Neuter or not?

[Aristo]

Hi all,

I have a 7 months old male Shih-Tzu. Absolutely adorable. He's super friendly but not aggressive. Now I'm at the road to decide whether I should have him neutered or not. I'm afraid that the surgery may change his behavior which my family loves. What do you pet owners think about this?

[clutchy]

always...

[Jenny]

Absolutely.

[Aristo]

Why is that you guys say yes for neutering? My dog always stay in door and whenever he is outside, someone is always with him (making sure he doesn't eat leaves or grass). If neutering is just a prevention for "accident", I don't really see why my dog needs it.

[oblongmelon]

If the dog is a purebred with papers and you intend on him being a show dog-then NO..do not neuter.

[DarkFury]

Why is that you guys say yes for neutering? My dog always stay in door and whenever he is outside, someone is always with him (making sure he doesn't eat leaves or grass). If neutering is just a prevention for "accident", I don't really see why my dog needs it.
The reason why you neuter a pet is two fold...

Yes, it prevents the unwanted birth of puppies (but since you have a MALE dog, I guess that part really isn't your problem is it? :D )

But the second reason you neuter your pet is... when "mating season" comes around, your pet's behaviour is bound to change.

For female dogs/cats, they go into the heat... and then they start rubbin' their "private parts" all over the furniture and people trying to scratch that "internal itch" that has them hot and bothered. Ultimately they yowl and whine beggin' for some male to come and satisfy the urge that is burning within... and trust me, a pet in heat is not a "friendly house companion" that you want your guests to see.

For male dogs/cats, you start to see more aggression... especially if a female in heat comes near. They will start to do things that they NEVER did normally and could potentially run away after a female. This happened to a friend of mine... as his normally calm pup eventually ran off and never came back due to the call of the wild.

Pretty much if you neuter your pet, you don't have to deal with any of that. But as others have said... if you plan to "stud him out", then don't neuter... if not, then it probably is a better option if he is to be a "house pet".

[Cubsfan]

people trying to scratch that "internal itch" that has them hot and bothered.
Jees dude, what kind of people do you hang around? I think that's illegal in most states!

[DarkFury]

Jees dude, what kind of people do you hang around? I think that's illegal in most states!
Creative quoting.... Nice.... :heh:

[eSDee]

Absolutely.

[Jenny]

For all the reasons DF stated. He's much more likely to change his attitude and get more aggressive if he isn't neutered.

[gaemul]

unless you plan on studding him out, neuter him. he'll chill out. is he humping your leg on a daily basis yet???