I had my 12 month dog neutered about ten days ago because he has started to try and dominate my older boy,and just before he was neutered he took a bite out of him,the older boy is clearly frightened of him,and he is such a gentle soul,but in reality if he wanted he could knock the younger one into next week because he is very big and quite powerful.

My question is when should i start to see a difference in his behaviour,and will the dominance subside? He also growls a lot when anyone comes to the door,but is okay when the person enters,he then settles.

I had a lot of angst thinking about getting him neutered,i just hope i have done the right thing.

Hate to tell you now but it probably will not make any difference - all males go through this stage when the reach puberty but they should never bite that is a training or temperament problem. You do not say the breed and it may have a bearing on the behaviour so it could help to know, should we see a clue in your name.

Yes, he is a Borzoi,and you are possibly right, it might not make much difference, but i had no intention of ever breeding from him. It,s funny because he is fine with his litter brother,who in turn is a much more laid back dog,and does not ever challenge, but he  has only to glance at the now  neutered dog and the glance puts him in his place,and he is wonderful to the older dog,sometimes i think i will never understand dog behaviour.

I had a borzoi neutered many years ago because he showed aggression towards other dogs when he was out,and the effect it had on him was rapid almost like a week.

Normally I would say it takes at least a week for the testosterone levels to drop enough to begin to be noticeable, teenage dogs can and do behave like teenage humans and with the rush or hormones at the start of puberty they can try pushing their luck but as adults the males are usually calm gentlemanly dogs, hound are usually able to learn to live with other males with no problem once the teenage period passes.

If in the other dog you noticed a difference in his behaviour in a week I would think perhaps he was feeling unwell or perhaps his stitches were pulling. Had one of my males age 11 done about 5 weeks ago and there is no difference in his behaviour as yet not that he was done to change his behaviour but I would expect him to start to act his age soon.

Normally I would say it takes at least a week for the testosterone levels to drop enough to begin to be noticeable,

Just noticed what I had written I meant of course at least 3 weeks.

It,s just been eight days,so there is plenty of time to see an improvement.(hopefully) At the moment he still is trying to be top dog.

Apparently it can take months for the testosterone levels to reduce. They remain fertile for up to 3 months. I had my male Golden neutered for aggression donkey's years ago. I was extremely vigilant for a whole year and then I noticed that if he did meet a dog that I hadn't seen coming, he was fine with it and he was 6  when I had him castrated. I would say 6 months minimum before true behaviour modification is seen. Meanwhile, as already said, it is a case of managing his behaviour with your other dog. Many people will not agree as most on here are adamantly against neutering ( I suppose that is in the nature of breeders) but I think that you did the right thing. It may help and it won't do any harm.  You didn't want to breed with him so life will be easier generally with a neutered dog. Hope it works.

Just to add I'd step it up a notch with exercise and training.

>Many people will not agree as most on here are adamantly against neutering  ( I suppose that is in the nature of breeders)

Sorry G rets but I strongly disagree with this statement. I am not a breeder but been on here for 8 + years and when there has been a problem with a dog I have hardly ever heard anything against people recommending neutering. The thing is, if a dog is of dubious temprement then he should not be bred from, so the good breeders will opt for neutering or being VERY careful to stop accidents. The same way as I see the breeders advocating Spaying for bitches that no longer want to be bred, or need it. as it saves emergencys and pain for the bitch in the future.
Lea.

Most breeders are against pre-pubescent neutering (which interferes with the natural growth and maturation process) and unnecessary castration of male dogs where there is no need to do so.  Castration will only help with issues if they re directly related to the effects of testosterone, so not a cure all, or a replacement for proper management and training.

Neutering can also make some behaviour  problems worse if they are due to fear/nervousness/lack of confience.

No animal of either sex need reproduce without the owner wishing it.  The bitches reproductive cycle is not that difficultly to understand and manage, is usually pretty obvious in it's signs (unlike cats who will keep coming back into heat until mated), so again no hurry to neuter until full maturity is reached.

If not needed in a breeding program, spaying in many instances is a better choice than not, but not in all, as with some breeds excessive coat growth can lead to issues, and also some large breeds are very prone to spay incontinence which causes welfare issues.

What exactly is he doing to the older dog?  I'm wondering if it's more of a bullying thing rather than dominance per se, if he knows that the other dog won't stand up for himself.

Definitely up the training, time out as soon as he starts whatever it is he's doing and reward any interactions that *aren't* bullying/dominance/whatever it is.

I also wonder if neutering might exacerbate things, temporarily - it's a big hormonal change and could be making him feel a bit off-kilter.

"Neutering can also make some behaviour  problems worse if they are due to fear/nervousness/lack of confidence." Yes this is sadly what happened to our dog. He became even more reactive after neutering, to the point where his fear aggression was redirected to my husband. :-( It is not a cure-all, and should be considered with caution.

Neutering a teenager is not the best of ideas but in this case it is too late to change the deed is done.

Forget about the problem being caused by hormones as it is not likely and concentrate on training and wait till the lad grows up and matures. Unfortunately the neutering may delay this some what or even altogether so training is very important as is keeping the mind and body busy.

He actually bit top of the older dogs back,not a massive bite, but still broke the skin and needed attention,they were in the kitchen,did not see what caused that.

When he was around seven months he started quietly growling at the older dog,especially round about feeding time,so now older dog stays out of his way.

He plays rough when outside, again with biting and pulling out fur,he gets over excited,so have decided not to let the older boy out with the two young ones,they play fine together and no problem.

All three of them live indoors,so if they all want to go out together,i restrain him and let the older dog out of the door first,try to let him see that he is the leader,always feed older dog first. They have bones almost daily,but they have them away from each other,and i always clear them away,they are never left lying,so no squabbles an occur.

He is very respectful towards me, so that is not a problem,in fact they all are,all very gentle and loving,but i try to be aware when they are in close proximity of each other.