neutering dogs

i am NOT trying to start trouble here but i have a question.

DH owned a rottweiler named Weiland who, sadly, passed away two years ago. this dog, who was the love of his life (before me ) was not neutered. he was a purebred rottie and DH always thought that if he had the opportunity, he would have liked to breed him. unfortunately, he never got the chance to make that decision, as Weiland barely made it past his fourth birthday. (keep in mind that we know nothing about breeding but weiland got sick around age 3 so any research we might have done about breeding him was never done.)

in this situation, do you think we made the right decision not to neuter him?

in the future, should DH decide to get a dog, he would most likely get a shelter dog or a rescue, but i can see him getting a rottie from a breeder down the road... and making the same decision. i just want to be fully informed. thanks

Re: neutering dogs

I am sorry to hear of your loss. What was the cause of death?

Rotti's are put to death on a daily basis at almost every municipal shelter in NYC, Long Island, etc. They should not be bred, too many already.

Re: neutering dogs

Re: neutering dogs

It is a fact that neutering your pet avoids certain kinds of cancers.. I am not saying this was related to your DH's baby but I would definately neuter the next one.. Just in case.. Adopting is a wonderful thing.. Do they let you spend a signifcant amout of time with the dog b4 you decide? I would have to do that in order to make my decicion. G/L

Re: neutering dogs

Posted by dilb712

It is a fact that neutering your pet avoids certain kinds of cancers.. I am not saying this was related to your DH's baby but I would definately neuter the next one.. Just in case.. Adopting is a wonderful thing.. Do they let you spend a signifcant amout of time with the dog b4 you decide? I would have to do that in order to make my decicion. G/L

Re: neutering dogs

DH and I have a purebred Bullmastiff (from a breeder). We also did not want to neuter him at first, and we also knew he wasn't gojng to be roaming the streets mating with other dogs,etc...but based on what we read and what the vets told us, we did it mainly to prevent some forms of cancer and also because he was humping and peeing on everything. The last straw was him lifing his leg and spraying on mine! I picked up the phone and made the appt.
We also were condiering breeding him, but to be honest, we know zero about breeding, and did not want to bring more puppies into the world when there are so many looking for homes already.

Re: neutering dogs

Re: neutering dogs

No problem!

Re: neutering dogs

Posted by headoverheels

Posted by dilb712

It is a fact that neutering your pet avoids certain kinds of cancers.. I am not saying this was related to your DH's baby but I would definately neuter the next one.. Just in case.. Adopting is a wonderful thing.. Do they let you spend a signifcant amout of time with the dog b4 you decide? I would have to do that in order to make my decicion. G/L

i believe that those kinds of cancers are hormonal cancers - they affect the reproductive organs if you don' spay or neuter. weiland's lymphoma would not have been prevented by neutering him.

Re: neutering dogs

I'm actually glad to see this posted because I have a few questions. Our breeder has been discouraging us from neutering our dog. The breeder is actually one of the top breeders for our breed of dog, AKC registered, and participates in rescue missions. He actually came to visit our dog over the weekend and said it would be a disservice to the dog to neuter him (I have a call in to find out exactly what he means by that). I've always been on the fence because the breeder and a family member who is a breeder both discourage us from neutering, but then the vets and tons of things I read really push it.

Our dog is a hunting dog and a potential show dog (although it's highly unlikely we'll show him, but who knows), so I don't know if that has anything to do with it ... if you're uncomfortable posting, please feel free to FM me.

Thanks!

ETA - we have no intention of breeding our dog, and wouldn't be allowed to anyway. Our contract with the breeder specifically states we cannot breed him. I also doubt the breeder would be interested in breeding him as he only breeds award winning hunting and show dogs, and we don't plan to competitively hunt him and doubt we'll ever show him.

Message edited 6/30/2008 9:30:27 AM.

Re: neutering dogs

I'm not trying to mean or harsh, but these are my honest thoughts on the situation... No, I don't think you made the right decision. You said yourself the two of you know nothing about breeding, so how would you even know whether or not he was really worth breeding to better the breed? How would you know what females would compliment him? How would you know what bloodlines tend to be the healthiest and what combinations are likely to produce the healthiest offspring?

Keeping a dog intact just in case or just because IF you ever had the opportunity to breed him, you COULD is not fair to the dog or anyone else. The only dogs I think should be left intact are those who are prime examples of the breed who are in the hands of competent, experienced breeders. There are so many unwanted dogs that I feel we should only be breeding those who will better a particular breed -- and even then, we should be breeding sparingly.

I have no problem with responsible breeders -- but someone who knows nothing about breeding keeping a dog intact just in case they have the opportunity to use him as a stud dog is not a responsible breeder.

Sorry if this sounds harsh, but you asked for opinions...

Also, FWIW, I have two close friends who are breeders. Neither would ever sell a dog without a clause mandating that the dog be spayed or neutered, except by special contract to other responsible, reputable, knowledgeable breeders. I would honestly question any breeder who does not have such a clause in their sales contracts.

ETF typo.

Message edited 6/30/2008 9:09:16 AM.

Re: neutering dogs

Re: neutering dogs