NEUTER QUESTION!!!

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

Hey guys! i have a question.. i have a 6 month old goldendoodle puppy.. i have posted before about his mouthing issues and nipping my husband and i. my husband wanted to wait to neuter him until about 1 year old.. because he heard it can stunt his growth and the size of his head. but this mouthing thing is driving us crazy! does neutering a puppy calm them down a little? is that really true? what was your personal experiance? thanks xoxo  

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

lol thank u! that gives me some hope tho...im like i got a goldendoodle because i thought they were all about pure love..and here i have a shark..aliigator..pitbull in a goldendoodles body! lol.. he can be very sweet...but a lot of the time he has his open mouth glued to my arms and hands..lol i always tell him he is a  "rotten apple" lol but i dont mean it.. i just hope one day he is the mushball id always wanted!! :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

How old was your puppy when you got him?

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

he was 7 1/2 weeks old..

[Gail and Bailey]

Try getting him a split antler.  That will keep him busy for a lot longer than a bully stick.  Does he ever get to play with other dogs....or run off leash at a fenced park?

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

thank u i have heard about the antlers..they are soo expensive..where do u get urs? he chews through EVERYTHING..bones i mean.. i have gotten him the nylabone for POWERFUL teethers and he chewed a chunk off and threw up!! SO  i need something new and safe for him to chew and let out frustration! lol he does go on walks with my moms 3 dogs..and puppy obedience.. and to the dog run also :)

[Gail and Bailey]

I get antlers from www.adkantlers.com .  If you use the coupon code dogdays you will get a 15% discount.

I suggest a split elk antler.  A dog will slowly wear the antler down and they are safe to ingest.

[Lynda Kamrath]

I think the mouthiness and nipping is pretty normal for a puppy that age.  Neutering is not going to change anything.  It apparently does not stunt their growth as my goldendoodle is 30 inches tall and was neutered before I even got him.

[Doris]

bodi was 2 when we adopted him.  Three weeks later he had his surgery.  Nipping ended, crazyness ended.  I had people tell me NOT to adopt him because he was so hyper.  After surgery he was and is a love-bug!

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

WHAT A RELIEF!!! PRAY FOR THE SAME FOR MIDAS! LOL

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Neuter-I was one of the ones who choose to wait it out as long as I could. My beliefs are that hormones are needed for good bone development and that applies to dogs too.   My husband agreed with my philosophy ( but I think he would have neutered sooner) but did not have that problem so many males do~ Testicular sympathy.   Just my observation, but for those male dogs who are not neutered, the owners seem to be male and state, " That is cruel and unusual punishment"  Again, that has been my experience so I tend to think that human males have a problem with this practice.  Just my thoughts when I see intact males at the age of 3.  I'm not saying this is your husband thoughts, as I have no idea what they are beyond what you mentioned here, but I do think males DELAY neutering for as long as can. OWW comes to mind  :)

Spud was almost 9 months when he was neutered. I would have waited the year, but he began to mark humans.  Human strangers in public.  He did it this summer too.  Once. Egh!  

I think if you can reach that fine point just BEFORE a  habit begins the better off you are. But, where it that fine line?   He still remained a puppy, with puppy behaviors, still needed an enormous amount of exercise, but it really improved his overall ..... attitude I guess you would call it.  It improved our attitude too.  Neuter is our friend.

Exercise- I think I have one of the more energetic doodles around here.  Our practice at this age was to exercise as soon as the behavior began.  Walking made NOT ONE DENT in his personality.  After three miles, I came home tired and he was ready to go.  Walking, for Spud, was only mental stimulation. Which isn't a bad thing, and it helps with socialization,  but it did not tire him. EVER. 

We found, by taking a Chuck It Launcher OR a Frisbee outside and running him for 15 or 20 mins, every hour worked.  Each hour, it became less and less as the evening wore on. 

We still run the dog many times a day and he is almost four.  A good ten minute, fast game of retrieve, and he is a wonderful dog. 

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

thank u! this was very helpful!! my husband just wants Midas to be the biggest doodle lol.. but we are neutering him when he will be 8 months on november 30th because that is the soonest my vet had open.. i know he will still be energetic and thats fine by me..but the nipping HAS to stop and im hoping the neuter just calms him down a little bit.. not expecting a miracle..but anything would help! hehe and we play frisbee alot too and MIdas loves it! :)

[Jen, Lachlan, and Declan]

I just wanna say, Joanne, Testicular sympathy ... LMDO, perfect!!!

Back when I was grooming/training full time I had these conversations with guys weekly, if not daily. I used to ask them to exercise their imaginations for a moment and think about what it might feel like to ... run through the shrubbery with them hanging loose ... lay down on a hot sidewalk (does the phrase "fried eggs" mean anything?) ... have to walk through the snow with their precious bits dangling down into it ... *naughty evil grin*