#and anyway as a thank you one year our local spay and neuter clinic gave a bunch of us tee-shirts

[lobaeclipse]

Vigil is my first purebred dog, first dog that I researched the breed and the breeder, the dog that got me into training and sports, and so far only intact dog that I have owned. He's a working line German shepherd from heavy police and schutzhund bloodlines so I was worried about balancing temperament with structural soundness. After a lot of reading and talking to mentors, I figured I'd give it two years for the sake of his health and then reevaluate for the sake of my health.

He's now almost six and a half years old and I haven't considered neutering him. He is an absolute Mama's Boy when it comes to training and socialization and aloof to strangers but not aggressive. Aside from the herding breed stare he tolerates other dogs as long as they respect his (our) space, but if someone else stares back he will posture. He's gentlemanly to bitches that he knows and likes - Rynn, my rescue mutt who is half his size and can literally walk under him, regularly snarks him and he tolerates her nonsense. Half of my friend's Malinois puppies fall in love with him and although he doesn't really like them he is very fair about warning them away from his toys and his ears.

He has to sniff everything and will do the gross pee licking thing. Potty breaks take twice as long because he has to mark. Also his aim is not great and he will piss on his front legs. Over excitement leads to humping when playing with other dogs, and his friends either tolerate it or tell him to fuck off. He was an absolute hellion from about six months to about two years until his adult brain grew in but I think that had more to do with adolescence in general and I'm glad it's over with. Overall, he absolutely has and can be a jerk but I don't think that the presence or absence of his balls affects much of anything.

Me: my next dog will probably be an intact male

Literally all of my friends: don’t do it