I was just wondering for some advice since my husband and I keep debating this issue. Link is 15 months and he is still intact. I feel like we should get him fixed but mostly because it is considered the right thing to do. I have only ever had female dogs before and would never hesitate to have them spayed. However, my husband believes that we should let him be. He is a relaxed and calm dog (as long as he gets a run in) and isn't having any aggression issues. We don't have any plans on studding him out or anything like that. I am just curious what everyone thinks since I am torn between letting him be since there aren't any issues and getting him fixed. Thanks in advance for the advice!

Hi! Here's my take on it. I actually tend to agree with your husband as long as: a) he does not have a retained testicle, b) you are responsible enough to keep him from getting loose and roaming c) he does not have any behavioral problems associated with sex hormones, and d) you are willing to deal with some of the repercussions/behaviors of having an intact male.

My puppy was neutered yesterday at the age of 10.5 months. Here is why I decided to neuter. First, he had a retained testicle. This can cause health issues down the line. I wanted to wait until he was a year old, but I have had some recent issues that made me decide to do it now. I used to send him to daycare a couple days a week and it was great for his socialization and it wore him out so I could have a life outside of exercising my puppy. After a certain age, intact males are no longer allowed. The reason is that many neutered males have never been socialized around intact males and were acting aggressively toward Dizzy. He stopped going to daycare at the age of around 7 months. I was still able to take him to the dog park to play and until recently didn't have that issue. With the last couple of weeks, I noticed a definite increase in aggression toward Dizzy, and he would no longer submit and back down. Often times, he would walk away, but the other dog would not leave him alone and it would escalate to a fight. So, although I was initially planning on waiting, I felt like the situation had changed enough that I had to reevaluate. Was it better to delay the surgery another month and a half and sacrifice exercise and social time for him, or to do it early and hope that once he has healed, he will be able to socialize again? In the end, obviously I decided that the benefits of doing it now outweighed the benefits of waiting, BUT, that was the best thing for us.

I think you just need to think about what benefit it would give your family and your dog, vs. what is typically 'done' I understand the pressure to get your dog neutered, my vet started pressuring me when he was 6 months, and of course there is pressure from other dog people. Tune them out, research the health benefits of keeping them intact and decide what you want. Are you the kind of dog owner that allows your dog to get loose and roam? If yes fix him. If you are responsible enough to make sure that he doesn't accidentally breed, and are willing to deal with the behavior of an intact male, than there is no reason to neuter. Of course, it goes without saying that it's a personal decision and you should decide what's best for your situation.