About Neutering Behavior

Neutering or spaying dogs can have many benefits.

Neutering dogs can have many benefits for pets and their owners, including improved behavior from your dog. Though all behavior problems will not be instantly resolved, they will be drastically improved. Additionally, neutering can protect your dogs' health and the welfare of family members or other pets. Neutering prevents over-population of unwanted dogs. If owners neuter their pets, the chances of the scores of healthy, loving dogs ending up in shelters or euthanized would drastically decrease.

Will Neutering a Dog Correct Behavior Issues?

Neutering is not guaranteed to fix aggressive or fearful behavior in dogs.

Neutering is not a magical cure for all your dog's behavior problems, and there is no guarantee that his behavior will change after the surgery. Though neutering removes most of the testosterone from his system, the effects of neutering on behavior depends on your dog's personality, health and history. Neutering will not completely change fearful or aggressive behavior unless this behavior is related to access to female dogs. If your dog is still aggressive after surgery, you should seek professional advice from your veterinarian. She may refer you to a dog behavior specialist.

Time Frame

The longer you wait to neuter, the more ingrained your dog's behavior will become.

Though healthy dogs can be neutered well into adulthood, behavior issues are more likely to clear up the sooner you neuter. Puppies, if they are healthy, can be neutered as young as eight weeks. Typically, the safest time to neuter dogs is between 6 to 9 months old.The longer you wait to neuter, the more habitual his unruly behavior becomes and the harder it is to break him of it. For instance, you may never be able to house train some male dogs, especially terrier and hound breeds, if you wait too long to neuter. For best results with behavioral issues, you should neuter before he reaches one year old. However, you should seek advice from your veterinarian for the best time to neuter.

Behavior Issues Begin at Adolescence

Unpleasant behavior begins in adolescence.

Adolescence in dogs occurs around 6 to 18 months. Adolescence is a difficult time for dogs because the testosterone levels increase sharply--even rising above the levels in an adult male.This increase in testosterone brings about certain unpleasant behaviors such as indoor urine marking, mounting, aggression toward male dogs or in defense of his territory, and the desire to escape and roam to hunt for females in heat.

Behavior Issues Neutering May Fix

Non-neutered (called intact) males behave erratically and have difficulty concentrating, eating or sleeping when a female dog in heat is near. For this reason, neutering your dog makes it easier to train him for obedience, dog sports or service positions.

Furthermore, though your intact male may be as sweet-tempered as a kitten for the first couple of years, age three tends to be the primary time when male dogs become most aggressive and likely to attack. Children are most vulnerable to these attacks. Not all intact males are hyper-aggressive, and some breeds are more prone to this behavior than others. However, you should be aware that the risk of attack is heightened. Owners of large breed dogs, if they are not breeders, should consider neutering their dog since attacks can be more severe, even fatal. When a dogs are neutered, they typically become less aggressive and the risk of attack is somewhat diminished. They are easier to socialize and to take in public for walks in the park, to play at the dog park and to be around other people and dogs.

Why Your Neutered Dog Still Mounts

Mounting is normal, instinctual behavior for every dog.

Even after neutering your dog, it is normal for your dog to exhibit mounting, humping and other sexual behaviors. Puppies and dogs will mount each other as a means of requesting play. Dogs also mount one another as a display of dominance and establishing a pecking order or hierarchy; this relates to their wolf cousins who have such a power structure in place. Mounting may be an attention seeking behavior, especially if you freak out every time he mounts something. Mounting behavior may also be related to stress, boredom, conflict or excitement. This is normal behavior for dogs, though it embarrasses humans.

What to Do about Your Dog's Mounting Behavior

Your dog may have underlying health issues if he mounts too much.

A neutered dog still has instinctual impulses. However, if his mounting behavior is excessive, injurious or compulsive, there may be underlying medical issues such as a retained testicle or a urinary tract infection. He may also have a hormonal dysfunction, a thyroid problem or an adrenal tumor. If there are no medical afflictions, the veterinarian may refer you to a dog behavior specialist.

If your veterinarian finds no underlying health issues, and your dog continues to mount everything in the house after neutering, here are some tips to help manage his behavior:

* Ignore or avoid it. He could be seeking your attention.
* Distract him when the behavior begins. Throw a toy or take him for a quick walk.
* Make sure he gets plenty of exercise every day. He may be bored or have an excess of energy.
* Consider obedience training, so he will listen when you tell him "no," "down" or "off."
* Use drug therapy. This is an extreme measure for severe cases and should be monitored by your veterinarian.

References

• The Canine Behavior Series
• Sexual Behavior in Neutered Dogs
• ASPCA Virtual Pet Behaviorist