Should I get my boy fixed?

henchook · #1 27th January 2002, 02:42 PM

We've been having a little bit of a behavioral problem with our white male 2-yr old boxer, Yogi, in the past couple of months (maybe past few months).

You can see pictures of him here and also here.

He's an extremely friendly one, and very energetic. He's dog crazy - whenever he sees another dog he jus has to run over and play (as opposed to my previous boxer, which behaved that way with people, but couldn't care less about other dogs).

This wasn't really a problem, until a couple of months ago (maybe a little bit more), when we started noticing that he'd get into fights with other male dogs... we think especially with labs or retrievers (but we're not sure, it may be just our immagination).

He doesn't really start the fights.... with some dogs he plays really well, but every once in a while there comes along a dog that he stands next to real quiet and tense, and all of a sudden they both break into a fight.... we don't think the fights are about bitches, because there are never any bitches around when he gets into these fights.

Just the other day we took him to the beach, and had him off the leash. There were some other dogs around, and he played really well with them, and then this white retriever came along, and they stood next to each other, head-to-back, in a sort of defensive position, and I knew a fight was about to break out. There were no other dogs close by. The other dog's owner came by and started to pull his dog away, and that's when they jumped at each other.

We managed to break it up before anybody was hurt (I got a couple of scratches in the melee, but nothing serious), but the point is this isn't the first time this has happened.

My wife said that we should get him fixed, and I reluctantly agreed with her, but she has since changed her mind, and I'm not sure any more either.

The vet said that fixing him would calm him down, but that if the fighting was territorial and not over bitches, that it would not necessarily fix the problem....

We don't want to get him fixed if we don't absolutely have to. My wife says that he has such nice balls (he's white, and his balls have black markings on them, and they look like a couple of cartoon eyes staring at you with a dumb expression), and that we don't really want to do it to him unless we have to.

Incidentally, his running away and impregnating another bitch isn't really an issue, because he lives in an enclosed (big) yard, he has lots of space and he can't run away... not that he wants to, mind you, when we leave the gate open he doesn't bolt out, and if we go out for something and he comes with us, he'll come right back in with us without making a fuss or anything.

Please help with my decision - should I get him fixed or not? Will it solve his aggression to males?

I don't want to get him fixed if it won't!

JulieM · #2 27th January 2002, 03:21 PM

For his health, neuter him. You are not going to be breeding him, so what is the point of keeping him intact? "Nice balls" is not a reason to put him through the risks of testicular cancer, or the torment of being around a bitch in season and not being able to breed her.

And he may never leave the yard now, but there has probably never been a bitch in season right outside the fence at the time, either. Male dogs will do anything to get to a bitch in season - they will climb or chew through fences, chew through doors, perform amazing escapes from crates that would make Houdini jealous....it is his instinctual and biological imperative to breed a bitch, he will do whatever he has to to perform that duty.

As for the aggression - it will probaby not affect his aggression but it will likely decrease the aggression other males show toward him. The only way to deal with his aggression is management - build in a 100% reliable recall, teach him that if he feels threatened he should look to you to take care of the problem, learn the signals dogs throw and know how to read them so that you can avoid potential fights before they start. There are several threads on this topic in the forums for you to peruse.

Scorpio · #3 27th January 2002, 03:25 PM

I would agree if your not going to breed him have him fixed.

Mommy2Cool · #4 28th January 2002, 08:19 AM

I voted yes.

It probaby won't guarantee any difference with aggresive behaviour .... but as stated above, please do it for health reasons!

VTbxrFan · #5 28th January 2002, 11:58 AM

Get him neutered! It isn't something bad that you are doing TO him -- it is something good to do FOR him to make his life healthier and happier.

Aimee · #6 28th January 2002, 02:01 PM

I have to agree for health reasons that I would NEUTER

Some males tend to be less territorial after a neuter but, each dog is different and a neuter won't *guarantee* less aggression. However, I would recommend obedience training to help with these issues

henchook · #7 31st January 2002, 04:50 AM

I just wanted to let everyone know that we have an appointment with our vet this afternoon to get Yogi neutered.

I don't know exactly what the operation involves, but when we talk to the vet later today, we're going to ask him if he can just tie his tubes, instead of completely removing his testicles.

I have complete faith in our vet - he's been taking care of all my family's dogs (and my friends' and their families' dogs) for the past 15 years, and we don't have a single complaint.

I'll post a message later on in the weekend to update on how Yogi is feeling.

Thank you everyone for your comments and reccomendations.

tingoddess · #8 31st January 2002, 02:48 PM

nueter your dog. Tying the tubes won't stop the hormones from flowing in his blood that will make him want to mate with any and all bitches he encounters, nor will it reduce the aggression directed toward him by other males and he toward them.
I've never had an unaltered male dog die because of prostate cancer, but I have lost a dog and a cat to cancer. My greyhound Sam had to be euthanized at at 121/2 for bone cancer. We didn't even know she was sick until she fell on the steps one day and couldn't get up. The next day we took her for x-rays when she still couldn't stand. I was expecting a pinched nerve. The diagnoses of cancer shocked me. Her hip bones where like swiss cheese. I was devestated. I expected to have her for a few more years. My cat Jenny was 18 months old when she was diagnosed with cancer. The cancer they feel was a reaction to the innoculations she recieved to protect her from other diseases. I tried experiemental chemo at the vet school in Madison WI. It was a three hour drive twice a month. It shrunk the tumor a little but it came right back.
Like my Sam, I had her euthanized at home, as I held her. They died about a year apart and I still cry when I talk about it, it's been almost 10 years.
Please, nueter your boy. I am having my boxer boy nuetered next tuesday. He is 41/2 months old. We feel it's the best thing for him as he is just our companion, he's not outstanding and has no papers, but we want to make sure he's will us a good long time.

henchook · #9 1st February 2002, 06:26 AM

Yesterday afternoon we took Yogi to the vet, and had him fixed. The operation went well; when we picked him up after about an hour he was already walking (althought he was very clumsy, as he was still drowsy from the anesthesia).

He was very quiet, and when we got home went straight to bed. But later on a couple of friends came over with their bitch, Rody, who is a good friend of Yogi's (and is going in for a TPO next week, btw), and when Yogi heard her coming in he got straight up and came over to play with her... although we discouraged this after letting them say hello, and when they both calmed down a little they lay on the carpet beside us, and we all had a quiet evening.

Yogi is feeling better today, althought he is in somewhat of a depressed mood. He's not in pain, but he's A LOT quieter than he usually is.

He's got his appetite back, which is good. He'll probably be as good as new in at most a day or two.

Thank you all for you help and support in guiding us to make the right decision.

Yogi will also thank you, as soon as he's back to his old happy self.

henchook · #10 5th February 2002, 08:58 AM

When we get the stitches taken out, is it done under general anesthesia?

Aimee · #11 5th February 2002, 09:03 AM

Nope, they are taken out just like yours would be. When we had Lexi spayed and when Baxter was neutered they used desolvable stitches so they didn't have to be removed but when Baxter had his stitches removed from his tumor removals I took him in and they just snipped and pulled them right out. It's important to take them in on schedule though because the longer they are in there the more skin that grows attached to them. Don't take him in too early though as that will result in the wound reopening if it hasn't healed yet. Hope this helps and Congrats on making the decision to neuter

Peggy G · #12 6th February 2002, 04:47 PM

Good Job.