I haven't done nor seen any studies on this, but I do know that when we've had dogs neutered in the past our other animals do not react any differently to them once they return home.
I am sure that some would replace eyes because of the aesthetics of the eyeless face – tends to creep people out more than a testicle-less backside. I mean, the face is immediately visible, while you have to pay a little more attention to notice the testicles. I don't think the average dog admirer pays much attention to a dog's balls when they see them on the street {see the dogs on the street, not the balls, LOL}
Tillo wouldn't mind missing his balls.. When we're out walking and it's cold, they are never visible anyway.. People always think he's neutered.. You should see him when he just woke up! :eek:
Other (intact) males always know he's still intact.. that's not because they can see his balls or not.. that's more because of specific behaviour, maybe smell.
The question about dogs knowing another dog is neutered or not and reacting different to it, I have to say yes. Tillo knows exactly wether he's 'talking' to an intact male, neutered male or female..
The dogs don't care one way or another -their egos aren't tied up in their genitals! They just want a cookie!
Ha, ha, ha…BEST 2 sentences in this entire thread! I knew there would be some priceless replies to this thread...You guys didn't let me down!!! :D:D
BTW, I had to forward the original link to my male friends with neutered dogs...as something for them to consider. 
I am sure that some would replace eyes because of the aesthetics of the eyeless face – tends to creep people out more than a testicle-less backside.
I saw my first one-eyed dog recently. I wasn't expecting it & it really spooked me for a second. Turns out, he's a local minor celebrity (for awful reasons)
http://www.dogguide.net/blog/2008/12/dog-news-german-shepherd-survives-sledgehammer-attack/
He has recovered quite well, and frequents our dog park. He doesn't seem aggressive or shy in any way… just a normal dog that wants to play. But the eye caught me off guard & I can see the justification for a fake eye a little more than the Neuticles.
Topper was five when neutered due to increasing "macho" at the dog park. He seemed very sore and acted like he knew exactly what had happened to him, was very distant for about a month, we felt guilty! After a couple of months, he was back to normal but less macho with intact males. Eddie was almost 3 and honestly never seemed to notice. The vet used glue, it was hard to even find the incision and Ed never licked it or had any personality change.
No offense taken, in the same light as the question you asked, I ask why not?
I do beg to differ in reference to whether a dog knows or reacts to being neutered. Since we do not talk dog, we really do not have any way of knowing and all we can do is speculate and assume. We have absolutely no idea how this type of surgery impacts an animal psychologically. We only really know how it impacts us as owners and observers.
Jason and Miranda
Why not? Hmm….well, I guess I wouldn't do it because it costs extra, it is (IMO) an unnecessary foreign body in the body, and again IMO, it says to other people "I need my dog to look like he isn't neutered"
And FTR...I don't believe I said dogs don't know or react to being neutered. I don't know if they know about themselves...but I would bet money that other dogs know by smell (and possibly behavior) whether a dog is intact or not....but neuticals won't change that. If you had an artificial eye it would make you think that you could see out of it 
I think it makes more difference to the human than to the dog.
I saw my first one-eyed dog recently. I wasn't expecting it & it really spooked me for a second. Turns out, he's a local minor celebrity (for awful reasons)
http://www.dogguide.net/blog/2008/12/dog-news-german-shepherd-survives-sledgehammer-attack/
He has recovered quite well, and frequents our dog park. He doesn't seem aggressive or shy in any way… just a normal dog that wants to play. But the eye caught me off guard & I can see the justification for a fake eye a little more than the Neuticles.
We had to have our basset hound's eye removed due to glaucoma. She had already lost her vision in that eye and the medications weren't controlling the pressure and she was in a lot of pain. The vet told me that for $600 more (and this was about 8 years ago) we could have a prosthesis put in. We decided that Mitzi wouldn't notice and just had her eye sewn shut. She seemed to be fine with it but our already crabby Lab became extra vicious toward her and stayed that way. We had to be very vigilant when the 2 dogs were in the same room. 2 years later - our then 19 year old son had to have his eye removed due to severe trauma. He was very sedated and confused and we had to work very hard to make him understand that he would get an artificial eye and we would NOT just have his eye sewn shut like the dog's eye. When he was discharged from the hospital, a local tv station did a profile on our son. When the reporter and the cameraman got to our house and discovered that the one-eyed teenager had a one-eyed dog, they insisted on ending the segment with the two of them together. (The dog is now deceased but our son does well with one eye and we did indeed spring for an artificial eye.:))
Pat
I would hope you will neuter your basenji, Unless you have a show quality basenji there is really no reason to keep him intact.
I have to tell you fellows, if you think the balls are keeping a basenji from enjoying the "pleasure" of mating, my boy, even tho fixed, did have a tie with my spayed female.
So, really its the true safe sex act.
We had to have our basset hound's eye removed due to glaucoma. She had already lost her vision in that eye and the medications weren't controlling the pressure and she was in a lot of pain. The vet told me that for $600 more (and this was about 8 years ago) we could have a prosthesis put in. We decided that Mitzi wouldn't notice and just had her eye sewn shut. She seemed to be fine with it but our already crabby Lab became extra vicious toward her and stayed that way. We had to be very vigilant when the 2 dogs were in the same room. 2 years later - our then 19 year old son had to have his eye removed due to severe trauma. He was very sedated and confused and we had to work very hard to make him understand that he would get an artificial eye and we would NOT just have his eye sewn shut like the dog's eye. When he was discharged from the hospital, a local tv station did a profile on our son. When the reporter and the cameraman got to our house and discovered that the one-eyed teenager had a one-eyed dog, they insisted on ending the segment with the two of them together. (The dog is now deceased but our son does well with one eye and we did indeed spring for an artificial eye.:))
Pat
This is totally off-topic now, but further proof that dogs are brought into this world for special reasons. Seems like your dog's loss may have helped your son cope with his own. Your story tugs at the heart strings. Glad both dog & son survived after losing an eye.
A little off topic here, but Miranda wants to know if you think that Lance Armstrong has an empty scrotum (Her term was actually nutsack) or do you think he possibly has some kind of neuticle implant? Since people normally would wear clothes that would cover this area, do you think it would be important to a person who recovers from a cancer surgery or some other trauma in this area to have an implant like this? I personally wonder why it is thought that a procedure like this bothers animals less than people? Is it really ego and identity driven?
There are those that dress their dogs up for Halloween, Christmas, Birthdays, and other events. There are those who take their animal for grooming and have a bow put on them. One would think that the motivation for implants after neutering an animal would be very similar.
I believe that any type of implant is an unnecessary risk to the animals health just as it would be considered a risk to a person's health.
Isn't one of the reasons that we neuter male dogs to lower the risks of certain cancers?
Here is an article I found that contains some information in regard to neutering and pack and domestic behaviors.
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/dog-pack-mentality-successfully-owning-more-than-one-dog.html
Jason
Bellabasenji - I think the dog will still look male to anyone looking - he will still, after all, have a penis! And on these short haired dogs, it's still pretty visible.
Exactly, which is precisely why I made this statement:
"We are NOT talking castration here!!!"
…I guess I didn't quite make that clear.;)
A little off topic here, but Miranda wants to know if you think that Lance Armstrong has an empty scrotum (Her term was actually nutsack) or do you think he possibly has some kind of neuticle implant?
From what I've read (and heard him say in an interview - Charlie Rose, I believe, but it might have been some preview tour program I saw it on)…it is empty...so he only has one visible and no implant. I would imagine riding hundreds of miles on a road bike it would be an advantage for a guy to have only one. My male friends have on more than one occasion made a comment how they wish they had only one (or none for that matter) when we've done huge road rides.
I can understand why a lot of the guys that ride in bike events whether professionally or otherwise would make comments like this. Constant pressure on the testicle area from riding a bicycle is not only uncomfortable but is listed as a contributing factor that can cause temporary Erectile Dysfunction.
There are actually studies including one from Harvard supporting this information.
Jason
Can you neuter an older dog? Luny was never neutered after leaving the show circuit and I wondered about doing it with him being 10 years already.
I had Nicky neutered at 7 years old and he bounced back just fine. He had his teeth cleaned at the same time and really felt better after that.
Can you neuter an older dog? Luny was never neutered after leaving the show circuit and I wondered about doing it with him being 10 years already.
Wizard I think that is a question that would be best answered by your Vet and based on your dogs health. I would think that as a dog gets older its more risky to put them under anesthesia, but I do not really know.
Jason
Can you neuter an older dog? Luny was never neutered after leaving the show circuit and I wondered about doing it with him being 10 years already.
Once they do blood work, I am sure that will tell you if there would be any potential problems… but I would say with a normally healthly Basenji, 10 would be fine... and like lvoss says, doing teeth at the same time is a good option... might as well get everything done while they are under at one time...
Exactly, which is precisely why I made this statement:
"We are NOT talking castration here!!!"
…I guess I didn't quite make that clear.;)
Right; I got that.
I was just being a smarta*s because you'd said< And most dog lovers, breeders, and "dog-type" people would still know you have a male because of the look of the dog is bigger and blockier. In other words… testicles or not... your dog will still look male to those of us that matter!!!>
I was just saying that I think even non-dog lovers/people would still know because most people don't look for testicles - most will look at the underbelly to check if a dog is male or female.
YOU were perfectly clear the first time; sorry if I made it seem otherwise.;)
A little off topic here, but Miranda wants to know if you think that Lance Armstrong has an empty scrotum (Her term was actually nutsack) or do you think he possibly has some kind of neuticle implant? Since people normally would wear clothes that would cover this area, do you think it would be important to a person who recovers from a cancer surgery or some other trauma in this area to have an implant like this? I personally wonder why it is thought that a procedure like this bothers animals less than people? Is it really ego and identity driven?
There are those that dress their dogs up for Halloween, Christmas, Birthdays, and other events. There are those who take their animal for grooming and have a bow put on them. One would think that the motivation for implants after neutering an animal would be very similar.
I believe that any type of implant is an unnecessary risk to the animals health just as it would be considered a risk to a person's health.
Isn't one of the reasons that we neuter male dogs to lower the risks of certain cancers?
Here is an article I found that contains some information in regard to neutering and pack and domestic behaviors.
[http://www.buzzle.com/articles/dog-pack-mentality-successfully-owning-more-than-one-dog.html[/ul]
Jason
I don't think the look matter as much to dogs - they are generally guided by scent for mating purposes; humans are more guided by sight. Ugly dogs stand a pretty equal chance of mating as pretty dogs. For less attractive humans it's a little tougher.
The "look" of things is more important to humans; the "scent" is more important to dogs. IMO, of course.](http://www.buzzle.com/articles/dog-pack-mentality-successfully-owning-more-than-one-dog.html[/ul]Jason
I don't think the look matter as much to dogs - they are generally guided by scent for mating purposes; humans are more guided by sight. Ugly dogs stand a pretty equal chance of mating as pretty dogs. For less attractive humans it's a little tougher.
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