Tyler, my Aussie, was castrated 2 weeks ago and was wondering IF being castrated were to calm him down and make him less agressive towards other males how long would it be before I noticed the change in him, bearing in mind he is only 2 years old.

It can take up to 9 months for the penny to drop. Do not count on castration sorting the temperament problem out though. Good luck!

Sorry to say removing their bits does not alway change their temperment. And if it does it is not alway in a way you had hoped. So it is finger cross time but I doubt it will make any different to learned behaviour, a training course would work better for that.

It can take at least 6 months to even have an effect, so be patient with this one. Was/is his aggression dominant/hormone related, if it is, then castration may help, if not then it probably won't.

I would start socialising again from scratch and not reply on the castration as jackie has already said, then if it does help, this will be a bonus, if not at least you have tackled the problem already.

manda
X
:)

Hi Freeway,
It made no difference whatsoever, when I had my aussie male neutered and he had a fairly bad temperament problem. I did manage to sort out most of his problems myself, but I must admit, I was disappointed that neutering him, had no effect. He was done at the age of 4 years, so I don't know if it would have had more effect if he had been done when he was younger.
Good Luck with Tyler.....
Gabrielle

Hi Freeway,
When we had our last Aussie castrated the vet said it would take 3 to 4 months for hormone levels to change, but to be honest I wish I had never had him castrated at all. He just got more aggressive as time went on - ended up he couldn't stand male dogs and just attacked them for no reason. My present Aussie is just over 12 months, and I've more or less decided that he won't be castrated - unless he has to be in future for any health reasons (such as cysts).
I hope you have better luck with Tyler anyway! You will at least know in a few months whether castration has any effect, though I would unfortunately think it doubtful.
Hilda

As I do rescue all my dogs are s/n. I have seen great behavioural changes in some dogs, no changes in other but I have never seen a dog chenge for the worst. To neuter a dog for a behavioural problem is sometimes a plain waste of time, as training is here essential and in most of the cases there is no *quick* solution to a problem. Proper socialisation/obedience training etc is the key to a happy and safe dog.

Taylor

Hi Taylor,
I agree to a certain extent - socialisation and training are important, but even that isn't going to change a dog's temperament. My Aussie was incredibly well socialised (much more so than our present Aussie who loves everyone), and he was also obedience trained to a high standard - however that didn't change his 'character' - he still hated male dogs after he was castrated and even attacked a child.
Hilda

One of the problems with castration is that it may make a dogwho is unsure, or inclined towards nervousness with other dogs, worse. This is because the hormone testosterone gives the dog confidence, so if it is taken away, then a dog's confidence to deal with other dogs in a social way may dwindle and so it may then get more aggressive in a defensive way - a sort of "I'll strike first so you won't get me" scenario.

It really depends a lot on the dog, I personally would never recommend castrating a nervous dog for that reason.

Lindsay

Hi Lindsay,

I totally agree with you, unfortunately I have seen this so many time and often when they are neutered too young and they have actually got worse as they grew up!!!

People get quite upset when they call you out to sort their problem, only to be told that part of their problem was neutering or neutering too young....it's such a shame!! :(

manda
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"part of their problem was neutering or neutering too young"

Is there any veterinary proof that neutering/neutering to young will cause problems? Have the BVA or the equivalent run any studies to find out if this is the case? :-) I believe certain countries have a policy of neutering at a very early age eg: 8 weeks, something that has been debated at length on the forum in the past. If I remember correctly, there was no proof that early neutering caused any long terms problems, but if you can point me in the direction of any official data on this subject, I for one would be interested to read it.

Hello Admin,

This is behaviourist talk, the vets are very keen to get all dogs spayed and neutered early to help stop the problem of unwanted dogs, as do the rescue centres etc, but I have seen all too many time the problems that this can cause.

Personally and from behaviour/training experience, the later you can leave neutering the better, not only from the physical point of view, as someone said, the growth plates need to fuse properly and the dog needs to be fully grown or you often get lanky, leggy, imature looking animals. It's similar to castrating horses, those done early look like mares and those done late look like stallions and have the lovely stallion crest on their neck.

Behaviour wise, it often makes nervous or potentially nervous dogs nervous/aggressive because you have removed their confidence boosting hormones.

Unfortunately, vets don't have much experience with behaviour and may not even see the dog again after it has been neutered and wouldn't see it long enough to properly notice their body and looks or to study their behaviour.

As far as I know, there is no official data, but this was also debated in the dog paper "Dog World" a while ago and there are some very technical and interesting facts in there. If you get the paper, have a look back, can't remember exactly when, but it was definately this year....dosn't really help much I know. :D

manda
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Back copies of DW are not a problem. I will have a search when I get a moment :-)

Vets actually say you should consider neuturing from 6 mnths on as many people on here dont seem to like the idea it is the thing to do if you do not intend to breed your dog and safer than having him run off in search of a female and could get hurt and it also prevents testicular cancer so i agree from early neuturing people have stated no change in their dogs but they have had them done at ages of 3 and 4 years so therefor the dog is set in his ways

Hi Lindsay,
That makes a lot of sense!
Hilda

I think this is an issue where maybe vets need ecuating a little, as by the time a dog gets to a trainer or behaviourist, as Manda has said, associated problems are difficult to solve, yet many vets and it has to be said some trainers, (no not you Manda <g>) will suggest this as a solution :( as on the surface I suppose it does make sense.

Lindsay

Educate a vet!! Is that possible!! :P

LOL one can always hope ;)

Lindsay

you may mock but where do you take your animals if they are sick and do you give them the treatment perscribed? :)

Vets are undoubtedly experts in their field which is the diagnosis and care of animal disease. animal husbandry and animal breeding, genetics are not neccesarily something they have a deep knowledge of.

Many vets have never witnesssed a normal canine birth, and often have a very slanted idea about canine health, as they see mainly animals with problems, as other than inoculations the healthy dogs do not need to see the vet.

Most vets will also not be aware how the appearance and general demeanor of a male of a particular breed is affected. Most people who want a male of a particular breed are drawn to the male look, which if they neuter before puberty they will not get. What they end up with is a callow gangly bitchy looking animal, lacking in the secondary sex characteristics.

:D

Absolutely right, Brainless.
:)

Unless your vet also breeds, Brainless ;)

Ah, those who do are usually worth their weight in gold! I have had one such, and could really talk to and get on well with her.

Well strictly speaking its her father that breeds but she's a very sensible woman all round.