When do you neuter a pup going into Therapy training?

[jaden]

I have an 8-month old male that is starting his obedience training at WAGS Canine Training University April 1st. I plan on getting him ready for his CGC test and eventually having him trained for therapy work.

My question is when would be the best time to neuter him? I have never had a male dog and I have looked through the forum and found many different ages if you are concerned about size, etc. I am not concerned if he does not get as big as most male Rott's (unless there is a health issue when they do not) but I am concerned that not having him neutered will cause issue's with his training since I have read that male Rott's are more temperamental when not neutered.

My vet advised asap but admitted she only gives this to advice to hamper unwanted pups. My neighbor advised 18 months from what her vet told her, anything earlier would would limit his growth potentional. I read on the forum between 12-18 months due to bone cancer. The training facility I am taking him to said it was up to my discretion but un-neutered dogs do have a tendency to have a short attention span with females around.

If I waited until 18 months would this hinder his training or cause problems if he becomes TDI certified? Or would the training itself take care of any issues un-neutered dogs may have?

Thanks in advance for any advice

Rhonda

[GypsysMom]

I dont think it would hinder his training at all, Im planning on having Cash become a therapy dog and I wont be having him neutered until he is 18-24 months, its an agreement I made with my breeder, my female was spayed in December she will be 2 in a month

[jaden]

He's already "humping" our other dog (luckily he has never tried it with us) will this continue until he gets neutered or will the training help this as well?

[GypsysMom]

Cash humped the air and tried to humo my female and other dogs in puppy class, he has since stopped doing that and doesnt try it with males or females

[spidey]

Humping is a training issue, IMO. My Nottweiler male was not neutered until he was nearly 3, and he never humped inappropriately after being told not to, my friend's dog, neutered since 6 months, humps everything in sight. What do you do when your dog humps? If you aren't telling him to stop, then how will he know? This is a training matter, unless there are in-heat females around there is no need for your dog to be humping anything.

[jaden]

My female is fixed and he doesn't discrimanate, he humps the neighbors male dog also and even tried the cat. I make him stop everytime he does it by pulling him off, making him sit and telling him No. I was hoping I could teach him to stop doing it before we even started the classes but I do not know how he will react if their happens to be any females around in class that may not be spayed.

[damp]

Originally Posted by jaden

He's already "humping" our other dog (luckily he has never tried it with us) will this continue until he gets neutered or will the training help this as well?

AHHH… I do hope you took the time to reread this thread and the links!

Why do think about to neuter at all???

[jaden]

Originally Posted by damp

AHHH… I do hope you took the time to reread this thread and the links!

Why do think about to neuter at all???

Yeah, I'm quite familiar with that thread.
I want him neutered because of all the loose dogs in our neighborhood. They may be spayed, they may not, I don't want to take the chance.

[JonandMichelle]

I ditto Damps advice, and I hope the training center helps aid your understanding in dog behavior. You have bigger fish to fry then worrying about Therapy Dog "training." I can rest assured; no dog which shows unwanted behavior such as yours will be tolerated, or welcomed in such a capacity.

As for neutering--What does your reputable breeder stipulate in your contract? This is something that should have been addressed and advised on BEFORE you even brought your new puppy home; after all, you did seek out this breeder for the purpose in producing you this even tempered therapy dog correct?

[jaden]

Originally Posted by JonandMichelle

I ditto Damps advice, and I hope the training center helps aid your understanding in dog behavior. You have bigger fish to fry then worrying about Therapy Dog "training." I can rest assured; no dog which shows unwanted behavior such as yours will be tolerated, or welcomed in such a capacity.

What bigger fish do I have to fry? I'm not going to be welcomed into a training facility for obedience classes because my puppy humps? What other unwanted behavior did you read between the lines?

[brunie's mom]

The humping is also hormone related....your puppy is starting to grow up.
I see no reason why the OP should not have his dog neutered at a later date if he is not planning to show or breed. Most dogs that I board seem to stop the humping behavior once the dog is neutered...and the need to mark also.

Give him up to 12 months and see how he is doing and then decide. The problems with waiting too long is some of the habits become ingrained such as marking if you wait too long. Also same sex dog aggression seems to kick in around 18 months...and to be a therapy dog they cannot be aggressive with any dogs.

Gina

[alice's mommy]

Oh man, I know this is INCREDIBLY juvenile of me, but I find myself giggling during this thread!

[JoJo]

Oh man, I know this is INCREDIBLY juvenile of me, but I find myself giggling during this thread!

Yes you are correct, for this is not a funny behavior and needs to be nipped in the butt now.

In this situation, I'm with Gina on this one. Jaden you have much learning and understanding to do in the "dog behavior" area and "training area". For you to keep your dog neutered past the 12 month stage could be a problem if you truly want to do therapy work. I think it would set you back in the training progress. Jaden, that statement IS NOT a slam against you, I'm just stating the obvious.

What bigger fish do I have to fry? I'm not going to be welcomed into a training facility for obedience classes because my puppy humps? What other unwanted behavior did you read between the lines?

The bigger fish is that you have a lot of learning and training to do before you even think of therapy work with your pup. This behavior will not be tolerated in a Therapy Dog. Also I think you're heart is running ahead of the pack instead of taking your baby steps first. Let's get your pup trained (which also includes basic manners) besides the sit, stay and down commands. Let him grow-up a bit while you are in obedience classes with him and observing his temperament. Will he be suited for therapy work? As for me, first and foremost, enjoy him. You'll get there, I promise. Just keep on reading, researching this forum and ask questions. Therapy work is very rewarding with the correct dog.

When my Mother was in a nursing home, I use to bring my female Rottie to visit her. It brought smiles to her face and seeing Reba actually stimulated her mind, for she could remember Reba's name, but didn't have a clue who I was. Mom had Alzheimer's.

[Shelby427]

Also the fact that this dog is allowed to herd and sit on the OP's kids, it may not help with therapy training/work - I doubt anyone would want a rottie to herd them and sit on them.

I would get this dog reliably trained first, before getting involved in therapy work. Once you have a good base of training, you can do almost anything! But it all starts with good training.

[jaden]

Thanks for all the advice, and JoJo you can be tactful when giving it! And this is not a slam, this is meant with the upmost sincerity. My father also had Alzheimers and he loved visits from animals, big or small. I guess I am rushing with this pup because I have waited for 4 years to start doing this. As I said my female had a fear of men and this is something we still work on. Some men are still too scary for her to be comfortable around.

quote from Shelby427
Also the fact that this dog is allowed to herd and sit on the OP's kids, it may not help with therapy training/work - I doubt anyone would want a rottie to herd them and sit on them.

I would get this dog reliably trained first, before getting involved in therapy work. Once you have a good base of training, you can do almost anything! But it all starts with good training.

This behavior was from my 5 year old Rott, not the puppy. The only problems we have had so far are normal puppy related issues (house training, lots of energy etc) and the humping which I thought was normal puppy behavior. We have been working on it and I rarely see him do it anymore, but he has proven to be a smart boy and I am sure with a few days of corrections he will understand.

Reading this forum has opened up my eyes to many things that I can continually train both dogs in. If he does not pass for the therapy training the first time, so be it. We won't give it but I am sure we will both become better for it.