Neutering

[VioletSunset]

Hello everyone. I'm debating whether or not to get my dog neutered next year. He's currently 10 months. I keep reading conflicting advice around it so I'm unsure what to do. My dog is very friendly, (maybe even too friendly.) He is dying to play with every dog he sees, and loves all people. He gets very excited when he sees another dog. Would neutering calm him down in this regard, or is this something that comes with age and training regardless of being neutered or not? He's never showed any aggression, nervousness, never been reactive etc.

Did your dogs behaviour change after being neutered? Thanks

I'm not a fan of early neutering - I don't think it helped our nervous dog at all to have his balls off at 6 months (vet advice). In late maturing breeds it also has an impact on how they grow, which can cause joint issues later in life.

Breed is also a factor. There is a recent paper by Hart and Hart and others from Uni of California Davis which looks at the impact of neutering at various ages by breed and sex. I'm not sure how big their samples are but it's worth a look.

Thanks @GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman I will have a look at that

Ok, I was having the same dilemma with my large breed pup. My usual vet saying that i should only neuter if there was alot of anti social behaviour from my dog as the likelihood of testicular cancer, which is harder to treat is more common in neutered dogs. If on the other hand you neuter, you cannot guarantee at all that it will calm your dog down, there is information to support increased likelihood of aggression in some dogs and the cancers associated with it are harder to treat. Intact males are more likely to suffer prostate cancers than neutered dogs but this is far easier to treat.

Another vet i saw said she always neuters, because she has always done it, but the newest information is that it is now not necessarily the right thing.

Oh, and I haven’t had him neutered and he is albeit a teenage nightmare at times, but generally a very happy well adjusted lad.

Thanks @Madbengalmum.That pretty much sums up the information i have heard too. I'm kind of thinking just to leave well enough alone, He's a great dog and I can deal with his over friendliness. He's getting gradually better with training anyway. How old is your dog?

Here is the study age for neutering by breed re joint disorders cancers

Neutering will not make a difference to behaviour at all. The only behaviour is can lessen is scent marking due to 100's of studies that have been done. Neutering can make fearful dogs more fearful. So if there is no medical reason to have them neutered than leave it until as late as possible. You can also look into vasectomy rather than a full castration.

Ancedotal people will say their dog was calmer after castration but usually this is down to the dog getting older and more training rather than the castration itself.

We neutered our lab at 3 years old, and we tried out the chemical implant to determine what, if any, behaviour changes it would bring. There was no difference, other than he stopped dragging me around the streets when he smelled a bitch in heat.
I would be in no hurry as there a reason they have those hormones; not sure I would neuter my next male, but vasectomy sounds interesting.

Thanks @PollyRoulson and @Svelteinmydreams

We had our Goldie done at age 2. He was getting very fresh with DDs friends and nobody at daycare wanted to play with him.
No regrets at all.

Violet, he is about 18months old.

I'm having the same debate, I've decided to wait until ddog is at least two and then think on it again.

I will probably do the same @Girliefriendlikespuppies, will reevaluate the situation in year or two. @Hoppinggreen can I ask what you mean by getting fresh? Or Is that a typo, lol

Thanks everyone. I think I will do that too, wait and see what he's like in a few months and see how i feel about it then.

No, not a typo. He was a bit of a sex pest. We knew exactly who was having their period too as he became particularly interested