Neutering

[Stoney666]

Hi

I have a 7.5 male . He has over the last week turned into a nightmare when out. Indoors or in the garden he is perfect. When out he now he fights over the lead tugging it and growling at me (he is very strong). He jumps at people lunges at other dogs I cannot let him off lead he has lost all sense of recall and doesn't show any interest in any treats I offer I am at the end of my tether and wondered if neutering could be the answer. I do Loads with him never leave him to get bored, provide lots of mental stimulation , do classes and training I am following all what trainer has said but he is having none of it :((

Is he 7.5yrs old? I'm no expert but if this has only just happened in the last week then I would take him to the vet to get him checked as this sounds like a sudden change in behaviour. I've just had my 7yr old lad neutered but only because of a grumbling prostate problem, not behavioural.
Get him checked as something could be exacerbating testosterone....

Sorry 7.5 months

I'm personally pro neutering, as I find it eliminates the risk of accidental litters and reduces certain triggers for negative behaviours in both sexes. (For example, even if your entire dog is placid, other male dogs may respond to him aggressively when they smell his scent.) But there are no guarantees that it will cure the behaviour, and it often takes several months for the hormonal behaviour to calm.

What type of dog is he? Maybe a different lead would be more effective? Something like a halti lead may discourage lunging and pulling. Last week our trainer recommended something called a GenCon, which is a lead that apparently helps settle dogs.

Speak to your vet, as they can also recommend supplements or medication that can help overexcited dogs to focus.

Thanks. He is a golden retriever. I have most leads tried harness on trainers advise but makes it harder to pull him back as he is so strong.

I also have a golden retriever, but he is only 5 months old. We are going to get him neutered eventually but have been told by our trainer and also on the golden retriever forum to try and wait until he is a least a year old.

Sorry that isn't any help. Perhaps have a word with your vet and see what they suggest.

Also when they hit the teenage stage which i think is around 9 months old, they seem to forget everything they have been taught.

Ours is the complete opposite to yours, lovely when out and about, but a nightmare in the house, Still chewing everything in sight and barking a lot.

golden forum are divided on neutering and I really didn't intend doing for some time but this last week has left me completely lost as he has been so awful. Don't fancy a halti lead it would make him worse at mo. think I need to go right back to basics and stop any freedom off lead for foreseeable future. It's very hard lol thanks for all the advise

Neutering is not a training aid and a Golden Retriever should not be behaving like this. Either there is some seriously bad breeding going on or there have been some mistakes in his training I'm afraid, unless the dog has been attacked/frightened? Sadly, there are now a lot of poorly bred retrievers and this sort of thing is becoming much more common, when it shouldn't really exist in the breed that are so biddable and forgiving by nature.

I think you're right in that you need to go back to basics. I'd also suggest a different trainer do you can compare their methods, or even better, seeing a good behaviourist so you can sort this out before it gets out of hand.

The trainer I have is a behaviourist! She has given some good tips but it's just not always working. As I said indoors he is the softest boy I could meet, has never chewed anything other than his own toys, and answers commands in an instant. It's as if when he leaves the house/garden something takes him over. I will speak to trainer again.