not have it done. You can alway's change your mind in the future if marking becomes an issue.

Zoey is too small to ever have a litter. She is an adorable Yorkie, but I would have no reason to breed her. I do not show, and I dont have the knowledge or desire to breed pets. I believe spaying before the first heat reduces the chance of some cancers. I also did not want the mess of bleeding or an accidental pregnancy that could be life threatening for a 4 pound dog. It just seemed like the logical choice if you dont plan to breed. Zoey got spayed, chipped, and got 3 teeth pulled with all pre-surg bloodwork and 5 days of pain meds all for $300.00

I am with you there on making sure of no accidents. I don't regret having Lulu's spayed at all. Breeding is better left to those in the know plus my baby is way too small to be having babies.

Un-altered males will eventually hike and lift their legs to pee and mark it's nature so you will need to expect it at one time or another. If you don't have any other dogs in the house and your dog doesn't come in contact with another dog you may not have a problem but I don't see that not happening unless you keep him in the house 24/7 no windows open or doors open or trips to the vet. It's just nature for an in-tact male to mark his territory. Females also mark their territory. It is for the health of the animal to either be spayed or neutered if not using for the purpose of breeding. It's easier on a younger dog to be spayed or neutered than it is when they are older in my opinion. Why not have them spayed or neutered if you are not breeding them? No one should breed unless they are bettering the breed. Yes, this is a hot topic and can become heated. None of my males personalities changed what so ever!! They are my boys and my girls are my girls from puppyhood to adulthood with the same outgoing personalities!
I only sell my pet quality puppies on a spay and neuter contract with limited registration and you will not receive your papers unless you send proof from your vet that it was done. I will not give breeding rights!
Don't mean to offend but this is my ethical and moral responsiblity as a reputable breeder/exhibitor :)
Donna Bird
Brooklynn's Yorkshire Terriers

Cody isn't neutered yet for I am on disability and haven't had the money. But i am saving to have it done. Because I just found out by reading on here about them getting cancer and don't want that happening... and another reason I don't want him to smell a female in heat few miles and try to run from me.

I understand everyones angles and reasoning behind neutering.
I seriously doubt Rocky will go around the neighborhood fornicating other dogs, as he is in a 1 bedromm apratment all to himself during the day.:D

And he isnt marking or lifting legs yet. Dont froget , my last Yorkie, Remi, wasnt neutered and he peed on everything vertical, at home. It was a nightmare.

Rocky is also 3.6 lbs, at 9 month, and has been 3.6 lbs for the past 3 month. I am afraid operation will be hard for him.
SO with everyting going against the operation, I think I will stay away from it for now.

When my friend would come over without her female he would go bonkers. He would still smell Mimi on her owner Carmen and get antsy. So I would definitely have it done.

By the way there are places where you can get the spaying/neutering for very low cost. Some places like Bide a Wee I think will go on a sliding scale in regards to your income so check them out.

Here is a place that you can get the certificate from so you can get the spay/neuter for cheaper than the norm:

http://www.muffins.org/

The operative word in your post is "YET". Those hormones will kick in. Plus I am sure you walk him and he is not confined to your apt...so eventually when his sexual maturity kicks in things can and will probably change.

Either way it's your decision to make. Hopefully it's the best for you in the long run. Good luck with it. I know my dad is die hard about not neutering and his male oreo is forever marking in the house even at five years old.

It's easier for the males to be neutered than it is on the females and I just had my 2.5 pound bitch spayed and she was 7 months old and she came home from the surgery doing extremely well so the weight issue really doesn't hold any weight with me. I don't mean to be rude please don't take it that way but seems to me a lot of people on this thread has given you many good reasons to neuter. Sorry, again, maybe you shouldn't have posted saying you weren't going to have him neutered and just left it alone gone about your business because all the good reasons given you choose to ignore. I know you didn't ask for advice but when you post I would hope you'd expect good sound advice as many have given.
Donna Bird
Brooklynn's Yorkishre Terriers

Money is not the problem here. I am just a little more traditional. And YET is the key word. No one wants whats bets for Rocky more than me,I just dont like listening to what industry dictates. I like to research.

How is not neutering being traditional? It's the traditional thing to spay/neuter. I wish wish wish everyone that didn't plan to breed would spay and neuter their dogs because we wouldn't have millions of dogs dieing in shelters! It take a LOT of responsibility to own an intact animal. Also, I personally do NOT like being around most unneutered males - most lift their leg on everything, hump, and dribble little pee spots everywhere marking their territory. It's pretty gross... There's just no point in having that behavior if you aren't breeding. Also, neutering completely diminishes the chance of a dog getting teticular cancer. And you're dog is not going to feel like he "lost his manhood" by being neutered. Dogs don't have that kind of self-image and ego like human males do, and they don't enjoy sex like people do. Sex for dogs is driven by hormones only and serves one purpose - to procreate. Your male will have his hormones constantly telling him he needs to breed a female. Males are so much happier when they are neutered because they don't have that sex drive going all the time - they can just relax and enjoy their life. If there are any females in heat around, your dog can become an escape artist and may even stop eating. I just don't understand why anyone wouldn't spay or neuter a dog if it doesn't have a health issue that makes the surgery too dangerous.

Very valid points.
Thanks for your input.