hunting instincts hurt by castration

[sourdough]

this male dog I'm thinking about fixing him has a trait that I'm trying to fix is that the dog can make a real nice dog but he is a hard running track dog and hard tree dog when he feels like it. Sometime when he runs a coon in to the tree he will tree approx 100 bpm and other times he may do the same thing again and not tree at all. This will be the same if with company or by himself. I know there is no boxing at the tree or any kind of agression. He is two years old and I have tried to correct it but have determined to just get it fixed by castration. My not work but dog is worthless this way. Has anyone had this kind of problem??....thanks

How many dogs are you hunting? How long have you been hunting? Castration will never fix a trait... Castration will only fix a fighting behavior if the fighting has not already been happening. People need to judge a dog for what they are and act accordingly. From what your saying it bothers you. At two if you like him other than what your dealing with then cut him why look at him as breeding stock?

sourdough

[livetohunt]

(Have you ever had a dog fixed, that down the line you wish that you hadn't?)

Yes I have and im sure just about all houndsmen have, but I still wouldnt keep a dog intact unless I was sure I wanted to breed him at that time then and there, and not wait and see down the road. Im sure I have missed out on a CHANCE at a good dog or two but there are many many good ones out there so its not a loss. For me when the dog hits 1 i got a good idea if he or she is looking like they might be worth breeding and even then you can be wrong.

[sparkieg]

Sourdough, thanks for your reply and appreciate your input. As info, have been hunting
coon for over 40 years but never had a dog castrated. Just asking for thoughts about how a male dog changes his behavior thru castration. Seems to me that a male dog will change somewhat once he looses that supply of tetestrone. You my think different., but I believe a dog doesn't react by instinct only. I know thruout my years of hunting that they have the ability to think and I'm hoping that castration will change his thinking process.
Only thing that I can lose is the fee of having him castrated. He will be put down if this doesn't work. I figured that you big game hunters that have a reputation of fixing your male dogs would have some ideas about this other than being dogs that were aggressive to each other. thanks.........

[LAHOGHUNTER]

I know this is a dog of a different kind but here goes....(I'm a hog hunter). My male bulldog is castrated. He WILL NOT fight with another dog and shows no agreesion at home at all. My 3 year old son feeds him in the kennel by himslef. Although he does not hunt, his castration has not impacted he want to or ability to catch a hog. He is a CATCH DOG for sure. The only thing I dont like about him being castrated is his weight. He is a vey heavy bull dog and it is hard to keep weight off him. He is about 70 lbs or so and he eats the same amount as my 35 lbs dog. I think if he was not castrated he would be slim. I wish he was closer to 55 lbs.

[Oldmanindeepsnow]

Dont want to change subject but does it affect them on pulling hair on bear

[livetohunt]

[quote="Oldmanindeepsnow"]Dont want to change subject but does it affect them on pulling hair on bear[/quote]

No not at all not in any of the dogs I have ever seen, others might say something diffrent but really the only thing I have seen a male dog do diffrent after being cut is not run around after females. They still have all the drive and all the fight and kill in them (I'm taking about going after game). I'm not talking about showing in the way they act to other dogs, I know a few guys have tryed to cut dogs when they want to fight other dogs but for me if a dog wants to fight he or she gets culled 100% of the time. Thats just my rule I dont bend on that.

[cougar2]

i see some good ideas, my thoughts are if a male dog would rather hunt than chase a female around then you have something and i wouldn't worry about fixing him unless he is mean or worried about females, i have only cut dogs that were mean and it fixed that, if he would rather follow a female around then i got rid of him unless he showed some ability then i cut him, never had it affect the way they hunt just the opposite they focused more on hunting less distractions, if they don't have the traits to do what it takes i believe there is not much you can do to help them, cutting a dog does not hurt the way a dog hunts, but i don't worry about cutting them unless for above reasons, just my thoughts.

[mofo21]

anyone ever do it themselves with rubber bands like the ones you use on bull calves? i thought about trying it on one of my buddys dogs that was a aggressive but it ended up biting him so i never got the chance to do it.

[livetohunt]

When I was growing up my Grandfather always cut all our dogs him self he would just hold them down shove there head in his legs so it couldnt bit and cut it like it was a bull or hog. Worked great on every dog and none of them ever had any trouble but for me I just take them in and have them done. The way my luck goes I would kill the dog, get bit, or make the thing turn out retarded.

[artrodex]

Some one can answer this please.
\
What positive things the castration induce?
What is the behavior you complaint more with the dog is complete?
The major change you see in your dog after castration?

[Dan V]

Species preservation is one of he two basic instincts all dogs have. Self preservation is the other one. Instincts can and will over ride the drives (hunting drive, tracking drive, prey drive, tree drive etc., all of the things we rely on a hunting dog for) a dog has.

Species preservation: The instinct to reproduce and spread your genes. Look at the rut with deer elk etc. The males are consumed by the NEED to breed, and all of the male v male dominence issues. Bucks and Bulls rub trees, vocalize, go without food, break antlers and some times fight to the death. The strong survive and spread their genes.

Look at un cut male dog behavior as the rut, but instead of once a year, its everytime a female comes into heat, and with some dogs, they act like that year round.

Cutting a male dog will remove most of the species preservation issues, his NEED to reproduce, and messure his prowess with other males.

IT WILL NOT ADD OR SUBTRACT DRIVES. Drives are genetic. You got what you got the second the sperm hit the egg. You can enhance or diminsh certain drives, but you cant put anything in there that is not already there, and you cant take away something the dog has (you might diminsh it).

There is a reason most people ride gedings and not stud horses.

[kordog]

there have been instances where people have regretted getting one fixed especially when it turns out to be the favorite hound of a lifetime . it wont hurt their hunting ,but i wont fix my males unless their a problem .bitches need to stay home if their in heat regardless as far as im concerned ,there are other males around at times wether its hounds or house dogs,and if they can find a way to breed that bitch they will.just the way i do it ,and it works for me . each houndsman has to find what works for them.

[Melanie Hampton]

there have been instances where people have regretted getting one fixed especially when it turns out to be the favorite hound of a lifetime

My thoughts on this is.... would that dog have gotten to be your favorite hound if you hadn't gotten it fixed? If there was a reason for fixing it in the first place, then I doubt it..

I have no problems with getting dogs fixed..

I tend to not keep males around because seems like once they hit idiot male puppy age I want to take them down and get them cut..

I haven't yet gotten a female fixed, but mainly it is because I have so far been lucky (knock on wood) and they aren't coming into heat during cat season when I need them.. I have one female that I have raised one really nice litter out of... I've been asked to raise another litter off of her, so I'm tossing that idea around.. If I decide no- then she is going to go down to get fixed so we can just hunt and not worry about heat cycles..

I have one intact male and I can actually hunt him with an in heat female until she is in standing heat.. Then she stays at home..

I've hunted with lots of fixed males and females.. I like them.. I had a dandy little male that I liked about 100% more AFTER I got him cut... he was nice before but easily distracted.. Once he was cut he was 110% about hunting.. It was really nice..

[dhostetler]

anyone ever do it themselves with rubber bands like the ones you use on bull calves? i thought about trying it on one of my buddys dogs that was a aggressive but it ended up biting him so i never got the chance to do it.

I did that to three of my male dogs and it worked perfect.

[kordog]

there have been instances where people have regretted getting one fixed especially when it turns out to be the favorite hound of a lifetime

oMy thoughts n this is.... would that dog have gotten to be your favorite hound if you hadn't gotten it fixed? If there was a reason for fixing it in the first place, then I doubt it..
tell that to my buddy thats been whining in my ear for 10 years about the dog he had fixed . if fixing them works for you more power to you .i just laid to rest my best hound ever at over 14 years of age with both his dice intact . i wouldnt have the quality of dogs in the yard right now if i had him fixed that i guarantee.fixed unfixed whatever it takes .one things for sure you arent getting pups ought of a good dog if its fixed without cloning them.