- Sep 7, 2009
- 12,960
- 3
- 0
I have a shiba pup, about 8 months old, who goes just about everywhere with us and is already a major part of the family.
He's very well-behaved, maybe a couple of "shiba quirks" but no spotting/marking inside, no humping, none of the typical problematic behaviours you can get with male dogs. He doesn't always come when called, but I really don't think neutering will fix that as it's a shiba trait. The biggest issue is that he is somewhat prone to roaming if he accidentally gets out off-leash, and he doesn't have any natural fear of cars.
From what I've read, it actually sounds like 'modern research', IE the last 2-3 years, has found out that neutering is overall not a great thing. Apparently certain cancers and bone/ligament issues can be exacerbated by lack of hormones due to neutering. Granted, a neutered dog can't get ball cancer, but the incident rate of testicular cancer is apparently fairly low.
My vet has said that most of this new research is medically unproven, and that it's a hugely personal decision more than a medical one. While I am concerned about him running out the door and wandering around for a few hours, I'm not sure if that outweighs the potential downsides.
General thoughts? The vet has offered to do a vasectomy rather than completely chopping them off.....
He's very well-behaved, maybe a couple of "shiba quirks" but no spotting/marking inside, no humping, none of the typical problematic behaviours you can get with male dogs. He doesn't always come when called, but I really don't think neutering will fix that as it's a shiba trait. The biggest issue is that he is somewhat prone to roaming if he accidentally gets out off-leash, and he doesn't have any natural fear of cars.
From what I've read, it actually sounds like 'modern research', IE the last 2-3 years, has found out that neutering is overall not a great thing. Apparently certain cancers and bone/ligament issues can be exacerbated by lack of hormones due to neutering. Granted, a neutered dog can't get ball cancer, but the incident rate of testicular cancer is apparently fairly low.
My vet has said that most of this new research is medically unproven, and that it's a hugely personal decision more than a medical one. While I am concerned about him running out the door and wandering around for a few hours, I'm not sure if that outweighs the potential downsides.
General thoughts? The vet has offered to do a vasectomy rather than completely chopping them off.....