Should alaskan malamute be neutered

pjwhite99

hello

I have an alaskan malamute, if I neuter him will it change any thing about him?

Hooked

pjwhite99 wrote: »

hello

I have an alaskan malamute, if I neuter him will it change any thing about him?

There's no 'quick', black and white answer to that. Sorry.

If you search this forum under 'neuter' you'll find a lot of info on it.

My short answer would be... I'm all for neutering. If both testes are present in the scrotum, its a pretty simple operation. Though, like any - anesthesia comes with risks. If one or both are missing, it's a completely different op. We've been through it with our Husky.

A dog won't 'miss' his jewels. Many men make the correlation between losing theirs. It ain't the same.

It's not always a 'quick fix' for misbehaving dogs. Is this a factor in you deciding? And I wouldn't personally put a dog under 18 moths thru it. I'd want him fully grown and developed first.

It will of course have the responsible result of the dog not being able to, or wanting to, stray to mate with a bitch in heat. And Mals, like huskies, love to escape. And no testicles = no testicular cancer to worry about.

How old is he OP. And is his behaviour prompting you think about it?

mel.b

I have a Mal who is now 14.5mths old. I got him neutered at about 10.5mths of age and have noticed no change in his behaviour. He's still the same relaxed, chilled out dog he was before hand.

kylith

It will protect from testicular cancer, stop him from wanting to mate, reduce his desire to roam, and may reduce his aggression toward other males. It will not make him fat, lazy, or change his personality.

Knine

I'm in the opposite camp. I would not get a male neutered unless for a severe temperament or medical issue. It can affect the coat & working drive.

I prefer the appearance of entire males - more muscle mass, fab coats especially in coated breeds.

I have has many male dogs. None died of testicular cancer. They don't mark in the house & get on great with other dogs. I'm just back from a weekend of shows. We had 7 entire males playing in the field together.

Its your call, with regards a malamute, i really dont think you will get much of a change to be honest. Other dogs can change but its all depending on the dog.
I hate hearing "it will protect them from testicular cancer" Of course it does :rolleyes:

ihatewinter

All of our working dogs are neutered, both female and male. I have never seen a difference in drive or coat. If the dog is for showing, then it may change characteristics. If not I would neuter, saves trying to keep a male dog in if they smell a bitch in heat.

Kline, out of curiosity, what type of breed do you show. Thanks

Knine

I show terriers & gundogs & handle other breeds too. I see a lot of show Mals & there is a coat difference. Also muscle tone.

Mine don't get out to chase bitches & I have both sexes here.

fatmammycat

OP, unless there was a seriously good medical reason, I wouldn't neuter my dog either. I've a 2 year old intact male GSD, doesn't mark the house, is easy going with other dogs, easy to train and has a very masculine face and body (no fat and a lot of muscle starting to develop, great coat too). So unless you're worried about something in particular, I wouldn't.

Niamho!

Every dog is different so nobody can advise you one way or another.

I have a Mal who was spayed in April of last year and the reason I came on here tonight was actually because I'm at my wits end with her sensitivity since her operation. it's getting worse lately. she's very easily frightened. Yelping out for RIDICULOUS reasons... But that's down to my personal experience with MY dog.

I will also add that we didn't get her done til' she was 4 and it made very little difference to her personality and energy levels in any other way apart from that one thing.

sovereign121

Hello OP. I do not know how helpful this will be but I have a male alaskan malamute who was 1 on June 29th. We decided to get him neutered in march as we found in his 'adolescence' he was getting quite unruly and even managed to brake through our 6ft wooden fence and made ****e out of the boxer next door. I have since reinforced the fence and since getting him fixed he calmed down hugely. He has numerous vet check ups since and he is now 35kg and a fine placid dog although that required alot of training too but I would recommend neutering both for future health benefits and for calming them if they do appear to be getting quite excitable. Just my 2 cents worth

Madisonmenece

Hey Folks,

we are also considering to neuter our male malamute and unsure if we should or not.

He is 19 months old and big affectioned teddy, he can be very excitable by livestock, horses and people on bikes (don't know why). He is not tolerant of most male dogs but will calm down once around certain male dogs for a while and realizes they are not a threat, however some he just dislikes and thats that.

we held off because we wanted him to develop fully and to reduce chances of bone cancer and becoming a leggy dog which can increase the chances of cruciate tear

Reasons why we would not neuter : we never have them off the lead or free roaming, our female dog is spayed, we did show for a while where he was graded excellent every time & comes from great lines, could develop a poor coat, may not do anything for male/male aggression, for such big dog he is a sensitive sole (gets really lonely on his own) could make it worse.

reasons why we would: he would not be sexually frustrated, no pinning every time a female is in heat in the area, would not develop prostate cancer, might improve male dog aggression, might not pull your arm off to go and pee on that exact blade of grass on the otherside of the road.

what other pros/cons are there and what changes have you seen in your male after neutering both physical & mental/personality

here's he is:


thanks
col

mel.b

He's a gorgeous boy

I got my mal neutered at about 10mths, he's now going on for 17mths. I haven't noticed any difference in his growth, coat, personality etc. it is a breed trait for mals not to get along with other dogs of the same sex, neutering isn't going to help that.

I got Cooper neutered because i believe in it. I was never going to show him and no matter how secure I think my yard may be, i didn't want him to be responsible for an unwanted litter. Not only that, but Mal's are not known for having good road sense and i am close to a busy fast road & farm land and i would never forgive myself if he escaped in order to try & get to a female and was killed on the road or got into a paddock and was killed by a farmer, or even if he just caught someone's cat.

Day Lewin

@Madisonmenece -- that is a fabulously beautiful dog!!

Madisonmenece

thanks mel.b & katemarch

we will likely go ahead an neuter, I would be hoping that it would calm him somewhat but mainly to reduce is urge to mate.

thanks
col