Behaviour And Undescended Testicle?

[Guest StagnBob]

We got Stag from a 'general' dog rescue in June 07 and he had very recently been castrated, still had the stitches in. There is just something about this rescue that makes me think they may have gone for the 'cheapest' option. JMHO!

 

He has always had issues, firstly with food, but then he was picked up as a stray, so it's not surprising really! He has been fine with our dogs, but gets stressed when he sees other dogs out on walks. We had an 'altercation' with a collie one morning which ended with them both barking like crazy at each other. A few weeks after that we met the same collie, off lead. The collie ran passed DH with our other dogs and made went straight for Stag and attacked him.

 

This on it's own may be nothing, but he constantly scent marks, follows out bitches round the garden to pee after them, and I've lost count of the times the girls have come in covered in 'Stag pee'! He has on occasion also mounted Lucy, who is three and was neutered in February of this year.

 

When I look back at the past year or so, I just wonder whether some of Stags 'problems' may be connected with an undescended testicle?? Not sure what 'tests' could be done to find out, and I know, from the help I do at my local Greyhound rehoming group, that it is not a straightforward operation to correct the problem. I don't want to put Stag through any unnecessary trauma, but at the same time, if it would help him with some of his issues, it would be well worth it.

 

I hope I am worrying about nothing and this is just how Stag is, but any advice and experience anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated - just don't know what to do for the best. Also, we don't have pet insurance, so we need to consider carefully what we do.

 

Interestingly, when we go away from 'his territory', say to a country fair, or a walk in the woods, he is much more tollorant and better behaved????

 

Edited to add he is also the best guard dog in the world!

 

Thank you for reading

Lisa

Edited October 30, 2008 by StagnBob

[Guest BigPercyInMa]

Stag sounds a lot like Percy and we actually HAVE a Collie.

Percy had undescended testicles, but all was successfully removed. No 'cheapest' option there. He's a great guard dog, gets stressed when he sees other dogs on our walks, but is more tolerant and better behaved when we're away from 'his territory'. He walks like an angel when we're out on a walk with our Greyhound group.

He did try to climb our female Collie when we first brought him home (already neutered). They got into a tiff where she tore a little hole in his side that required a few stitches. He hasn't bothered her since. But he will still pee on her pee (but not ON her )

 

This may be just the way Stag is.

[Sighthounds4me]

It is possible that he has an undecended testicle, but these behaviors do not necessarily mean that. The behaviors you see with the girls may have more to do with dominance.

 

I have an intact male, and while he does mark outside, the only time in recent memory he has done so in the house is when the cat had urination issues. I can understand that. But he does urinate over the girls' spots, too, but only after they've finished. We have taught him that.

 

As far as the mounting, it happens! I've seen many neutered males that do this, as well as females. Many times, the mounting is a dominance move - a way of saying "I'm higher in status, and I'll show it by being higher than you physically!"

 

As far as tests, there are blood tests that can be done, to test for levels of testosterone. Then you can have x-rays done - the x-rays may show something, but are not designed for soft tissue, so a vet might prefer to do an ultrasound instead. the next step may be en exploratory surgery.

[Fiona3]

We brought our yellow lab Bailey home as a puppy and when our vet neutered him he could only find one testicle. A year later he performed surgery to search for the "missing one". Still couldn't find it but it worried him. At the age of four Bailey suddenly had a personality change, became aggressive to our male dogs & developed a deep, scary bark. A blood test showed his testosterone level was that of an non-neutered male dog. Back to surgery again and this time he found the missing testicle in a very unlikely place in his stomach.

 

Bailey's personality returned to the sweet, non-aggressive lab we had always known. I don't know if this is the case for Stag but you might try to blood test to see the results & set your mind at ease.

[Guest EmilyAnne]

I had a Bull-Mastiff as a little girl. His testicle(s) were undescended and he became my very own personal guard dog. I didn't do anything to make him so protective of me, he just became that way. My friends had to be VERY nice to me when they came over.

 

One day he bit the babysitter, and pinned the babysitter down because she was trying to get me to come in the house and I didn't want to. I was about 6 years old, and I was clinging to Major as he had the babysitter pinned down, while several cops and neighbors were standing around us, wondering what to do. I am deaf so they couldn't tell me to get off Major.

 

After that, we had to start locking Major in my bedroom every time someone came over, cause he was just too protective of me. Every time we locked him in my room, he would claw at the door, wanting to come protect me. By the time he passed on, he had clawed almost the whole way through a solid wood antique door!

[Guest StagnBob]

Thank you all for your experiences and advice, it does sound like I need to look into this further! When out in the garden, he is a bully, the other greys tend to stay out of his way as he charges around like a lunatic, barking at them. He is also very clingy with me, follows me around from room to room. If I go upstairs and leave him in the kitchen, he pees in 'protest'.

 

I would appreciate any further views or experiences on this, at least I know now he is not the only one!

 

Thanks

Lisa

[greysmom]

Copper had an undescended testicle. He also had a longer racing career and wasn't neutered until he was 6 yrs old. The surgery was pretty intensive and his incision goes all the way down his belly almost to where his ribs begin.

 

He did and still does have problems with intact male dogs of any breed. Whether that is just the way he is, or a result of the lateness of his neutering, or the undescended testicle it's hard to say.

 

IMO - whether Copper (or your dog) is neutered or not, they can learn what proper behavior is. It does take work and vigilance, but I know that Copper isn't going to go after an intact male dog when we're out and about. Obecience classes and lots of socialization have helped him a lot. If Stag is exhibiting behavior that is anti-social or downright dangerous, it's up to you to tell him what is and is not acceptable and enforce those rules consistently and patiently.

 

greysmom

[Brindles]

I'm confused- did they remove both testicles when he was neutered or just the one?

 

Neutering a cryptorchid is much more difficult and invasive than a normal neuter. The retained testicle won't produce viable sperm so it doesn't technically need to be removed. But it's still functioning and producing testosterone like it should be, which can most certainly lead to male dominance and aggression issues.

 

Part of the reason for neutering is avoiding issues like testicular cancer, and a retained testicle that is not removed is most certainly at risk for that.

[Guest StagnBob]

Copper had an undescended testicle. He also had a longer racing career and wasn't neutered until he was 6 yrs old. The surgery was pretty intensive and his incision goes all the way down his belly almost to where his ribs begin.

 

He did and still does have problems with intact male dogs of any breed. Whether that is just the way he is, or a result of the lateness of his neutering, or the undescended testicle it's hard to say.

 

IMO - whether Copper (or your dog) is neutered or not, they can learn what proper behavior is. It does take work and vigilance, but I know that Copper isn't going to go after an intact male dog when we're out and about. Obecience classes and lots of socialization have helped him a lot. If Stag is exhibiting behavior that is anti-social or downright dangerous, it's up to you to tell him what is and is not acceptable and enforce those rules consistently and patiently.

 

greysmom

 

Thank you for you advice. I have taken Stag to training classes, we started prior to him being attacked and all was going well up to this point. After he was attacked he seemed to become more fearful of other dogs -'I'm going to get you before you get me' kind of attitude. I stopped taking him because he was getting stressed out, and so was I, so it was counterproductive. I use the 'watch me' technique when we are out and spot another dog. Stag is very food orientated and will now sit quietly and wait for his treat, ignoring the other dog - if I catch it in time, that's the key. I reinforce his good behaviour by talking to him on our walks and praise him for being good around other dogs, but he is a big strong guy. He is always muzzled out on walks, and in the garden when out with out other dogs. Around me and the rest of our family, he is a big soft goofball.

[Guest StagnBob]

I'm confused- did they remove both testicles when he was neutered or just the one?

 

Neutering a cryptorchid is much more difficult and invasive than a normal neuter. The retained testicle won't produce viable sperm so it doesn't technically need to be removed. But it's still functioning and producing testosterone like it should be, which can most certainly lead to male dominance and aggression issues.

 

Part of the reason for neutering is avoiding issues like testicular cancer, and a retained testicle that is not removed is most certainly at risk for that.

 

Stag was neutered before we got him. It's just a hunch of mine that perhaps one was undescended and just left. The group we got him from were not very supportive from the start. We were totally new to greys, very naive, and they let us adopt two males, one grey (Stag) and a grey cross, both newly neutered. No muzzels were given to us or any advice. The two boys had a fight as soon as we got home and we ended up taking the grey cross back after 24 hours of them stalking and growling at each other. No mention was made of our 'adoption fee', and they have never contacted us since to see how Stag is getting on. They did not come accross as a caring, professional rehoming group, and this just makes me think that if Stag did have an undescended testicle if would have been 'cheaper' to leave it where it was. JMHO!! Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and now, with our limited experience of greys, we would have handled the situation differently. I regret giving up on the other dog so soon.

 

Lisa