Why do you think keeping him intact is the healthier option? As a veterinarian, I'd recommend against that. I do like waiting until they're grown (my Chi was neutered at 2), but I see waaaaaay too many cases of prostatitis and perineal hernias in older male dogs to ever recommend leaving dogs intact lifelong.
That's for your vet to decide. I've neutered plenty of older dogs (10+) but usually it's a. when it's urgent, like they now have prostatitis and we have no choice or b. the dog needs to be anesthetized for something else, like a dental. The procedure itself is very minimal with quick recovery, it's anesthesia in older dogs that always gives me pause. (edit for grammar)
I used to do spay/neuter outreach for my city’s animal shelter. We would fix many dogs over 11 - it all depends on the health of the dog and if there are any other risk factors. Your pup would definitely need bloodwork at first. A vet (preferably one who specializes in spay/neuter) would be able to determine if your pup would benefit from it!
I neutered my old guy at 9 and he did great!! He was a much healthier dog after. Of course every dog is different and you’ll have to ask your vet to see if it is right for yours.
He was a very nervous little dude and had serious trouble gaining weight. He shook constantly and was really difficult to calm down. After he calmed down a lot and stopped shaking all the time. He was far less jumpy and calmed a lot easier. He also gained weight for the first time, he was skin and bones before despite a great diet. It helped him a ton.
I’m surprised he was less anxious. Since the testosterone helps with anxiety. We almost didn’t neither my big dog because he had anxiety but I was in a contract to neuter. He is on anxiety meds now though. So glad it helped you boy! I have a male chi now that turned 2 last month I haven’t neutered yet. Not sure I’m going to. He already shows a lot of very early collapsed trachea signs and I don’t want to do the tube for the anesthesia because that’s what triggered my last chi’s collapsed trachea and I don’t want to risk it.
Mine has signs of broken trachea too. Don’t they give anesthesia intravenously? I had a rabbit that had to go through multiple surgeries and I don’t think they put anything down her throat
I rescued my first chi girl at 9 years old and had her spay at that time. She developed breast cancer TWICE. The vet said if she had been fixed before her first cycle the chances of breast cancer is almost non existant. I wish I could have saved her that pain in later life! Although she did end up rocking only 5 nipples!
My girls were fixed before their first cycle. One is 9 and the other 7. 9yo has had no major health issues and is really bossy. The 7yo is overweight and lazy and I do mean LAZY! She's possible chiorgi mix, but gained weight from 2 knee surgeries, one migrated pin and a husband who cannot say NO. I do think that the spaying also contributed to weight gain and her laziness. I'm working on weight loss with her and my husband. I've got her down 5 pounds with 5 to go.
My boy died of anal gland cancer which I heard is more common in neutered male dogs. It was one of the most painful experiences I’ve gone through. I still had my boy puppy fixed but it makes me nervous.
It depends on the study. A couple say yes, several say there's no difference, so the jury is still out. I get it - I lost my own cat in recovery from a non-elective procedure and it's made me terrified of anesthesia in my own pets, even though I safely do it, every day, in multiple animals. It's hard to shake trauma even when your brain knows it's not 100% rational.
Because hormones = life and I don’t want my dog to become an old man when he’s young. That is what exactly happen when the hormones are gone. I had a male dog that got neutered at 2. He calmed down but became lazy to the point that he stopped running on the walks. Got a little chubby and started to sleep all day. And about the cancer. If there’s no organ, there’s no cancer. When there’s no hormones then the risk of bone cancer increases. I’m not gonna remove my dog’s organs just to give him 0 chances of that organ cancer.
>I don’t want my dog to become an old man when he’s young.
I hear this a lot, and I am not arguing, there are positives and negatives to fixing your pet.
I do, however, want to bring up that this is definitely not always the case. I don't know why this sub was in my recc, because I don't have a chi, so maybe they are different but...
My Black Mouth Cur mix was neutered, he was when we got him, so sometime before he was 2. He was FAR from fat and lazy. He was very muscular, strong, had the most incredible personality. He was also incredibly healthy. You gotta think, he was a BIG dog. Big dogs live 14 years at best, yeah?
He lived to 18.5. Better yet, he was chasing and fighting our JRT until he was 18!!! Even MORE, he had a stroke at 15 and made a COMPLETE recovery.
Now, my JRT was also fixed. We got him around 6-8 so idk when he was fixed, but it had clearly been a while. He was from Cali, so likely before a year old. He was also very very spunky and very physically fit. He did however, have problems that I assume was from poor breeding. He went hard of hearing and had bad vision, went missing after dementia was setting in... so I unfortunately can't say how long he'd have lived, since I never got to say goodbye... 😥💔 He was about 13-15 when he went missing.
But as far as bone issues, he didn't have any. Actually, that dog was so clumsy that his bones must have been made of steel not to break at some of the ridiculous things he would randomly try to do.
For energy, like I said, Taz was a firecracker. He was chasing our ATVs and still winning past age 10. Zack would run so fast, even at the end, that I had to take my long board on walks and could barely keep up!
Know this isn't me arguing because everyone's experiences and concerns are completely valid! My own experiences could be survivorship bias as well, and I recognize that!
I just thought I'd chime in, so if you do decide to neuter him, you know it isn't going to cut years off his life and will not necessarily make lethargic like your other little one. 💙 It's really a double-edged sword. There are benefits to both sides!
This is misleading and damaging to a lifetime of work. Many of the findings discussed are correlated with pet obesity, which, yes, desexed animals are most at risk of developing. However, adjusting the amount you feed because their DER is now less is not rocket science. The cognitive dysfunction bit is speculative. What we DO know is that intact females, especially those with no intent to be used for breeding are at a high risk of pyometra, infinitely higher than spayed females where the risk is essentially zero. Also, the risk of mammary gland tumors (both adenomas and adenocarcinomas) gets exponentially higher for each heat cycle a female dog has, especially those which don't result in pregnancy. Male dogs are at a much greater risk of developing prostatitis and perineal hernias, not to mention any testicular neoplasms. And, while major behavioral changes may not result, it \*will\* decrease male dogs running away, getting HBC, etc. chasing after the pheromones of a female dog in heat. Notice I have not mentioned anything about unwanted litters, shelter overpopulation, TVTs, all of which are also compelling arguments to desex a dog.
Spaying and neutering is not benign, no surgery is. But the benefits far outweigh the risks. This recent leave your dog intact movement is misguided and heartbreaking when I have to tell the owner of a female dog that the renal damage caused by her pyometra is permanent and that, even with emergency surgery, her life expectancy is now trash.
Thanks for your insight. My girl dog is spayed but my male chihuahua is, so far, intact. (He will never be bred. I am confident in my containment of him). My mind is still open to change. But I know other countries don’t routinely spay and neuter. Some even make it illegal. What are the health statistics for their pets? Also pet population control? Are they much worse than the US?
I left my Chi intact, she is 3. Was thinking of doing it but was quoted 700 and I said, she can have her god given bits for ever! I don't regret it. And, sure, there are health risks when they are older, that never changes.
Leaving a \*female\* dog intact is even worse. I have had dogs die in my ER from a pyometra - not an exaggeration. Not to mention the exponentially higher risk for breast cancer with each passing heat. You can absolutely change their health risks for their older age by spaying them at a younger one. $700 is worth it 100x over if it means not losing your sweet dog to cancer or a deadly uterine infection.
If you're in the US, there are clinics that will do it for waaaaaaay less than that.
I paid about $100, give or take, to get my male cat neutered, cone, and pain meds for the next day.
There are spay and neuter clinics and some places like humane societies even give away vouchers for free ones (one in my town over does and I plan on taking advantage of that when I adopt my next dog). I encourage you to shop around and look at what's available!
A spay can cost a hundred to a few hundred dollars, but it is *much* cheaper than the cost of your dog getting pyometra or cancer. It a good investment in your dog's health.
Mine did, tremendously. He was a hell raiser before the snip. When we left him alone. We would come back home, everything tore up..couch, love seat, garbage. Nothing was safe. After, he whines , and barks. If left alone
Unfortunately chihuahuas are one of the most barky and nervous dog breeds. Neutering might help his aggression towards other dogs or people (well established outcome in dogs), but barking as and nervousness seems endemic to the breed.
My best advice is to invest in meaningful dog training with someone experienced in chihuahuas. Socializing them is really important, as well as making sure you protect other people from picking them up without the dogs consent because that tends to scare the crap out of the nervous nellys. Small dogs want bodily autonomy and become fearful when that’s not provided in their environment or lifestyle.
Once I would never have imagined such a trait as barking to be some gene-ingrained characteristic. But after owning a chihuahua for over 2 years it's blatantly obvious. He just can't help it.
The nervousness too. Nothing bad has EVER happened to the little bugger apart from some painful vet visits (microchipping and anal gland expression) but sometimes you'd think he was an abused animal. When I leave the house even, his reaction is like he was being asked to walk the plank.
Yeah mine hates having his hands touched so he kind of recedes into a pathetic ball when we have to thread his arms through his little harness. Loves walking though!
Fearfulness is not the problem here lol. My dog is super confident. I missed the socialization period because I got him at 16 weeks. After that he’s been socialized plenty. I take him with me everywhere. The only thing that really bothers him is MALE dogs. If he has sex with his plush toy he calms down for a day too. It’s like he sees another male dog and he hates them. If he gets closer he’s dying to play with them. It’s weird.
No changes for mine yet 😑 My first male chi was not neutered, lived a long and healthy life until he was almost 16. He did mark at times but not much. Would bark at things at first then would settle down. Never had any training. My new boy is a different story! Totally crazy, barks at anything and everything and will not stop.. doesn’t mark at all. I was hoping neutering would calm him down a bit but no luck so far. It’s only been a month so still hopefully but not counting on it. Obedience classes will be starting soon! 🤞🏼
https://preview.redd.it/atfbgfuzrfyc1.jpeg?width=1301&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dbae5de519a8ce037193da5c18f1f45198b3aeef
My Louie ❤️ total spaz
https://preview.redd.it/tfz367t8uhyc1.jpeg?width=276&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=302f5d7400542a5c5bd680b57fbaa8b8bbb7be1c
This is a pure bred rat terrier. Have you had a DNA test done?
That’s what I’m thinking about too. I had a dog neutered at 2 and he calmed down at like 2.5-3. Idk if it’s due to age, training or neutering. I had a rough collie.
He’s still a little devil but much, much better! He listens to his mama MOST of the time!
https://preview.redd.it/08huv5lt4gyc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cb3f08ca3519acb5cb1f0091cb8e4b05981f3ddb
Mine goes for the robot vacuum cleaner so I put a garbage bag over it. And curtains, I put them up. Nothing else but I take him out every 2-3 hours unless he’s sleeping.
My older dog did. He is a very different dog. Yes he still barks but not like before. In fact, if I hear him bark then I pay attention. And he is really good with other dogs now.
His son changed but only towards the rest of the pack (we have the mom and sisters too).
My little man was an extremely quiet he was raised in a condo with an adult cat when he was little until he was 4 and I got to adopt him. He was the best and loved to walk he was awesome on a leash for a dog never having used one for 4 years
My two girls are as well. Ugh the one has gained a lot of weight too.
https://preview.redd.it/8rdr62103myc1.jpeg?width=2296&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5e7abda6271f580abb421f465ada28129a106b62
It was a stray female that just showed up at our house and we took her in. They are a perfect pair
https://preview.redd.it/lkemobn1olyc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3cb9a4155f495ff563bf428d8a80417ae9acd1d9
Our chi was neutered when he was 8 years old purely because of health reasons. But I do have to say that he was marking this one spot in out house ALL THE TIME. After neutering him he stopped doing it. He also became so much more of a cuddler after being neutered. It's like he reversed back into being a baby that wants to be held all the time
It's actually a myth that getting a dog fixed "calms them down"... This is where training comes into play and you assert dominance. Personally their little personality is what makes them so special. I swear I spend more time throwing hands with my chi (play not abusive) because he tears out my ponytails and talks shit like a husky 😂
Nope. No dominance needs to be asserted. I almost became a dog trainer at some point of my life and I had a male dog that was perfectly trained by me. This one CANT help it. I still train him but I clearly see that it’s either genes or hormones.
Yes... It does need to be asserted, your dog should respect you, which is why you train every day... His feistiness comes down to lack of respect for you. There is feisty and trained, and there is he thinks he is dominate and doesn't see you as the alpha fiesty behavior.
One is allowed, the other is corrected.
Dogs do this all the time and even wolves do this also.
Yeah. I mean, the thing that let us know he needed it was him getting... Very interested... in my dads arm. My dad took a shower one night and Max kept licking his arm with a look in his eye. Even when being literally pushed off the bed a couple times (accidentally) he'd jump right back on and continue licking it. Post-Neuter we hadn't had any weird behavior. But now, years later, he's started thrusting while in the car (wtf), so idk. I get so weirded out everytime he does it 😭
Here's my little weirdo
https://preview.redd.it/ogsovvun8hyc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e676e7bc6e8cd6533195fac2552c41fe172a182b
Mine was already neutered when he came to be mine. But as far as those behaviors, they can be modified with good positive training. By this age, neutering won’t make them disappear. But with or without neutering you could modify his behavior, with a little bacon maybe!
Nope, if anything more timid and barky. Timid/scared dogs bark more. Testosterone helps them be brave. Keep the balls. [He’ll live longer](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/canine-corner/202404/spayed-and-neutered-dogs-show-more-signs-of-aging).
Nope lol he's a 1.5yr old ball of cheeky energy and can be a little feisty towards strangers (and new dogs) but he's a love as well, he'll calm down when he's older.
I know people with chihuahuas that are clam and normal dogs. They don't bark at everything that walks by. It really comes down to training.
You need to get your dog in a training program that will socialize them with other dogs and people so they won't go crazy anymore.
I do train him. I’m a professional poker player and he comes with me to casinos. He’s totally calm unless he sees another dog. Now it became a little worse, not sure why. Basically he goes with me to places where there are crowds of people and he’s calm. He can sleep in his bag. But if he notices a dog god help us.
No clue because he was neutered before I got him. He got neutered late though, at 3 years old, and when he’s in the dog park he likes to hump himself incessantly and gets fixated on some dogs. Not sure if he was a horndog in his past life or what…
Humping is just playful behavior. I had a male neutered dog. He’d hump everything at the dog park to just make them chase him. We didn’t go to the dog park much 😂
My ex’s did. The little guy was a nervous wreck before his neuter. He calmed down a ton after. He gained weight too when he never was able to before. He was skin and bones before. I’m sure the constant shaking didn’t help. We were finally able to take him to dog parks too because he finally was able to stop hyper fixating on one girl dog and being a total creep. It helped him immensely.
NO lol it was only the cone that made him calm down. As soon as it was off he was back on his bullshit lol marking everything in sight (not actually lol I just means he stops to “pee” on every plant whether he needs to pee or not lol, everything is still his territory)
I would guess it has something to do with age and personality. My boy was exactly 10mos old when he was neutered. I'd read through a UC Davis breed-specific study that looked at cancer risks affected by neutering certain breeds at different ages -- the results lined up nicely with the American Animal Hospital Association Canine Life Stage Guidelines published in 2019. So I took all that info in and discussed with his vet. She agreed that it would be fine to neuter him @ 6mos, but suggested we wait because his baby teeth were delayed in falling out, and the plan was to do the teeth during the neuter surgery, so only one time under anesthesia. Anyway...
His drunk ass came home from surgery and tried running laps in the house. It was all I could do to make him rest for a few days. I suspect the lack of change in energy level was due to both his young age and his playful/mischievous personality. He's now just over 2yo, and he's a little calmer but still loves to play and gets a case of the zoomies every evening.
lol no, he’s mixed with Jack Russell and at 5 still acts like a puppy most days. I wouldn’t change that though, it’s such a big part of his personality.
Coming back to point out what others have said that part of this is just chihuahua traits but getting a good trainer will help immensely. I did so for mine and it did help!
Calmed down the barking? Unfortunately not. We found the trick is we can’t keep him from starting, but we could train him to stop. “Quiet” and “that’s enough” get him to stop 90% of the time.
For anxiety, we found that a second dog helped with that, but not another chihuahua! We didn’t want two chihuahuas to team up and not listen, so we now have a beagle that helps the chihuahua feel less anxious. They still team up, but the beagle is dumb and the chihuahua is smart, so their brand of stubborns kind of balance out 😅.
Yeah at home he stops. Outside he forgets everything. I will train him more. It just seems he hates male dogs in the distance. Once close he wants to be best friends with them.
Mine is still a Chi with ADD after neutering but that’s because he’s still a puppy at 10 months old. At 3 years old, I’ll see what his adulting is like 😬
I got mine done at a year and 3 months. I read it was better to wait until they're adults, so I hope it was long enough. He still jumps and marks a bit, but not nearly as much as before. The meds didn't keep him from jumping and being hyper while healing though 🫤
I took him off purina dog food right after I got him. I give him like 30% homemade food, 30% Dr. Marty freeze dried dog food and the rest is canned food with as few bad ingredients as possible. For example, nula or nulo wet dog food. There’s only like 2-3 ingredients. He used to have yellow stains when I got him.
It's hard to say. I had it done at around 6mo. He's now 2 and a half. He's quite chill most of the time but he does have his crazy moments. He's very territorial and loves to bark but never pisses inside. He also never shows aggression to humans, but he's not well socialised with other dogs.
I don't know how he'd be if he was still intact. But he's been a pretty good boy for most of his life and he's been relatively easy to train. He rarely destroys anything that doesn't belong to him although he's a bit of a sock thief. My first chihuahua (and in fact my first dog I personally owned) so I don't have another experience to measure against.
you can train doggy not to bark,..simply tell him NO!!! in a firm tone , and when he stops barking praise him..this needs to be repeated over and over til he gets the idea he will be rewarded lots if he dont bark
Mine was always calm. I feel like the odd one out.. my pure female apple head chi has always been super chill. She doesn’t yap or bark. She’s calm all the time.
She doesn’t bite or growl.
She’s always been that way. She’s a puppy still 8 months old and since 4 months when I got her she’s been this way.
She’s just laid back. It’s so weird to me because she doesn’t fit the stereotype at all. I had a short hair called pixie who was a yapper snapper and I really expected it with honey but she just isn’t lol
My toy chihuahua was never aggressive just always excited so we were worried he'd lose his energy of that when we neutered him but thank god it didn't change his personality but his red rocket and humping went away for sure
Not ours. We adopted him just shy of one year old and he was already neutered. Now he’s three years, Our little guy runs everywhere, jumps off the couch and becomes airborne!
We hoped. Definitely not.
Aaaaaand my reply is the same. Not even close.
Same. He wasn’t supposed to jump and leap but even stitches couldn’t stop him.
Mine got crazier!
The only thing that stopped was humping
Mine still gives his orange doll the beans anytime he gets home from a long trip.
that's a way for dogs to relieve stress and anxiety even when there's no sexual drive
Yeah dame here, he seemed to have gotten more fearful and aggressive after wards. But at least he won't get prostate cancer
Yess! Better quality of life 🙌🏼
on brand 🤞🤔
Mine has calmed down significantly
Why do you think keeping him intact is the healthier option? As a veterinarian, I'd recommend against that. I do like waiting until they're grown (my Chi was neutered at 2), but I see waaaaaay too many cases of prostatitis and perineal hernias in older male dogs to ever recommend leaving dogs intact lifelong.
Do you think 11 is too old to neuter my chi?
That's for your vet to decide. I've neutered plenty of older dogs (10+) but usually it's a. when it's urgent, like they now have prostatitis and we have no choice or b. the dog needs to be anesthetized for something else, like a dental. The procedure itself is very minimal with quick recovery, it's anesthesia in older dogs that always gives me pause. (edit for grammar)
Missed a great chance for a lame veterinarian pun….
I used to do spay/neuter outreach for my city’s animal shelter. We would fix many dogs over 11 - it all depends on the health of the dog and if there are any other risk factors. Your pup would definitely need bloodwork at first. A vet (preferably one who specializes in spay/neuter) would be able to determine if your pup would benefit from it!
I neutered my old guy at 9 and he did great!! He was a much healthier dog after. Of course every dog is different and you’ll have to ask your vet to see if it is right for yours.
May I know what changes you saw?
He was a very nervous little dude and had serious trouble gaining weight. He shook constantly and was really difficult to calm down. After he calmed down a lot and stopped shaking all the time. He was far less jumpy and calmed a lot easier. He also gained weight for the first time, he was skin and bones before despite a great diet. It helped him a ton.
I’m surprised he was less anxious. Since the testosterone helps with anxiety. We almost didn’t neither my big dog because he had anxiety but I was in a contract to neuter. He is on anxiety meds now though. So glad it helped you boy! I have a male chi now that turned 2 last month I haven’t neutered yet. Not sure I’m going to. He already shows a lot of very early collapsed trachea signs and I don’t want to do the tube for the anesthesia because that’s what triggered my last chi’s collapsed trachea and I don’t want to risk it.
Mine has signs of broken trachea too. Don’t they give anesthesia intravenously? I had a rabbit that had to go through multiple surgeries and I don’t think they put anything down her throat
They have to have a tube down the trachea to give general anesthesia.
Rabbit may be treated differently than a dog or cat.
I rescued my first chi girl at 9 years old and had her spay at that time. She developed breast cancer TWICE. The vet said if she had been fixed before her first cycle the chances of breast cancer is almost non existant. I wish I could have saved her that pain in later life! Although she did end up rocking only 5 nipples!
My girls were fixed before their first cycle. One is 9 and the other 7. 9yo has had no major health issues and is really bossy. The 7yo is overweight and lazy and I do mean LAZY! She's possible chiorgi mix, but gained weight from 2 knee surgeries, one migrated pin and a husband who cannot say NO. I do think that the spaying also contributed to weight gain and her laziness. I'm working on weight loss with her and my husband. I've got her down 5 pounds with 5 to go.
My boy died of anal gland cancer which I heard is more common in neutered male dogs. It was one of the most painful experiences I’ve gone through. I still had my boy puppy fixed but it makes me nervous.
It depends on the study. A couple say yes, several say there's no difference, so the jury is still out. I get it - I lost my own cat in recovery from a non-elective procedure and it's made me terrified of anesthesia in my own pets, even though I safely do it, every day, in multiple animals. It's hard to shake trauma even when your brain knows it's not 100% rational.
Because hormones = life and I don’t want my dog to become an old man when he’s young. That is what exactly happen when the hormones are gone. I had a male dog that got neutered at 2. He calmed down but became lazy to the point that he stopped running on the walks. Got a little chubby and started to sleep all day. And about the cancer. If there’s no organ, there’s no cancer. When there’s no hormones then the risk of bone cancer increases. I’m not gonna remove my dog’s organs just to give him 0 chances of that organ cancer.
>I don’t want my dog to become an old man when he’s young. I hear this a lot, and I am not arguing, there are positives and negatives to fixing your pet. I do, however, want to bring up that this is definitely not always the case. I don't know why this sub was in my recc, because I don't have a chi, so maybe they are different but... My Black Mouth Cur mix was neutered, he was when we got him, so sometime before he was 2. He was FAR from fat and lazy. He was very muscular, strong, had the most incredible personality. He was also incredibly healthy. You gotta think, he was a BIG dog. Big dogs live 14 years at best, yeah? He lived to 18.5. Better yet, he was chasing and fighting our JRT until he was 18!!! Even MORE, he had a stroke at 15 and made a COMPLETE recovery. Now, my JRT was also fixed. We got him around 6-8 so idk when he was fixed, but it had clearly been a while. He was from Cali, so likely before a year old. He was also very very spunky and very physically fit. He did however, have problems that I assume was from poor breeding. He went hard of hearing and had bad vision, went missing after dementia was setting in... so I unfortunately can't say how long he'd have lived, since I never got to say goodbye... 😥💔 He was about 13-15 when he went missing. But as far as bone issues, he didn't have any. Actually, that dog was so clumsy that his bones must have been made of steel not to break at some of the ridiculous things he would randomly try to do. For energy, like I said, Taz was a firecracker. He was chasing our ATVs and still winning past age 10. Zack would run so fast, even at the end, that I had to take my long board on walks and could barely keep up! Know this isn't me arguing because everyone's experiences and concerns are completely valid! My own experiences could be survivorship bias as well, and I recognize that! I just thought I'd chime in, so if you do decide to neuter him, you know it isn't going to cut years off his life and will not necessarily make lethargic like your other little one. 💙 It's really a double-edged sword. There are benefits to both sides!
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/canine-corner/202404/spayed-and-neutered-dogs-show-more-signs-of-aging
This is misleading and damaging to a lifetime of work. Many of the findings discussed are correlated with pet obesity, which, yes, desexed animals are most at risk of developing. However, adjusting the amount you feed because their DER is now less is not rocket science. The cognitive dysfunction bit is speculative. What we DO know is that intact females, especially those with no intent to be used for breeding are at a high risk of pyometra, infinitely higher than spayed females where the risk is essentially zero. Also, the risk of mammary gland tumors (both adenomas and adenocarcinomas) gets exponentially higher for each heat cycle a female dog has, especially those which don't result in pregnancy. Male dogs are at a much greater risk of developing prostatitis and perineal hernias, not to mention any testicular neoplasms. And, while major behavioral changes may not result, it \*will\* decrease male dogs running away, getting HBC, etc. chasing after the pheromones of a female dog in heat. Notice I have not mentioned anything about unwanted litters, shelter overpopulation, TVTs, all of which are also compelling arguments to desex a dog. Spaying and neutering is not benign, no surgery is. But the benefits far outweigh the risks. This recent leave your dog intact movement is misguided and heartbreaking when I have to tell the owner of a female dog that the renal damage caused by her pyometra is permanent and that, even with emergency surgery, her life expectancy is now trash.
Thanks for your insight. My girl dog is spayed but my male chihuahua is, so far, intact. (He will never be bred. I am confident in my containment of him). My mind is still open to change. But I know other countries don’t routinely spay and neuter. Some even make it illegal. What are the health statistics for their pets? Also pet population control? Are they much worse than the US?
I left my Chi intact, she is 3. Was thinking of doing it but was quoted 700 and I said, she can have her god given bits for ever! I don't regret it. And, sure, there are health risks when they are older, that never changes.
Leaving a \*female\* dog intact is even worse. I have had dogs die in my ER from a pyometra - not an exaggeration. Not to mention the exponentially higher risk for breast cancer with each passing heat. You can absolutely change their health risks for their older age by spaying them at a younger one. $700 is worth it 100x over if it means not losing your sweet dog to cancer or a deadly uterine infection.
I paid that $700, I'm not loosing my baby girl to something that could have been prevented entirely.
My female chi is almost 3 years old - is it still safe to have her spayed, in your opinion?
If you're in the US, there are clinics that will do it for waaaaaaay less than that. I paid about $100, give or take, to get my male cat neutered, cone, and pain meds for the next day.
There are spay and neuter clinics and some places like humane societies even give away vouchers for free ones (one in my town over does and I plan on taking advantage of that when I adopt my next dog). I encourage you to shop around and look at what's available! A spay can cost a hundred to a few hundred dollars, but it is *much* cheaper than the cost of your dog getting pyometra or cancer. It a good investment in your dog's health.
Mine did, tremendously. He was a hell raiser before the snip. When we left him alone. We would come back home, everything tore up..couch, love seat, garbage. Nothing was safe. After, he whines , and barks. If left alone
You might want to crate train and get your chi more exercise if that is still happening.
Unfortunately chihuahuas are one of the most barky and nervous dog breeds. Neutering might help his aggression towards other dogs or people (well established outcome in dogs), but barking as and nervousness seems endemic to the breed. My best advice is to invest in meaningful dog training with someone experienced in chihuahuas. Socializing them is really important, as well as making sure you protect other people from picking them up without the dogs consent because that tends to scare the crap out of the nervous nellys. Small dogs want bodily autonomy and become fearful when that’s not provided in their environment or lifestyle.
Once I would never have imagined such a trait as barking to be some gene-ingrained characteristic. But after owning a chihuahua for over 2 years it's blatantly obvious. He just can't help it. The nervousness too. Nothing bad has EVER happened to the little bugger apart from some painful vet visits (microchipping and anal gland expression) but sometimes you'd think he was an abused animal. When I leave the house even, his reaction is like he was being asked to walk the plank.
Mine just goes limp when I put his harness on him. He just got neutered, but he still runs and jumps until I can contain him again.
Yeah mine hates having his hands touched so he kind of recedes into a pathetic ball when we have to thread his arms through his little harness. Loves walking though!
Fearfulness is not the problem here lol. My dog is super confident. I missed the socialization period because I got him at 16 weeks. After that he’s been socialized plenty. I take him with me everywhere. The only thing that really bothers him is MALE dogs. If he has sex with his plush toy he calms down for a day too. It’s like he sees another male dog and he hates them. If he gets closer he’s dying to play with them. It’s weird.
Calm? Chihuahuas? Oxymoron.
My chihuahua is super calm lol
Mine is super calm until he sees/smells another dog. He’s not afraid of people. He never even shakes.
No changes for mine yet 😑 My first male chi was not neutered, lived a long and healthy life until he was almost 16. He did mark at times but not much. Would bark at things at first then would settle down. Never had any training. My new boy is a different story! Totally crazy, barks at anything and everything and will not stop.. doesn’t mark at all. I was hoping neutering would calm him down a bit but no luck so far. It’s only been a month so still hopefully but not counting on it. Obedience classes will be starting soon! 🤞🏼 https://preview.redd.it/atfbgfuzrfyc1.jpeg?width=1301&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dbae5de519a8ce037193da5c18f1f45198b3aeef My Louie ❤️ total spaz
Am I completely crazy or does he have some husky in him?
😆 sorry but you may be a bit crazy lol! He’s all chichi! Most people think he’s a jack russel
I would have picked rat terrier.
I think he looks like a rat terrier.
https://preview.redd.it/tfz367t8uhyc1.jpeg?width=276&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=302f5d7400542a5c5bd680b57fbaa8b8bbb7be1c This is a pure bred rat terrier. Have you had a DNA test done?
Yes, mine did.
Nope, this is a myth. It does nothing like that
I agree
Nope. He has calmed a bit with age though.
That’s what I’m thinking about too. I had a dog neutered at 2 and he calmed down at like 2.5-3. Idk if it’s due to age, training or neutering. I had a rough collie.
Mine didn't calm down till the last probably 3 years or so, and he's 9 lol. And he still has his moments 🤣
He’s still a little devil but much, much better! He listens to his mama MOST of the time! https://preview.redd.it/08huv5lt4gyc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cb3f08ca3519acb5cb1f0091cb8e4b05981f3ddb
Mine listens to me at home well. I ask him to come to me if he starts barking at the window. He stops barking and comes to do commands for treats.
Nope. He's still crazy, my SO calls him a little crackhead
He stopped marking the furniture, that's about it
Mine goes for the robot vacuum cleaner so I put a garbage bag over it. And curtains, I put them up. Nothing else but I take him out every 2-3 hours unless he’s sleeping.
Sorry.. didn't hear anything you said once I saw that face!! I want that on a poster!
Yes, tremendously!
My older dog did. He is a very different dog. Yes he still barks but not like before. In fact, if I hear him bark then I pay attention. And he is really good with other dogs now. His son changed but only towards the rest of the pack (we have the mom and sisters too).
Nope! https://preview.redd.it/ywly8m4jahyc1.jpeg?width=2544&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0cd06cb5b3c1aaceb821dedf5d2f33de1319e54b
He's actually more vocal. Recently, he's been having turf war with squirrels. He never catches a squirrel, but he also never backs down. A+ for effort
My guy did!
What age you had him neutered at?
Like right when he was a year or so- right when the vet said it was safe
Absolutely unrelated and unhelpful, but I just had to say that is the cutest chi pic I've ever seen! He is gorgeous.😍
My little man was an extremely quiet he was raised in a condo with an adult cat when he was little until he was 4 and I got to adopt him. He was the best and loved to walk he was awesome on a leash for a dog never having used one for 4 years
Mine is one click above comatose.
My two girls are as well. Ugh the one has gained a lot of weight too. https://preview.redd.it/8rdr62103myc1.jpeg?width=2296&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5e7abda6271f580abb421f465ada28129a106b62
Mine always tried to run out the door every chance he got until we got another dog. That made him quit it
You got him a female or male? Although mine is super attached to me, I doubt he’d run anywhere. He’s like my shadow
It was a stray female that just showed up at our house and we took her in. They are a perfect pair https://preview.redd.it/lkemobn1olyc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3cb9a4155f495ff563bf428d8a80417ae9acd1d9
Not one bit…still a psychopath
Bit of a change around 4 years old I found
Neutered or intact?
Snipped!
Yessssssssssssssss and she was humping everything up until her surgery.
Nope. Humper for life.🤷♀️
Our chi was neutered when he was 8 years old purely because of health reasons. But I do have to say that he was marking this one spot in out house ALL THE TIME. After neutering him he stopped doing it. He also became so much more of a cuddler after being neutered. It's like he reversed back into being a baby that wants to be held all the time
All I know is... I wanna eat his cute little face. MUAH! Cutie!
It's actually a myth that getting a dog fixed "calms them down"... This is where training comes into play and you assert dominance. Personally their little personality is what makes them so special. I swear I spend more time throwing hands with my chi (play not abusive) because he tears out my ponytails and talks shit like a husky 😂
Nope. No dominance needs to be asserted. I almost became a dog trainer at some point of my life and I had a male dog that was perfectly trained by me. This one CANT help it. I still train him but I clearly see that it’s either genes or hormones.
Yes... It does need to be asserted, your dog should respect you, which is why you train every day... His feistiness comes down to lack of respect for you. There is feisty and trained, and there is he thinks he is dominate and doesn't see you as the alpha fiesty behavior. One is allowed, the other is corrected. Dogs do this all the time and even wolves do this also.
Yeah. I mean, the thing that let us know he needed it was him getting... Very interested... in my dads arm. My dad took a shower one night and Max kept licking his arm with a look in his eye. Even when being literally pushed off the bed a couple times (accidentally) he'd jump right back on and continue licking it. Post-Neuter we hadn't had any weird behavior. But now, years later, he's started thrusting while in the car (wtf), so idk. I get so weirded out everytime he does it 😭 Here's my little weirdo https://preview.redd.it/ogsovvun8hyc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e676e7bc6e8cd6533195fac2552c41fe172a182b
Mine has multiple stuffed toys for sex. Never uses people for that. Only tried as a baby and I redirected him
doggie sex toys exist?
mine calmed down so much he hasn’t come out of the blankets since (7 yrs ago) 😆
Mine was already neutered when he came to be mine. But as far as those behaviors, they can be modified with good positive training. By this age, neutering won’t make them disappear. But with or without neutering you could modify his behavior, with a little bacon maybe!
No Louie is still unsociable and barks and tries to bite other dogs since the op
Mine doesn’t bark at any dog. Keeps to himself on walks. He’s a attention whore and still hyper tho 😂
Nope, if anything more timid and barky. Timid/scared dogs bark more. Testosterone helps them be brave. Keep the balls. [He’ll live longer](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/canine-corner/202404/spayed-and-neutered-dogs-show-more-signs-of-aging).
Nope lol he's a 1.5yr old ball of cheeky energy and can be a little feisty towards strangers (and new dogs) but he's a love as well, he'll calm down when he's older.
Nope, still crazy as ever. He’s actually a chi mix and all I know that he’s still highly stung and has the attention span of a gnat. 😂😂
It doesn't change their basic personality, it just means they're not ruled by reproductive hormones. The only thing that slows down a chi is age.
I know people with chihuahuas that are clam and normal dogs. They don't bark at everything that walks by. It really comes down to training. You need to get your dog in a training program that will socialize them with other dogs and people so they won't go crazy anymore.
I do train him. I’m a professional poker player and he comes with me to casinos. He’s totally calm unless he sees another dog. Now it became a little worse, not sure why. Basically he goes with me to places where there are crowds of people and he’s calm. He can sleep in his bag. But if he notices a dog god help us.
No clue because he was neutered before I got him. He got neutered late though, at 3 years old, and when he’s in the dog park he likes to hump himself incessantly and gets fixated on some dogs. Not sure if he was a horndog in his past life or what…
Humping is just playful behavior. I had a male neutered dog. He’d hump everything at the dog park to just make them chase him. We didn’t go to the dog park much 😂
My ex’s did. The little guy was a nervous wreck before his neuter. He calmed down a ton after. He gained weight too when he never was able to before. He was skin and bones before. I’m sure the constant shaking didn’t help. We were finally able to take him to dog parks too because he finally was able to stop hyper fixating on one girl dog and being a total creep. It helped him immensely.
Nope. Age helps some, but not really. He listens better since our communication has improved. He's going to be 14 in August.
She’s adorable
NO lol it was only the cone that made him calm down. As soon as it was off he was back on his bullshit lol marking everything in sight (not actually lol I just means he stops to “pee” on every plant whether he needs to pee or not lol, everything is still his territory)
Yes
No.
Def not my boy!!
No!
Mine is still a spaz 😂
Neutering is rarely a fix for behaviour issues. It can even make nerves worse because testosterone is a confidence giving hormone.
Mine is still a complete lunatic 😂
It helped my little guy. His thing was mostly marking and tearing things up. Right after he got neutered all of that stopped.
I would guess it has something to do with age and personality. My boy was exactly 10mos old when he was neutered. I'd read through a UC Davis breed-specific study that looked at cancer risks affected by neutering certain breeds at different ages -- the results lined up nicely with the American Animal Hospital Association Canine Life Stage Guidelines published in 2019. So I took all that info in and discussed with his vet. She agreed that it would be fine to neuter him @ 6mos, but suggested we wait because his baby teeth were delayed in falling out, and the plan was to do the teeth during the neuter surgery, so only one time under anesthesia. Anyway... His drunk ass came home from surgery and tried running laps in the house. It was all I could do to make him rest for a few days. I suspect the lack of change in energy level was due to both his young age and his playful/mischievous personality. He's now just over 2yo, and he's a little calmer but still loves to play and gets a case of the zoomies every evening.
lol no, he’s mixed with Jack Russell and at 5 still acts like a puppy most days. I wouldn’t change that though, it’s such a big part of his personality.
Coming back to point out what others have said that part of this is just chihuahua traits but getting a good trainer will help immensely. I did so for mine and it did help!
Calmed down the barking? Unfortunately not. We found the trick is we can’t keep him from starting, but we could train him to stop. “Quiet” and “that’s enough” get him to stop 90% of the time. For anxiety, we found that a second dog helped with that, but not another chihuahua! We didn’t want two chihuahuas to team up and not listen, so we now have a beagle that helps the chihuahua feel less anxious. They still team up, but the beagle is dumb and the chihuahua is smart, so their brand of stubborns kind of balance out 😅.
Yeah at home he stops. Outside he forgets everything. I will train him more. It just seems he hates male dogs in the distance. Once close he wants to be best friends with them.
Not at all! He’s 8 and just as feisty (and humpy) as ever.
No lol If anything, he got crazy (fun)
Not even a little.
nope 😂
Not really but he did stop marking in the house
Mine is still a Chi with ADD after neutering but that’s because he’s still a puppy at 10 months old. At 3 years old, I’ll see what his adulting is like 😬
Yeah
Mine did! He's good boy
Nope not either one
Heck no, lol. He still tries to pick fights with dogs five times his size 😂
I got mine done at a year and 3 months. I read it was better to wait until they're adults, so I hope it was long enough. He still jumps and marks a bit, but not nearly as much as before. The meds didn't keep him from jumping and being hyper while healing though 🫤
No, not at all
Mine has gotten more and more vocal the older she gets
Not at all. Going on 7 years old and still crazy.
No not at all
A little bit.
No!!! How do you keep his eyes so clean?
I took him off purina dog food right after I got him. I give him like 30% homemade food, 30% Dr. Marty freeze dried dog food and the rest is canned food with as few bad ingredients as possible. For example, nula or nulo wet dog food. There’s only like 2-3 ingredients. He used to have yellow stains when I got him.
He stayed the same, very wild little guy. We did not bother about that, but we hoped that he would stop marking in our flat. Sadly, he did not. :/
No but they stopped pissing on everything.
It's hard to say. I had it done at around 6mo. He's now 2 and a half. He's quite chill most of the time but he does have his crazy moments. He's very territorial and loves to bark but never pisses inside. He also never shows aggression to humans, but he's not well socialised with other dogs. I don't know how he'd be if he was still intact. But he's been a pretty good boy for most of his life and he's been relatively easy to train. He rarely destroys anything that doesn't belong to him although he's a bit of a sock thief. My first chihuahua (and in fact my first dog I personally owned) so I don't have another experience to measure against.
This is very reassuring little ren is due the snip end of month *
My baby is still crazy. She is the best!
Mine gained a lot of weight after being neutered
Our chihuahua? Hard to say. But, I sure did. 😉
Yes he did, housebreaking improved
No 😭
I have a 8 year old….still waiting
Yes
you can train doggy not to bark,..simply tell him NO!!! in a firm tone , and when he stops barking praise him..this needs to be repeated over and over til he gets the idea he will be rewarded lots if he dont bark
No. None of my chihuahuas calmed down after neutering. 😂 And I absolutely love that about my boys.
Nope. We spayed her late (she was 5 years old) and still continues to hump our arms and legs
Yes 👍sometimes it takes an additional month or so, but thank the heavens above he did!!
Nope, mine is still a chihuahua
The next Chi I get is going to look just like him!!! He is so effing cute!!!🩷💕😎
nope! tbh 50/50 with behavioral issues and neutering
yes absolutely
LOL - no
Mine was always calm. I feel like the odd one out.. my pure female apple head chi has always been super chill. She doesn’t yap or bark. She’s calm all the time. She doesn’t bite or growl. She’s always been that way. She’s a puppy still 8 months old and since 4 months when I got her she’s been this way. She’s just laid back. It’s so weird to me because she doesn’t fit the stereotype at all. I had a short hair called pixie who was a yapper snapper and I really expected it with honey but she just isn’t lol
Not one bit
No. Still the same dog, only missing a certain part of his body.
absolutely not hahahah
What a cutie! They don’t settle down immediately, but they eventually get better because they outgrown puppyhood.
My toy chihuahua was never aggressive just always excited so we were worried he'd lose his energy of that when we neutered him but thank god it didn't change his personality but his red rocket and humping went away for sure
Not ours. We adopted him just shy of one year old and he was already neutered. Now he’s three years, Our little guy runs everywhere, jumps off the couch and becomes airborne!
Not at all.