Quote:
Originally Posted by rottcrazed  At 11 weeks, you have NO IDEA what he is going to turn out like on the outside OR the inside (ie ... hip/elbow/eye/heart clearances), so to suggest you keep him intact to possibly breed him down the road is kind of silly.
Show potential is something a reputable breeder assesses early, and usually keeps. My first litter was 10 puppies, none of which have any disqualifying faults, yet 4 of them were shown, 2 finished, the other 2 didn't enjoy it and were speutered (one of which was my pick who I kept until 16 months old). I can honestly say that they were NOT all show prospects for one reason or another .... so just because they have no disqualifying faults does not make them a good 'show prospect' IF you are talking to an honest person about it.
Just neuter him after 18 months for health reasons and buy another puppy down the road should you decide you want another .... leave the breeding to people who prove their dogs are conformationally/health and work-wise a good representation of the breed standard.
Kristi |
I absolutely agree that at 8 weeks, it's a crapshoot. At 6mos, it's a crapshoot. At a year, it's still a crapshoot, and so on... however, I'm not one to say "speuter it now", as I think it's important for a puppy to mature into a dog in the healthiest way possible, and I like to see how the little dickens will grow out.
My original "keeper" from the B litter is now in a wonderful companion home and got neutered the week he was adopted by his new family. No problem. I encouraged it because he was nearly grown and prone to wanting to leg lift in the sneakiest ways, and I had a feeling this would discourage that behavior and make his life easier with his new family. I was right, and everyone is happy.
While I agree completely with the intentions of some of the remarks in this thread; i.e. lot's of folks read this forum, and BYBs abound, and educating the public is necessary, I also think it's a bit unfair to come down on folks who simply come in and ask very valid questions.
It's also unfair to think that no one can possibly handle an intact dog except for an "ethical breeder". Personally, I don't really agree with neutering males as a general rule. I've neutered my current boys either for my convenience (not wanting 2 intact males in the house with intact bitches), or for their geriatric health. Girls, on the other hand are much easier to live with spayed and are only kept intact if breeding is in the cards for them. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to keep a dog from being bred, only thoughtful management of the animal.
Now, back to the topic at hand, I hope that 2kevin will register his dog, and perhaps seek fun venues in which to work him, as the bond with his dog will increase with everything he does with him.