Thank you so much for all the info. This is very helpful. Toby was so easy to potty train mainly because of the dog door. He hasn't potty in our home in months! This new "boy" thing is really scary LOL I will try the vinegar if he tries it again. I really try to keep a close eye on him. He is gated in only 1 living room in our home and has his playpen with crate in it too. With my daughters home though we were there for 10 min to pick up something and I let my eyes drift away..UGH!
We will see what happens as far at the age we neuter. If he can't mind his manners then we will have to go forward.
Becky
Hi Becky,
personally I don't think you can blame marking behaviours entirely on him still being intact. Charlie will try to mark if we go to someones house who has a dog and he was neutered 16 months ago.
Its just what they do, balls or no balls, get him a belly band when you visit friends and he wont be able to pee on anything while you are there. Shannon makes and sells them I beleive.
You cant leave them on for too long but as long as you offer him potty breaks outside every now and again he will be fine.
The things to consider with early neuter vs late neuter are much more to do with character, maturity and growth.
I rescued Charlie at 9 months, he wasn't done at this point and he was still a very immature dog, very underweight, had no muscle mass at all and was a very unconfident little boy.
Yes I had to put up with the humping an so did poor Ruby, and the marking and peeing in the house but for that I just crated him when I couldnt supervise him.
I let him get to 16 months before he was done and my desision was mainly due to finding out about his grade 6 heart murmor and we co-insided the Op with his full heart work up, Xrays, Ultrasounds and blood tests all while he was under GA.
I wanted to get it done while he was still young/healthy enough to cope with a GA. If it wasnt for his heart defect I would have waited until he was 2 years easily as he still had some growing to do.
Ruby wasn't spayed until 20 months either- by this time she had gone through adolesence and settled in to her personality and calmed down alot. Her coat was fully grown and she had done all her growing and filling out.
Another important thing to consider is coat-- many people experience a massive change in their dogs coat after neutering. Rubys changed dramatically- went lighter, wavey and shorter.
Charlies coat also just wont grow anymore than it has- he has hardly any feathering, no slippers at all and when he has to be shaved for his Ultrasounds it takes months and months to grow back, it is short and wavey also!
I do agree with others when they say to wait until maturity- I just feel they need their hormones during adolecence to become balanced and confident in later life.
Try and bare with the little annoying things for the good of your dogs!