Castrating

[K99]

What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a dog castrated?

[marcoddy]

They can sing in a higher pitch maybe?

[shaneystar]

We had our dog Shane "done "when he was about three.
Mr S. and my son where dreadfully anti..well men would be!!
But.. he was dreadful.One sniff of a female and he was off...Then we would get things like sulking ,wouldn't eat,throwing himself at the door,howling to the moon and so on.In the end I had enough and took him to the vet.He calmed down after a couple of months and is the most lovable obedient dog you could wish for.It also depends on what control you have over your dog.Shane was lovely before he was done but was forever trying it on so to speak.Of course at the end of the day it's up to the individual.If you are not going to breed ...and also it is said to prevent testicular cancer in dogs.They do tend to put on weight but this is easily avoided by sensible feeding.

[Eels]

Pros:  Dogs are less likely to wander after females, less likely to exhibit 'male' behaviour (eg humping legs, urine-marking in the home, challenging behaviour towards other dogs), no rsik of fathering unwanted litters to add to our dog problem in Britain, eliminates risk of testicular cancer, reduces risk of prostate hypertrophy and cancer, and can modify some behavioural problems in conjunction with training.

Cons:  Castrating the more dominant of two dogs can cause an escalation of fighting and aggression, fear-aggressive dogs can be made worse by the op, if the op is performed too late (ie after behaviours such as humping have become a habit) it won't stop unwanted behaviour, and as with all surgery there is the associated risk, albeit very small. 

That's about all I can think of right away, but there's loads of reasons for and against and so I think it's best to discuss this with your vet so your case is considered on an individual basis.