Neutering - Does it change dog's behaviour?

jimimi

Hello

I was just wondering, has anyone who has had their male dog neutered noticed if it makes them calmer? I am just wondering as I am going to get our 1 yr old male Staffordshire Bull Terrier done and it would be great if it did calm him down a bit! He doesn't hump things or anything like that, he's just excitable, which is good, but he gets a bit much at times.

Thanks

Padz_2

From what I've read - it only changes the behaviour which is linked to the sex drive but I expect someone will be along with actual experience. I have read quite a bit as we have our first male puppy and are at the decision stage with him.

The breeder advised having him done at 9 months but I'm wondering whether to leave it a bit longer til he's matured a bit more.

elsien

My brother had his lab neutered, and it calmed down his tendency to take himself off for hours on end, which was why they did it. Bro does slightly regret having it done as he feels the dog lost a bit too much of his bounce - then again he was never a hyperactive BT which is a whole different ball game!

bre16

You will probably find it will calm him down & as a responsible dog owner you should really get him done, rescues up & down the country are swamped with staffs & they are quite often put down because they are so hard to rehome . what food do you feed him? as some foods make dogs more hyper.

mum2one

we've got a 2 yr old springer spaniel, will be honest and say he is the 1st dog that we have had the chop, we had it done at 12months, for 2 reasons, one was humpies.... and 2nd he seemed to be like a testerone filled teenager.

The change in him was amazing, it quietened him down, stopped humpies, and made him calmer.

xx

jimimi

We feed him Jollyes dry food as it was the only one we could find that had no cereal in it, the people before were feeding him something else and his skin was really flakey and his coat was dull. I think this one really suits him cos he is so shiny now and doesn't have dandruff any more! I am definitely going to have him done, I just wanted to get other people's experiences on what their dogs were like after. There is a vet about 10 miles away from me that does it for £70 for a dog his size, I think that's really cheap as the one he is registered with said it would be £150. Do you think they would do it properly being so cheap?

jimimi

bre16 wrote: »

You will probably find it will calm him down & as a responsible dog owner you should really get him done, rescues up & down the country are swamped with staffs & they are quite often put down because they are so hard to rehome . what food do you feed him? as some foods make dogs more hyper.

I know, it's really sad that they are in rescues as they are lovely dogs really, they just have a bad reputation. They are probably the worst dogs to be in kennels as they love human company. I would rehome another, but my hubby thinks Max is too much of a handful as it is! I'd like a blue or white girl (obviously neutered).

bre16

jimimi wrote: »

We feed him Jollyes dry food as it was the only one we could find that had no cereal in it, the people before were feeding him something else and his skin was really flakey and his coat was dull. I think this one really suits him cos he is so shiny now and doesn't have dandruff any more! I am definitely going to have him done, I just wanted to get other people's experiences on what their dogs were like after. There is a vet about 10 miles away from me that does it for £70 for a dog his size, I think that's really cheap as the one he is registered with said it would be £150. Do you think they would do it properly being so cheap?

Was just asking about the food because I have a french mastiff x staff his previous owners fed him wagg which I then changed to james well beloved and there was a definite difference and a couple of weeks ago the only dog food I could get hold of was bakers, I will never feed him bakers ever again! he was mega hyper! I don't know what Jolleyes food is like so can't comment on that.
Regarding the cost of neutering have you looked into getting help from friends of the animals or similar charity?

hethmar

My boy had become nervous aggressive because he was disabled and other dogs tended to pick on him, so he decided that attack (well, a lot of growling and barking) was the best form of defence. Then we found he had managed to get out of the garden and was sitting 300 yards up the road (having hopped all the way) where a !!!!! was in season. We had him neutered for his own safety and yes, it did seem to calm him down re the aggression - at about the same time we got him a rescue boy companion (also neutered) who is a VERY laid back dog - I think a combination of the neutering and having a passive companion helped him. Not saying you should get another dog but certainly we found that having a very easy dog helped the other boy realise he didnt have to be noisy/aggressive to other dogs.

Caroline_a

Sometimes it's difficult to say as often the time you have the dog neutered is when he is coming out of the teenage stage so would have quietened down anyway. However... I would always get my dogs
done as it stops the wanting to get to any !!!!! on heat, plus I have no intention of breeding or showing either of mine, and it is simply the responsible thing to do.

It's interesting that most male horses are gelded but yet there is still this reluctance to get dogs neutered...

Paradigm

jimimi wrote: »

Hello

I was just wondering, has anyone who has had their male dog neutered noticed if it makes them calmer? I am just wondering as I am going to get our 1 yr old male Staffordshire Bull Terrier done and it would be great if it did calm him down a bit! He doesn't hump things or anything like that, he's just excitable, which is good, but he gets a bit much at times.

Thanks

To be fair he's a "teenager" & we know the problems they can cause

Yes, castration does change behaviour but it doesn't always remove the things we want it too or think it will! There's no guarantee it will calm him down.

At 12 months he isn't fully developed, personally I think it's too early... I'd give it another 6 months & let him fill out then look at having him done.