To snip or not?

[Bigtrip2026]

I have a 16 month old terrier cross lakeland/wirefox. He is an adorabke, affectionate wee man, very energetic and overall very good. Main issues are fiestiness (mouthing and nipping) when trying to get him to do something he doesn't want to do ...barking at dogs outside of the car (just driving past) , lunging at dogs as we walk past. He goes to doggy day care 2 or 3 times per week and loves it, gets on with all the dogs but when I pick him up he turns into a ferocious man eater!!!

My vet has asked me about when I will get him neutered. I'm undecided and have read that waiting until 2 years is the way to go but my vet feels this is dependent on dog size and as he is a smaller breed 18 months is fine.

When he doesnt go to doggy day care he has 2 x 45 minute walks per day (usually off lead but on if other dogs around) and has an enclosed back small garden so no opportunity to populate the dog world.

Will getting him the ship make any discernable difference to his fiestiness, barking or energy levels?. I love him obviously and love his cheekiness so wouldn't want to change him significantly and if he has to be fiesty then so be it. I would rather that than a overly docile dog tbh.

What are peoples experience of getting the snip? I have previously (years ago) had a male larger breed dog that got the snip but it didn't appear to make any difference to him at all.

Lunging at dogs as we walk past.

That sounds more like aggression than feisty. At least, that's how it reads. Don't minimise lunging, please - the effect it can have on other dogs is really quite significant. By 18 months, as dog shouldn't really nip either...

But, more to the point 18 months for a smaller dog is okay to be castrated. I would 100% say if you're not showing or breeding your dog, then you should snip it.

I have only ever had one two dogs I didn't get the snip. I didn't one him snipped because he was nervous - to a point where if he saw another dog he would bolt or wee himself in fright. You don't neuter a submissive dog. My cocker isn't spayed - but she's an ex show and was bred from.

You can always try chemical castration first to see what difference it makes, if any?

I agree with PP, some of this sounds like it won't be affected by neutering.

Sounds like you have some training issues rather than him needing the snip. It’s not a magic cure.

How confident is he? Castration reduces testosterone. Testosterone increases confidence. If any of his issues are due to lack of confidence castration could make them
worse.

Get a decent behaviourist in (not one who uses aversives) for an assessment and see what they think.

Speak to your vet about the Suprelorin implant. It mimics the effects of castration. My terrier is due for his second one. It’s been amazing for him BUT his issues were simply due to sexually driven behaviours, which castration CAN help but the implant can help
you decide.

My Dog is also reactive on lead but attends doggy day care and he is neutered. He was attacked by next doors dog before he was neutered, leading to his reactivity and his behaviour in that sense didn’t change following the snip, only following a reactive dog training course we went on (though he is still a bit funny in our local area)
We got him done because he was a terrible humper to the point of obsession at times otherwise not sure we would have got him done just based on the reactivity.

Generally, castration doesn’t help with behavioural issues. If the problems are fuelled by nerves it can make them much worse.

In the future I will always go supelorin as a test before castration.

Getting the snip won't immediately improve his behaviour full stop. Things like lunging needs to be addressed with training. Feistiness is partly due to the breed and the mouthing will be his age.

He will calm down with age. But it will help by getting him castrated, but it's a gradual process. Testosterone takes about 18 months to leave the body to it will be a very gradual process. We've had all our male dogs castrated, and. I never really see the change. But my groomer said they've seen a slight change because they only see the dog about once or twice a year. But it's not like 'bam' and all the unwanted behaviour is sorted. They still need training etc and you'll probably put down the change to their age and growing up rather than the snip

Thank you for the responses. He was very good up until a dog he had attended doggy day care with attacked him as I was chatting to the owner. I didnt know at the time that this was the case but this dog I now think was asked to leave doggy day care due to its temperament. Simultaneously the car barking is relatively new , which I put down to a mixture of excitability ( going for a walk or doggydc) and reacting to dogs out of the car.

He is keen to join other dogs when on a walk but I always put him on the lead as he is a bit ott which can upset other dogs or their owners. I try not to pull on the lead when doing this as it can make him react. I have tried lots of diversion tricks but it isn't always full proof.

He seems to be nervous and reactionary to noises when in the house and to loud fast cars and motorbikes. There have been times he has met other dogs and been absolutely fine with them. The nipping and mouthing is usually when I am drying him after a rainy walk or bath.

The aggression with other dogs is apparent when I go to collect him at doggy dc, and the minute he sees me he can start on one of the other dogs, who he has been happily playing with all day.

I think I will speak to a behaviourist first before going for the snip and if appropriate trial the injection first before committing to the surgery.