should I get my GSD neutered?

[QueenoftheVerse]

I was just looking for some advice really . we have an 11 month old Gsd and he's fantastic . well behaved and still a bit puppy daft. we've had no aggression issues with other dogs yet although he is still a bit boisterous when playing with some dogs but he takes the telling off from them and we are working on it. his hackles do go up sometimes when he sees other dogs and he starts barking but they also go up when he sees cats, bikes and sometimes plastic bags caught on trees but again, we're working on that and he's improving. Anyway, I've been reading up on MN and other places that if you neuter dogs then not only do they put on more weight easily (which is an issue because he's a big dog even for a GS) but that it can make the fear aggression worse because of lack of testosterone. I'm just looking for advice from anyone who has more experience than we do really. thank you!

Just from reading the title of your post I would answer 'yes'.

Having read the content, I still say 'yes'.

I'm of the opinion that, unless there is a medical reason not to neuter your dog, then it is the best thing to do. If you have him neutered then you will completely negate the risk of cancers connected to the reproductive system. You'll also ensure he doesn't turn into a randy so-and-so whenever he catches the scent of a bitch in heat.

Yes, neutered animals can put on weight easier - the answer is to reduce what they're eating, or to give them more exercise.

I've never heard of a dog becoming more fear aggressive post-castration. It doesn't really sound plausible to me, but others might come along with more knowledge about it than me.

So yeah - I'd go ahead with castration for him.

Actually if you have a fear reactive or timid male dog castration CAN make it worse. My vet has advised me to hold off on fixing mine for exactly this reason. If you take their testosterone away they have nothing else to fall back on.

Also with large dogs it is better to wait until they are fully grown. Castrating too early can affect them as their growth plates are not fully closed.

Castrating him once he is fully mature should not have significant impact on his behaviour that you won't already be dealing with if it's hormone driven, he will get the benefit of maturation on bone density, secondary sexual characteristics and still all the health benefits of castration regarding prostate and testicular cancers.
You are getting him castrated - that is the important thing.
You can't guarantee any behavioural outcome due to castration - some are helped or stopped fairly consistently but if he isn't giving you a problem, isn't prone to anxiety etc then you are on a pretty level playing field.
He's under a year old and slow to grow.

On the flipside - he can be done with minimal health concerns at this age and most people are using anecdotal data regarding anxiety - I've seen a few boys I wouldn't personally have castrated so young but as I haven't seen that dog entire it is mainly supposition and extrapolated from similar type.
Chances are, it'll be totally fine.

I suspect I'm in the minority .

X post. Did I mention the slow internet?

I would castrate (and have in the same position as you with fear aggressive dogs) however I would wait until after 18 months.

Im a vet nurse and would definitely say to get him neutered - definitely. Like Frettchen said it is very worthwhile for health reasons - prostate cancer etc and it will also mean he wont be a nightmare every time he smells a bitch. I also always say when people arent sure - imagine spending your life wanting to have sex but not being able to - removing the desperate urge to have sex is the kindest thing to do. Imagine the crazy hormones!

Training is essential whether hes neutered or not. Ive never met a dog where neutering has added to an agression problem. Id definitely recommend speaking to a qualified behaviouralist if you have agression concerns www.apbc.org.uk/
and www.dogstrust.org.uk/az/b/behavioural/#.Ud7_UfksmAg

Putting more weight on after neutering is not a problem - you control his food and exercise remember- and a young GSD is not going to get obese too easily. Your veterinary team will be able to advise on diet and exercise & you can even get diets specifically designed for the post neutering stage if you are worried, however, just giving him plenty of exercise is the best thing and this will also help with keeping him calm and socialised.

Id get him neutered sooner rather than later, especially if you hope it may have positive effects on his behaviour and calm him as prevention is far easier than cure (although behaviour changes are not guaranteed by neutering certainly)
www.bluecross.org.uk/1958-95247/neutering-your-dog.html

But definitely definitely get him neutered-speak to your vet about it. The benefits are so worth it. I definitely wouldnt worry about the weight issue.
:)

I thought that neutering would be the majority verdict. thank you for the info. I think we're probably going to get him neutered but we'll be waiting until he's 18 months so at least he's fully grown. thanks again

Can I just say something about prostate cancer in dogs. Neutering does not prevent prostate cancer, in fact recent studies have found that there is a slightly higher incidence of prostate cancer in neutered than un-neutered dogs.

It is however, likely to prevent Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and Prostatitis, both of which are horrible in terms of pain and discomfort for the dog and are more common, but not exclusive to entire males. The 'treatment' or 'cure' for both conditions is in fact neutering.

As for castration causing fear aggression, I'm sceptical about this as well. It's true that a dog displaying fear aggression prior to castration is unlikey to cease aggressive behaviours afterwards, because the aggression is arising out of fear - not testosterone. If however a dog appears highly hormonally motivated - seeking out bitches, excessive scent marking and seemingly competitively aggressive, castration may go part of the way to helping reduce these behaviours sufficiently that he can be appropriately trained.

I believe there has also been some recent research on the effect of castration on the joints/bones of immature large breeds. I haven't read much about it myself, but it's worth investigating if you want to be fully informed.

Neutering is of course the most advisable course of action for any non-breeding male dog, but a good vet should discuss things like age of maturity for your particular breed/dog and behavioural and health implications and make sure you have all the facts before you book him in.

I have done both. My first male dog (who was a rescue) many, many years ago, was neutered under 12 months - in accordance with both rescue and veterinary advice.

However, our vet advised us to wait until my lurcher was fully mature, because at the time we enquired (which iirc was about 10/11 months) he was still squatting to pee and very much still a puppy. So we delayed getting him done until after he started cocking his leg and settled down a bit.

I don't feel it is clear cut in male dogs there is evidence that neutering before 12 months can increase fear aggression and fear aggressive dogs can be worse after castration due the lack of testosterone. There is less prostatic is and bengin prostate hyperplasia (pleasant and painful, but good longterm treatments now) in neutered dogs, but current evidence suggest there maybe more prostatic carcinoma ( untreatable and fatal).
I present owners with these advantages and disadvantages as well as decreased wandering and allow them to make their choice.
It is clear cut for bitches the health benefits of neutering are massive.

I undertook a series of CPD on canine aggression last year, taught by Debra Horwitz, and the outcome of the discussion we had on neutering was that there is only anecdotal evidence of negative effects when fear aggressive animals are neutered. The advice was still to neuter (the majority of participants as well as Dr Horwitz are US-based where there are enormous dog overpopulation problems so neutering is even more strongly advocated than it is here).

From what you have described I wouldn't be worried about neutering anyway, his issues sound minor and are improving with time and training. But especially for a large breeds, it is important not to neuter before skeletal maturity, so I'd advise waiting too. I tell my clients not to expect any behavioural changes after I've neutered their dog,with the exception of young males who have recently started marking or humping.

Interestingly, although we have limited evidence to associate neutering with behavioral benefits or disadvantages, statistically more entire males show aggression. Who knows what factors are at play there though - I suspect some social ones are pretty significant.