Pup transformed into hormonal nightmare

[SinclairSpectrum]

Boy pup is nearly 8 months old. He has gone from very obedient docile(ish) companion to being gripped by testosterone.
Its like living with a lanky horny 16 year old boy.
Recall is being tested, he is wandering further and further from me on walks, has started sniffing other dogs with great enthusiasm and has begun to try and hump.
I have ordered 'down boy' herbal supplement from csj, anyone had any success with this?
When will it end?
Do we need to consider de-bollocking?

Why wouldn't you have him neutered?

A neutered dog will still go through adolescence so it won't erase things like being independent on walks. You have to be very patient with the training and they do grow through it. Neutering will help with some of the most hormonal behaviour though (jumping, spraying) but I believe it's most effective if you do it early so they don't acquire the bad habits in the first place.

Our boy was done at 7 months and is none the worse for it, no stunted growth or anything else people worry about. Also means he gets less aggro from other dogs than a whole male would.

Humping, not jumping

Not against neutering at all, was advised by breeder (considered very knowledgeable nationally) and by vet to wait until 18 months as he is a large heavy breed.
Would consider it earlier if absolutely necessary but have to balance that with growth needs.
If this is a phase that can be worked through until his hormones level out I would rather wait until the advised time.

My neutered dog was a stroppy git from 8 months on was like having a naughty toddler with sharper teeth the doghouse and the dogs trust behaviourist saved my sanity just be consistant with him oh and mine humped for a few weeks and he obviously had no bits he still cant be off lead though which is a shame but he is a bolter

Our boy was done at 7 months and is none the worse for it, no stunted growth or anything else people worry about.

tinymeteor - I've never heard anyone saying castration causes stunted growth. Rather the opposite as the hormone testosterone is needed to "turn off" growth in the leg bones.
If large dogs, such as labs are castrated too early (i.e. before 18 - 24 months) they don't have enough testosterone to stop the bones growing and can end up with longer legs. This puts them at risk of joint problems.

^yy
I am 5'6" and when standing on his hind legs my boy can put his front paws on my shoulders. He is not quite 8 months old and will grow until around 18 months.
This is why I would rather not neuter yet.

That's interesting, I had heard that early neutering can cause stunted growth, but never the opposite.

I have an almost 8 month old and he is due to have the op next month - I do hope he won't end up looking like a cocker on stilts

In the same way puberty slows growth in people it does the same in dogs I believe.

Good god your dog is 6inches bigger than me he is hooge

I've always had male pups neutered at around 7/8 months, not giant breeds, but they've never had any problems.

So has everyone just neutered regardless?
Had hoped someone could tell me at around what age the hormones level out.

Sorry no help at all, as a first time dog owner, I was always going to have him neutered, but I did have some concerns about the best time to do it.

I did discuss the options with my Vet when he was a tiny pup, and they just suggested any time after six months, but as a small breed, I guess there is less of an issue.

Another 'old wives tale' possibly, but does neutering affect the dog's coat??

My dog came neutured because he was a rescue sorry cant help he did start to calm down at 18ish months though

Large dog breeds should be neutered later than small breeds because neutering effects the closure of the growth plates and in large breed dogs this is more likely to cause problems with leg joints than smaller dogs as they carry more weight so it is advised that large dogs wait till between 18 and 24 months old before neutering while smaller dogs can be done earlier.
I waited till my dog was 9 months old before neutering but he is a chihuahua cross Jrt and really small.
While plenty of people neuter their large breeds before 18 months I would personally wait till after 18 months just to make sure I was doing what's best for his future health.

The age for neutering in large breeds is roughly when the hormonal stuff goes quieter anyway, so 18-24 months for both.

His behaviour may well improve before that if you carry on training though.

Lovely, thank you all.
Waiting with baited breath at door for postie, hoping the csj herbal stuff helps.

OP - things should settle down if you carry on with training. My lab was a typical Kevin at around 8 months, recall suddenly non-existent, I'd call him and he'd turn and look at me with a expression and carry on running away. He always came back eventually but only when he was ready.
So I mostly kept him on a long line (not a flexi lead) that trailed behind him so I could grab it if he ran off, and upped the training. After about 6 months he was fine, and he didn't get neutered till he was 3 when he met a bitch in season for the first time and turned into a sex pest .

ender you have given me hope, just ordered a training lead, will try that many thanks.

My friends lab is the most well behaved dog you could meet, he was nuetered young, and was a nightmare until about 2 (unreliable recall etc, all the things we all complain about).... It's an age thing, neutered or not they will still go through it - it's not only the balls that determine hormones....