Pressure from dog walker to neuter

[zd262]

I've been thinking a lot about it over the past day or so, and I really am not ready to neuter him. I'm going to let her know that and then it's up to her how she wants to proceed.

Thank you everyone for your advice and support!

[Maxx&Emma]

Good for you! I am glad you are not compromising to make anyone else happy. YOU are the only advocate for your dog and his health!

[JenC]

The problem isn't the intact dog coming across an intact female for an unwanted litter. The problem is that neutered dogs don't usually know what to do with themselves when they smell a dog with all the right hormones. Many dog park dogs are usually not well-trained and are owned by folks with their heads up their butts.

You have the right to wait on the neutering. And the dog walker has the right to stop offering her services until your dog is fixed. Many folks with intact dogs can't use the services of doggy day care facilities or even just board their dogs in regular boarding places. It's part of the stigma of an intact dog.

I highly doubt 6 months at this point is going to make too much of a difference in the development of your dog IF you decide that the outings your dog gets are important. That's YOUR choice. You waited a year, that's more than many people do, you've given your dog a great gift by letting his hormones help his development. But fixing him now probably won't be a detriment to him either. Many dogs are still getting fixed at 6 months even though we now know better and they are fine.

So in the end, it's YOUR choice. I wouldn't let the dog walker sway me if I was set on leaving the dog intact for 6 more months. But if I felt the time out of the house while you are at work was very important to the well-being of the dog, fixing him now really won't be that big of a deal.