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[Mistake]

Recently my roommate has decided to give her dog the snip. She has a couple of dogs, but this one clearly has a lot of energy and practically skates through the kitchen when it's time to go out. Thing is though, I never see her taking him for long walks or anything, and the yard isn't best to sprint around. I kind of feel bad for the guy, so this seems like a drastic option. I mean, if I were stuck in a house, I wouldn't want mine getting cut off.

But I've never had my own dog, so it's not really my call to make. A few friends of mine have, some with a snip, some not. All fine, so I have no idea. My general thinking is that surgery for an unwanted behavior is serious thing to do. People were declawing cats for a long time for similar reasons, but now they're against that. What do you think?

 

[poppabk]

I only ever get rescues and they come without balls so I've never had to actively choose to do it.

 

[AJUMP23]

I think it is a good idea to Spay your dogs. All you pets.

 

[GymWolf]

I would only cut the balls for something health related like i did with my past dog, not to change their personality.

My past dog also got incredibly hungry after the snip.

 

[mitch1971]

Wouldn't it be better the talk to your roommate about your concerns for the dog, seeing as you have more chance of changing their mind than us who don't know them?

 

[Mistake]

Wouldn't it be better the talk to your roommate about your concerns for the dog, seeing as you have more chance of changing their mind than us who don't know them?

It's more a general question because I'm curious. Also not my dog. If it were I'd take it for plenty of walks and then consider. Like what if I did everything and he was still bouncing off the walls, that'd stress me out for sure

 

[jason10mm]

My yorky/maltese blend did not change after the snip (when he was about a year old). I've seen female dogs that go through a litter or even heat can have pretty different personalities versus bitches (yay, a chance to use the word correctly!!) that were fixed before their first heat. But for boy dogs I don't know that it does much. They still pee where they shouldn't and hump shit.

 

[ResilientBanana]

It's the way to go for many reasons. It's not all about humping as much as it is about the dog marking literally everything. It has little to do with energy levels, if at all. So that's an odd reason.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

I pet sit for a dog with balls. the craziest mofo I've ever encountered. cut that shit off and stop pissing all over my house!

 

[German Hops]

Can we spay P Diddy?

 

[mitch1971]

Like what if I did everything and he was still bouncing off the walls, that'd stress me out for sure

Then unfortunately that's the temperament of the dog. Ball cutting doesn't guarantee a change in behavior. Our little rascal had his nuts nipped because my Mother thought it would stop his hyper activity. Did nothing of the sort. Luck of the draw.

 

[Blade2.0]

i've gotten all of my cats neutered/spayed.

 

[cash_longfellow]

 

[ShadowNate]

My city has a huge stray dog issue and the one animal shelter is over-capacity.

My dog was a rescue and it was a condition in the adoption paperwork that she should be spayed, after a certain age. Since she is my first dog, and I was not very informed on the stray dogs issues or the potential health issues (if she became pregnant or got some cancer related to her reproductive system), I wasn't a big fan of putting her through this.

And I was really worried when she eventually had the procedure. I pretty much panicked when I saw her motionless due to the sedative, and afterwards was very distressed watching her slowly recover from the sedation.

But, these days (years later), I don't regret it a bit. In our daily walks we've met many stray and adopted dogs and since have seen or leant of cases of dogs that died carrying a pregnancy to term, dozens of puppies that got abandoned by owners that could not handle the responsibility, and subsequently died or live in harsh conditions on the streets.

And the few times my dog had her cycle, before being spayed, it was a nightmare going for a walk -- even without her, since the smell or maybe pheromones(?) would attach to me and male dogs would go crazy around me. Male dogs would also climb fences or dig holes underneath to enter the yard every time she was out playing there during that time. And they would get into bad fights among each other.

My dog thankfully kept her lively character after the operation but I do have to watch her diet more closely since she has taken a couple of kg since (I know of cases where the dog took about 10 kg more).

 

[SirTerry-T]

People de-claw their cats? Is that a USA thing? You guys need to stop that, along with that ear mutilation that some dog breeds have done...

 

[Mistake]

People de-claw their cats? Is that a USA thing? You guys need to stop that, along with that ear mutilation that some breeds have done...

It used to be common here, but not so much anymore. People thought it was a good idea so they wouldn't scratch furniture, but a bunch of studies came out showing it's quite harmful.

Another reason I ask is because my family house is in the countryside, so I might have to consider this in the future if I want a dog

 

[diffusionx]

People de-claw their cats? Is that a USA thing? You guys need to stop that, along with that ear mutilation that some breeds have done...

Declawing is a brutal surgery, you're amputating the cat's paw at each toe. It'd be like cutting the tips of a person's fingers to the first knuckle. Nobody should do that. If you can't handle a cat scratching your shit, don't get a cat.

 

[BlackTron]

Declawing is a brutal surgery, you're amputating the cat's paw at each toe. It'd be like cutting the tips of a person's fingers to the first knuckle. Nobody should do that. If you can't handle a cat scratching your shit, don't get a cat.

Yeah decades ago my dad decided to have a cat declawed. I just accepted at face value that it was great to have a solution for having a cat without scratching everything.

Then when the cat came home and I saw its reaction to interacting with the world for the first time after the surgery, it was pretty disturbing. It had a similar reaction as a person would waking up with their fingers gone and trying to grab something. Complete shock that it didn't work and looking at your hands in a panic.

 

[Mistake]

Yeah decades ago my dad decided to have a cat declawed. I just accepted at face value that it was great to have a solution for having a cat without scratching everything.

Then when the cat came home and I saw its reaction to interacting with the world for the first time after the surgery, it was pretty disturbing. It had a similar reaction as a person would waking up with their fingers gone and trying to grab something. Complete shock that it didn't work and looking at your hands in a panic.

My last family cat was declawed because he scratched my face when I was little and my mother freaked out. I said no to it then, but she insisted. Great cat, but now no one in my family will do it again

 

[Putonahappyface]

People de-claw their cats? Is that a USA thing? You guys need to stop that, along with that ear mutilation that some dog breeds have done...

Ear cropping and tail docking is abhorrent and unnecessary yet happens in the UK. Cat declawing is also cruel and unnecessary and to my knowledge doesn't happen in the UK.

Cutting the tip of a cats claw is perfectly safe and doesn't hurt them at all. A vet showed me first just to be on the safe side.

 

[EverydayBeast]

 

[Portugeezer]

If you're worried about your dog escaping to fuck some bitches, then do it.

To stay at home, it's kinda pointless, besides giving the owner some peace of mind "just in case".

 

[Garibaldi]

I got our male Rottweiler done when he was about 2 and a half. He didn't particularly need it done, but we decided as a family that we didn't want him to be a stud and after some research it would probably keep his temperament where it was as he aged. Which was what the other half mainly wanted, with him being around the kids and all and being a large breed.

He's nearly three now and so far so good. He's finished his growth (51kg) and shows no ill effects. Just a spot on dude who monopolises the space around his mam no matters how much I tell him to let me have a go. He's a proper ladies man.

 

[Thaedolus]

Dog is fixed because I wasn’t gonna deal with dog periods/diapers. Cat is fixed because it’s the responsible thing to do with him able to come and go through the dog door as he pleases. Didn’t even consider declawing him, we bought a scratch pole and those cardboard things you put cat nip on and he’s fine with that. Plus, he’d be defenseless outside. Don’t do that to cats

 

[Cyberpunkd]

Cutting the tip of a cats claw is perfectly safe and doesn't hurt them at all. A vet showed me first just to be on the safe side.

Yes, you should do it regularly. We have a cat scratcher but it is not enough, she needs her claws trimmed each 2-3 weeks.

 

[Mr Reasonable]

Yes, you should do it regularly.

Totally unnecessary in my experience, but we have scratchers in 3 rooms so our cat has options and never scratches furniture, etc as a result.

 

[BlackTron]

Totally unnecessary in my experience, but we have scratchers in 3 rooms so our cat has options and never scratches furniture, etc as a result.

I'm fascinated by this. I had numerous cats growing up and random ones in the family as time went on. Not once in my life did I ever see a cat give a shit about a scratching post other than on the package in the store. They all liked sofas wayyy better.

Maybe the catnip thing is a newer idea that would have worked lol

 

[Putonahappyface]

My two little guys love their scratching posts, but it turns there claws into surgical instruments so they still need cutting every two weeks.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

I'm fascinated by this. I had numerous cats growing up and random ones in the family as time went on. Not once in my life did I ever see a cat give a shit about a scratching post other than on the package in the store. They all liked sofas wayyy better.

Maybe the catnip thing is a newer idea that would have worked lol

Catnip doesn't work on ours at all lol

 

[Saiyan-Rox]

This is a common misconception with people that Neutering/spaying a dog will quiet them down when that's not usually the case at all.

What breed is the dog OP?

 

[Mr Reasonable]

I'm fascinated by this. I had numerous cats growing up and random ones in the family as time went on. Not once in my life did I ever see a cat give a shit about a scratching post other than on the package in the store. They all liked sofas wayyy better.

Maybe the catnip thing is a newer idea that would have worked lol

We have one which is like a post, tbh, she doesn't use that much that I see, but you can see it's getting worn/frayed. The ones our cat likes most are the corrugated cardboard types. Her favourite one is like this:

https://amzn.eu/d/dkQee0e

We've been through a few of them.

 

[BlackTron]

Catnip doesn't work on ours at all lol

"dude if u think some nip will make me give a shit about ur dumb post thing ur on drugs"

Spoiler

 

[Maiden Voyage]

I get my dogs from the local animal shelter / humane society and they do the snipping for me. But I’m pro neuter / spay anyway.

if your dog not having balls bothers you, boy do I have a product for you

Home

Neuticles has provided proven, humane solutions for pets, their caring owners, and veterinarians for over a quarter century.

neuticles.com

 

[Yamisan]

Fixing a dog isn't going to effect their energy at all.

 

[KaiserBecks]

You don’t need to cut off the balls immediately. The vet can implant a hormone chip, the effect lasts 7 or 9 months afaik, then it dissolves and things go back to normal. Enough time to see if it would have an effect.

 

[SirTerry-T]

Our cats love these, cheapish too.

 

[Rran]

My cat completely ignores the scratching post and cardboard things and goes straight for the couch. Thankfully, he knows better than to scratch my kids.

 

[Mistake]

My cat completely ignores the scratching post and cardboard things and goes straight for the couch. Thankfully, he knows better than to scratch my kids.

Try different rugs, like door mats. Sometimes they're just picky. My mother's cat uses hers all the time. Still goes after the couch though, just not as much

 

[Humdinger]

Yup. Unless you plan to breed him, and you know in advance that you can place the puppies with good owners it's the responsible thing to do. There are waaaay too many unwanted dogs out there, crowding the shelters, euthanized. This is where most of they come from. Save lives, spay/neuter your pets.

 

[Trogdor1123]

I only have female dogs and I got them fixed. We had a big discussion with 2 different vets and our trainers about it. There are benefits to both approaches but the long term health was in favour of the snip. I had no idea.

Might be different for males but my buddy got his done and it stopped him from wanting to run away as much and he pisses on less stuff too. Could easily be unrelated but interesting none the less. Also, humps less stuff so he was happy about that. Still has the same energy to play though which is great as he brings his dog over all the time and the dogs have a great time.

 

[Mistake]

This is a common misconception with people that Neutering/spaying a dog will quiet them down when that's not usually the case at all.

What breed is the dog OP?

Fixing a dog isn't going to effect their energy at all.

I don't know the breed, but it's a decent sized black dog.

Update: It's been a few weeks and my roommate was bursting into tears next door because the dog hasn't changed at all. So....congrats on the animal abuse I guess? You guys were right, at 6 years old it's probably just his personality at this point, but we'll see for sure in two more weeks

 

[Saiyan-Rox]

I don't know the breed, but it's a decent sized black dog.

Update: It's been a few weeks and my roommate was bursting into tears next door because the dog hasn't changed at all. So....congrats on the animal abuse I guess? You guys were right, at 6 years old it's probably just his personality at this point, but we'll see for sure in two more weeks

It's not a border Collie is it? Cause if so major L. They're one of the top breads that are abandoned/given up because people don't realise they're working dogs and have so much fricken energy and need to be worked!

You can let them know that at best what they've done is allow the dog to live longer you can certainly still train the dog at this point but I'd get a certified trainer as it's going to be tough.

 

[RoboFu]

Neutering your dog won't change their behavior much. But it's still a good idea. All the idiots who think they " know " their dog are always so surprised when the dog acts like a dog and does something really bad. Like this guy near me who used to run with his dogs off leash all the time until they ran into a yard an killed another dog. Now all tree dogs are dead.

 

[clarky]

My 2 are balls on.

I had boxers before and had their balls off, one put a shit ton of weight on and just wasn't the same dog afterwards. Swore I would not do it again.

Mine are 5 & 6 now and can get a little aggy from time to time but with a solid regular exercise regime and training, touch wood I have not had any problems (so far).

Don't think Boris would speak to me again if i took his balls lol:

 

[Draugoth]

Stray Cats and Dogs are a huge issue thay could be avoided if they were neutered.

The only pet that really doesnt need to be neutered are birds.

 

[BadBurger]

My wife had our old beagle neutered without asking me. It felt weird not being consulted about it.

But the little guy didn't change any that I could tell.

 

[Saiyan-Rox]

Fwiw neutering especially for Males also increases lifespan due to cutting the chances of cancer down.

So if you're never gonna let your pup breed it's definitely recommend to get it done. I have no experience or knowledge on if Spaying has the same kind of effect but I'd assume so.

Plus the abandoned dog rate is insane already and honestly it breaks my heart seeing it.