Hi gazrob.
We had a male springer (Digger
) before the female cocker we now have.
Digger was never castrated. The vets advised us of all the things that could happen but none of them did so we left him be. He was the gentlest most unaffected dog you could ever meet and didn't have an aggressive bone in his body.
However, he did get attacked from time to time-once quite badly by a pair of German shepherds and sadly, right near the end of his 15 year life some nasty little (uncastrated) lurcher took a huge deep bite out of him when he was just plodding along home. He never retaliated in any way to any of these or the more minor attacks.
Having watched the situation throughout his life we concluded these things (not saying we're right):
1) Some intact male dogs always have a bit of a competition going on, so they have to assert whose on top if they meet another one.
2) If there is a female on heat anywhere in the area that competition suddenly becomes really intense.
3) Dogs don't cut any slack so if you are the weakest you will be told (as in the attack on our old failing boy).
4) and I have noticed our girl does this.. some situations can spill over. Our girl is really well socialised but there has been the odd time when she's been a bit snappy, and I've notiiced when she's been bashed around by bigger dogs 'playing' which had obviously stressed her out so that when we came round the corner and met her friend she started on her- and then realised who it was and stopped.
5) Some dogs are just nasty.
You're right-you shouldn't have to castrate your dog because of others- your dog hasn't done anything wrong., but if I had an entire male that was the attacker I would do the decent thing!
Hope your boy is ok.