Basic questions on neutering the male dog

This article is not designed to tell you whether you should or should not neuter your male dog. Rather, you will find some basic educational questions and answers that will help educate you on the benefits that neutering may provide to both you and your dog.

What exactly is the procedure? When the male dog gets neutered, both of his testicles are surgically removed. The scrotum is not removed during the operation, just opened up to remove the testicles and then closed back up again.

Should every male dog get neutered if they are not going to be bred? It is not absolutely essential to have every non-breeding male dog undergo this operation. Many pet dogs have a naturally occurring sex drive and without behavioral problems that were influenced by male hormones, such as leg mounting, urinating indoors, etc. If such dogs are supervised by their owners and kept in a fenced yard without an opportunity to breed a wondering female in heat then having them neutered is not necessary. It's your decision.

Is there any negative effects of having the male dog neutered? We have not heard of any cases where there are problems from having male dogs neutered. In most every case, having the surgery either improved the dog's behavior or had no apparent effect. Neutering will never make your dog “worse” if that is your concern.

What type of undesirable behavioral problems should I look for as a reasons to neuter my dog? Although a large percentage of undesirable behavior problems stems from a lack of training, there are many issues that are a result of sexual frustration. If your dog has a habit of humping both objects and people often, then neutering him would more than likely ease this situation. Also, attempting to leave the yard and go roaming not only is a result of sexual frustration but is quite a pain to deal with when you have to look for your dog every night. This too can be alleviated by having your dog undergo the operation.

Are there any health benefits to having my male dog neutered? You may want to consider the fact that veterinarians find that some male dogs develop testicular disease as they age. This may or may not happen to your dog but if indeed he undergoes the surgery, testicular disease will never be an issue. Having your dog neutered may also help him have much lower chances for problems such as prostate glands and cancerous growths. You are encouraged to discuss any of these ailments with your veterinarian as well as ask questions about neutering your dog.

Clicker Dog Training

The newest dog training craze is clicker dog training. A clicker is a small rectangular plastic box with a metal button on top that clicks, hence the name clicker. It’s the type of training that the dog decides whether or not it suits him. There have been a lot of success stories with clickers, but with my dog he just didn’t want to know!

Researchers in dog studies believe that the clicker promotes enforced training, without punishment! As we all know when we do something good and get rewarded for it we are going to do the same again, a dog thinks the same way. Dogs learn through consequences, if they do something and it earns them a treat and praise they are going to want to do it again because they like this consequence. If they do something that you don’t like and they get ignored or said no to in a strict voice they know that they aren’t going to get any treats so are not going to do it again.

Clicker dog training works in such a way it reinforces good behaviour. If your dog sits, click and give him a treat. The next time he sits do the same but don’t say anything to him. He will soon realise that when he sits he will get a treat and hear a click, so when you eventually come to click before he sits he knows to sit. Its not all that confusing when you think about it.

Punishment is not used with clicker dog training as researchers believe that although punishment does stop some bad behaviour it may also create another unwanted behaviour. Punishment is almost always carried out after the dog has done something wrong so dogs see punishment as a random consequence therefore punishment doesn’t really solve anything.
Clicker dog training is not only used or dogs! It is widely used for other animals such as dolphins and horses. It is a widely practiced training method and does produce results; if carried out properly.

Finding a Dog Breeder

If you’re in the market for a pure bred dog, you’ll need to find a dog breeder from which to purchase the animal. This can often be as easy as opening the classified advertising section of your local newspaper, but you’ll want to be sure that the breeder you’ve chosen is reputable. There are several ways to help ensure that the breeder you’ve found knows his stuff and is reliable, professional, and trustworthy.

Ask for References

Any good dog breeder will be able to provide you references of clients he has worked with in the past. These will be people who have purchased a puppy or utilized stud services and will be happy to share their experiences with you. Choosing a dog breeder that was used by someone you know is a good choice as well. If your friend or family member was happy with the service and treatment he or she received from the breeder, the odds are good that you will be as well.

Prepare to be Asked Questions

A good breeder will have as many questions for you as you have for him, perhaps more. Good dog breeders work to ensure that the dogs they breed are placed with the correct people. They may ask whether you have children, what size home or yard you have, and numerous other questions to help them let you know whether the dog you’re seeking is right for you and your family. A breeder that doesn’t ask these types of questions may be looking just for the money from the sale of the dog and is probably not the sort of breeder you want to do business with. A good breeder always has the best interest of both the dog and the clients in mind.

Guarantees

A good dog breeder will have had the puppies checked for potential health risks before ever selling the animal. Some problems, however, simply are not detectable until later in life. If you purchase a golden retriever pup, for example, and six months later discover that it has hip dysplasia (a genetic defect in the animals hip joints, it is often nearly undetectable until the animal is several months old), a good breeder will issue a refund to you, no questions asked. Genetic defects like this are avoided by the use of selective breeding (hip dysplasia in dogs has between a 25% and 85% chance that it is genetic in origin), but sometimes a pup will display the disorder even if there is no trace of it in either parent’s history.

Other Sources

Aside from looking in the newspaper of on the internet for a dog breeder, dog breeders can be found through veterinarian’s offices, pet supply stores, and at dog shows. Dog shows are a very good choice since the breeders that attend these events are often showing one of their dogs or are there to see the performance of one that they bred and sold in the past.