Help settle a point of disagreemnt for me...

[Ophidiophile]

NEUTER YOUR DOG.

People will spout off about the metabolism slowing, the weight gain, the 'lazyness'...but a dog's metabolism slows down when it reaches adulthood. Thus, you are supposed to reduce their food intake accordingly in order to keep your dog on a *healthy weight*...many people free feed their dog, or continue to feed them the same amount they were devouring as growing puppies, hence the weight gain! Weight gain is most often at the hands of the owner, NOT the sterilization procedure.

A few reasons why you SHOULD neuter:

CANCER. Thats a big one. Particularly in rare, pure-bred dogs--they are more prone to it, their gene pool is shallower. Now yours is cross bred, but the bully breeds are ones in which cancer can be found most regularly. It will be healthier for your dog.

Also, it will make your dog more accepting of others entering your home 'pack'...and likewise make your other dogs more accepting of it. You're right about the breeding part, your dog will be more biddable, more trainable, when its not focusing on the :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r: in heat down the road.

You need not worry about the protective drive being diminished...if the dog was bred for protection you can rest assured he will prolly be doing what he was bred for...if dogs only worked because they weren't fixed, we'd be swimming in puppies. This also prevents any accidental litters, your dog will be less likely to roam, and run away.

[catawhat75]

Jo, there are alot of great points here on why you should neuter. Unless you plan on breeding him and he is of outstanding stock, I BEG of you to PLEASE neuter him. Non neutered males have a much higher risk of being aggressive, of having housebreaking issues, they will mark INSIDE. You may say that he won't get out but TRUST ME, if there is a female in heat nearby, he will try his best!
I have two very large dogs, 90 lbs and 120 lbs. Both are wonderful dogs and great watchdogs. No one in their right mind would come in my home without being asked in. Having them fixed did not change their instincts or personality one bit. Would having a vasectomy or having your tubes tied change who you are?

As for his age, he is not too old. While there is pediatric spay/neuter, alot of thought is to still let the animal reach almost full grown/full grown, especially when it comes to large breed dogs.

Oh and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE have him fixed

[frankykeno]

Sarah, I never even thought about the cancer aspect especially as it relates to rare breed dogs like Tosa's. Granted he is cross bred but still I never thought of the concern about a relatively shallow gene pool. I've done quite a bit of research into this breed over the past couple of days and was amazed at what happened to this breed in Japan during the WWII years.

You've all certainly given me and Mike lots to think about. I just happened to meet one of our neighbours and funny how things work out, her oldest daughter is a vet tech here in Toledo. I have her daughter's name and the clinic name. Her daughter keeps pitbulls and the neighbour did mention they are fixed and are very effective watchdogs.

[frankykeno]

Just to let everyone know, Marrok's got an appointment with our vet clinic to be neutered on the 23rd. Thank you everyone for your posts that helped settle our minds on this issue.

[SatanicIntention]

That's awesome Jo

You will not notice a difference other than his appetite may pick up. Intact males are generally leaner because of the added stress of being intact. It burns calories being so intent on looking for females, even if he looks like he's not.

I also have never noticed a difference in dogs neutered at 5-6 months and dogs neutered later in life. They all grow to their full potential as their genetics allow. I have seen that dogs neutered later in life keep alot of their bad habits, such as marking in the house. It usually subsides though as the hormones get out of their system.

His personality won't be any different and he will be as much of a protector as his DNA tells him to be. People think neutered dogs are lazy because they allow them to be lazy. Give them a job and they show you!

[frankykeno]

Thanks Becky.

Marrok doesn't mark in the house. He's had a couple of accidents (feces) but that was more my fault then his. I'm used to Bella making her need to go out very clear. She'll whine and then toss her head towards the door - her message is very clear. Marrok just heads over to a door and waits silently. Poor thing got caught short a couple of times until I've figured out if he suddenly disappears I need to go check both doors of the house.

He could use a bit of weight actually Becky. I don't think the pictures I posted show it but he is a bit on the thin side. His previous owners told us he's always been a picky eater and then being intact probably does burn up a lot of his intake. I don't want him to chub out but a few more pounds would not hurt the big guy.