Welcome to General Chat - GAW Community Area
This General Chat area started off as a place for people to talk about things that are off topic, however it has quickly evolved into a community and has become an integral part of the GAW experience for many of us.
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Rules for General Chat
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Be respectful to each other. This is of utmost importance, and comments may be removed if deemed not respectful.
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Feel free to give feedback as these rules are expected to keep evoloving
In short, imagine this thread to be a local community hall where we all gather and chat daily. Please be respectful to others in the same way
Need advice because I trust you guys: I have a male very small dog that marks like crazy. I have hesitation about neutering him because it seems so cruel to take away his hormones. Any advice? Should I just spay him? He is 8 years old.
8 years is iffy only because the anesthesia can be harder on smaller animals. Bad news, it will not stop marking if it started, time to do some retraining, they also sell products to spray on things that act as repellents. Scold him and try to stop him in the act.
Don't wait any longer tho, if you do neuter, he s getting a bit old for surgery. Also, high possibility it will only stress him and not even work for the marking. Easiest stress-free thing for you to do? The alternatives to neutering your wee dog: You can easily buy male dog piddle bands from amazon. Goes around the body over the whizzer and has velcro up on the back to fasten it , they are not even uncomfortable. Get a few and have him wear one all day and night excepr when you take him outside. You can get disposables, or cloth ones. Careful to get right size. Here is a link of one type https://www.amazon.com/JoyDaog-Reusable-Premium-Washable-Diapers/dp/B0B68TMVDT/ref=mp_s_a_1_13?crid=11YX3PAMHT77T&keywords=piddle+diapers+tiny+male+dogs&qid=1696885461&sprefix=piddle+diapers+tiny+male+dogs%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-13
it is just..
Dog comms.
Well you are never able to spay a male dog, you neuter a male dog or spay a female. That being said there's a lot of mitigating factors whether are you worried about your dog having progeny or not. If you want a calmer dog make it so. I think though it is for your serenity and peace in your home and for your things that you would do that to your animal. Weigh the pros and cons.
I have zero interest in breeding him. The only reason I didn’t do it because I thought it’s more healthy for him to have his hormones for healthy bones and body weight.
But he is making me insane with the marking. My biggest fear is that I would get him neutered, and it never change the marking behavior.
Are there any health benefits to neutering in your dog?
Calmer for a domestic dog, look into if dogs live longer if they are neutered. My dog is a happy mutt. I think it would be just fine and not harmful to you and your pet. Especially if you want to pursue a domestic tranquil relationship. But I don't think it would hurt the dog not having the natural hormones, no. I will off topic a bit, feed you dog the cheapest fattiest ground meat for health, keep him away from grains, look up glutens, gliadens and lectens, the toxins found in most grains put in common dog foods and what it can do for your dog in the long run
Try this https://www.thewildest.com/dog-behavior/talking-training-scent-marking-home#:~:text=Train%20Your%20Dog%20to%20Stop%20Scent%20Marking&text=Never%20punish%20your%20dog%20for,Repeat.
https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/behavior/stress/ways-to-combat-your-dogs-indoor-urine-marking/