another neutering question...

[scherner]

Hi...there has been some discussion on this board about neutering...when to do it..if we should do it at all...etc. And i have been reading them all because I really don't know what to do. At the same time as some of you have probably been reading I have been having some problems with Idaho doing some destructive chewing which is a new problem for him. I mean we even came home to him once to discover he had gotten out of the bathroom (we still don't know how) had free run of the house and still hadn't destroyed anything.

Well in one of the posts about neutering someone asked about intact male dogs becoming frustrated if they were not allowed to mate. That reminded me of one of the things that my vet told me when he was encouraging me to neuter--he said that some of the destructive things that dogs do before they are neutered is due to sexual frustration. Idaho is obviously sexually mature..very interested--I wondered if the fact that he was not neutered...and that it was spring time might be one of the reasons why he is destroying things in the house. Could it be him acting out on his sexual frustration? Please don't laugh I mean this as a completely legitimate questions which I WILL take into account when I decide if I should have him 'fixed' or not.

Thanks!!
Kelly

[CanadianGolden423]

It may help. I'd neuter him (it's not like you would regret it later anyway, since it doesn't sound like you're going to show or breed him) and see if it makes a difference.

[Goldenheart]

<span style="font-family:georgia; color:navy;">This is my own personal opinion on this, but....fixing your boy I do not believe will solve your chewing problems. This is something all together different.

Neutering him may solve some things, but not the chewing now that he has done it.</span>

[Swampcollie]

Neutering will not stop the chewing issues. Goldens are very smart dogs and your boy probably figured out he needs to turn the knob to let himself out.

[GoldenLover02]

JMO..I think training him not to chew on things is the better way to go other than getting him fixed(neuterd). Maybe I read the post wrong if I did I am sorry. The only reason I want Hunter to get neuterd is because I don't want to breed him, but of course thats just me!

[KCGoldens]

I really want to know if they get frustrated not having female company. That would be my main concern.
From the fact that your boy managed to figure out how to work the bathroom door, it sounds like he is just trying to keep his mind busy and some quality chewing is always a good relief for boredom until you get home. Have you tried getting him some new toys. We get new toys weekly, and put up some of the old toys and keep them rotated around so our dogs constantly have something differnt to play with to entertain themselves.
I do know if our younger golden gets ahold of something and it starts coming apart or stuffing starts coming out of it, it is like an addiction and he cannot stop chewing!

[messano]

Dogs are not like humans and do not get sexually frustrated unless they are in close proximity of a bitch on heat.
Dogs live for 'now' and do not think about what they may be missing, their desires and actions are instinctive and are pheromone related.
If they are not used at stud, and are kept away from in-heat bitches they will be no different sexually to a dog that has been castrated.

The destructiveness has nothing to do with being entire and they he would still chew things whether he was castrated or not.

The information that your vet gave you was typical 'rent-a-quote', neutering is the veterinary profession's answer to every problem. Unfortunately this means that there are not many people who can give you an opinion based on fact instead of just hearsay.

I can categorically state that the 6 uncastrated males that we have raised to adult age have never caused us any sexually related problems and I would be very surprised if we are unique.

messano

[GoldenLady1]

I agree with messano and the others here who said that the chewing is a behaviour problem and not one of sexual frustration. I currently have two intact males, who are 8 1/2 and 3 years old, and neither one has ever shown any signs of frustration of any kind; actually, neither of these boys has ever been much of a chewer, even when they were puppies. They're not typically around bitches in heat (except occasionally at a dog show, and then of course I make sure to keep them away from the bitch), and under these conditions, I agree that there really is no difference behaviourally between intact male Goldens and neutered ones. Incidentally, the only Golden I've had so far who was a real chewer was my first one, a female, who was spayed at six months of age.

[tamispray]

Otis was nuetered at 6 mos. and did not start his destructive chewing stage until a couple of months later. Not that he did not do his fair share of chewing things before that. Our trainer said that the destructive chewing really starts when they begin to develope their jaw which has to do with their retrieving background. They have to be pretty strong to carry a 30 lb bird in their mouth! So I do not think nuetering has anything to do with chewing. They will always want to have something in their mouths anyhow, you just have to teach them what they can and can not have. Good Luck!