Castration tomorrow!

[Mairyhinge]

My baby is off to the vet tomorrow and I feel sick.
We're having it done to try to ease the aggression ( which is very rare, he's usually very passive, but occasionally comes across as aggressive to a dog he meets), and to increase our options for holiday respite as I refuse to use kennels.
Please tell me he'll be ok and I'm worrying needlessly. I also am hoping he's well enough after a few days to get back out!
Any positive stories of your dog being neutered?

Totally positive! What on Earth are you worried about? It’s not brain surgery.

Aww he will be fine. I’m sure he will enjoy the love and fuss afterwards. 🙂

Have you spoken to a suitably qualified and accredited behaviourist? Depending on the cause of the aggression, sometimes castration can have a negative effect. In order to see if it would help for sure you could opt for a 6 month trial of a chemical castration, but I'd definitely have a consultation a good behaviourist before castrating. Your vet should be able to refer you to one.

How old is he?
And yes I would reconsider in case of aggression? It’s not recommended in cases of fear aggression.

Thanks all. He's 3 in May and the aggression is only ever towards dogs he seems to feel he could 'have one over'... he's fine with dogs bigger than him, smaller ones he's great with most of the time, there's never any rhyme or reason and it's very rare but I'd prefer to feel more confident with him.
Not many home boarders will take an entire male so it's been a tough decision but 🤷‍♀️...

there's never any rhyme or reason

There is, you just can't see it because dog behaviours can be very subtle, this is where a behaviourist can help.

A lot of aggression is driven by fear even if it doesn't seem as though it is on the surface. Testosterone (produced by the testes) can help improve a dogs confidence. By removing this, they can end up becoming more fearful and therefore the fear aggression increases.

Castration is obviously irreversible so I'd think carefully. There's no harm in postponing until you've spoken to a behaviourist or tried a suprelorin implant

Castration also protects his health, my boy was done at 6mths, completely unaffected don’t think he realises he’s a boy!
Do look for a good accredited positive trainer.

I've just had my dog neutered and he's nearly 14! He had benign tumours on his backside which were fuelled by testosterone and they were getting bigger and unmanageable so although I didn't really want to put him through an operation at his age I felt it was the best thing to do.

Which it was, he's made a full and quick recover and to be honest it's changed him so much for the better as well. He no longer "bothers" other dogs in that he would always follow my mum's dog around trying to lick his cock and shag him 🙄 it was relentless. No he just can't be arsed, totally ignited him. He's also stopped cocking his leg at every single lamppost on a walk. He was prone to slight aggression and that unfortunately is still the same. Having said that the vet is amazed it's made a difference to the other things I've mentioned given his age as it's not always a given.

If I can give you one piece of advice it's this. If he comes out if the op tomorrow with what looks like he still has his balls do not panic! My dog' was so swollen there for a good couple of weeks that I did wonder if they'd gotten them out! he's fine now though it was just swelling and nothing to worry about. Also buy if you can one of those inflatable collars (see pic) rather than the rigid cones you get from the vet. My dog loves his.

My dog bounced back in a couple of days and yours will be fine.

Pic fail!

I would also be wary of castrating. Can you cancel the op and maybe try chemical castration to see what effect this has?

We started having issues with our dog when he was nearly four. We tried chemical castration for six months first and only once we had seen how that affected him did we get him done.

Mine whined the night after he was done but I think it was all the medication they gave him and the after affects of the GA as it's not uncommon. As PP said they are very swollen so don't often look like they have been removed . Mine was done at 10.5 months of age and he has been fine.

Do make sure he doesn't jump about for several days afterwards and look into bodysuits and cones to stop him licking the wound.

It's a routine operation OP, I wouldn't worry. It's great for health benefits too. Just lots of gentle cuddles after and no running around for him after until he's all healed up. I would say try not to worry but I know we all do.

InKog is right. There will be a reason. You just can’t see it. And if it is nervous aggression you risk making it worse.
As for boarding places? I wouldn’t be operating on my dog so I could use them. There are places that will take entire dogs.

Thanks all. I've decided to postpone for now. The main reason is for him to have a safe place to go when we are away and it seems a bit extreme really! I'll research more, might speak to the vets again, and be more prepared if we do it later on.
Thanks 💐

The implant is a temporary option that would allow you to see how neutering would affect him.