Does neutering affect behaviour/temperament?

[curly_locks]

I never got around to having Sonny castrated because it never seemed necessary - he gets on fine with almost all dogs he meets, he doesn't hump any one or anything and he doesn't seem terribly affected by female dogs, he's shown more interest in them when they're in season, but never had a chance to get very close.

He's still quite excitable in the house, he goes crazy for visitors, chases the cats and is convinced that any food I'm getting out of the cupboard/fridge must be for him. I think these problems are just down to my (lack of) training in these areas, they're minor annoyances but nothing I can't live with.

The problem is that he's snappy - he snapped at my DD a couple of weeks ago when she sat by his bed to stroke him and he has tonight snapped at my DS when he knelt down to give him a hug. I know these are things that children aren't supposed to do around dogs but they're young (6 & 5) and even when I'm there I can't control everything that happens. They are generally very good with him, they don't clamber on him or pull at him and they very rarely hug him or go near his bed or food. He has snapped at my DS in the past when he was guarding food (the kitchen bin), we worked on this and he seemed much better so I guess I'd stopped worrying so much about his behaviour.

My parents have suggested that he may calm down a bit if I have him castrated, I wondered if anyone had any opinions on this?

I will also be contacting a behaviourist tomorrow to see what they recommend. I love Sonny (as do the kids) but I don't think I can maintain the level of constant vigilance that I need to at the moment. I wanted a family dog and I've done my best to train him to be one but he seems to have no tolerance for the kids, at the moment I'm really worried that I'm going to have to try and re-home him

[elaine.e]

I'm sorry that you're having problems with Sonny at the moment and I can understand why you're looking for a solution.

I'm not an expert or a behaviourist, but my personal opinion is that castration may not be the answer and could even make things worse. I've never had any of my dogs castrated unless there's been a sound medical reason such as a retained/undescended testicle. One of my current Cockers, 3 year old Louis, has fear related problems around other dogs and around men following an incident when he was a puppy. A few people have suggested that castration will calm him down but I think it's more likely to make him more fearful than he is now. That's based on recent studies that are casting doubt on aspects of castration that used to be thought of as beneficial, including behaviour.

I'm certainly not saying that Sonny has problems like Louis does, but just pointing out that IMO castration may not be the answer.

Do you have a behaviourist in mind? There's been a few threads on COL about behaviourists in recent weeks with some recommendations and some to avoid. If you say which part of the country you're in somebody may be able to make a good recommendation.

[curly_locks]

Thanks Elaine, Sonny is my first dog and was quite a nervous puppy - the more I read (mostly on COL) about castration the more I though it might not be best for him. I did lots of training to help build his confidence and he has come on in leaps and bounds. I think his problem with the children is one of fear but I'm feeling a bit wobbly about my own judgement at the moment.

I'm in South Yorkshire, I'll have a look through recent threads to see if anyone local has been recommended.

[elaine.e]

As you're in Yorkshire why not start by contacting Mark (Top Barks) who is a regular on here and owns Cockers. http://www.topbarksfordogs.co.uk/

[Archie bean]

All my dogs have been snipped and I have to say I have never noticed any change in temperament with any of them. I really regret having  Archie done before he was fully mature. His behaviour was so difficult to manage and I let myself get talked into it by the vet who insisted it would calm him right down and solve all his aggressive guarding issues. It didn't make any difference and I now think it has stopped him maturing properly and left me with a norty puppy in an adult's body! 

[penguins87]

It's a difficult one to judge. after having my awfully aggressive springer 'done' it made no difference at all to his temperament . We left him until he was over a year about 16 months but it didn't help .

Then we had our cockers all girls and the first one done at two years old. Before being done her coat was amazing now it just grows all curly and is quite wirey . She was so quick and nimble . Could  outrun a squirrel or rabbit now the only time she goes quicker than anything else is when she is in the car ! And she is just three. Second one done at 18months and is now soooooo lazy when I drive out to the forest to walk her and let her off she runs back to the car !!
I'm just about to have our third and final girl 'done' she is 15months but I don't expect the same turnaround but we will see . She is an orange roan and can be quite difficult ! Fearful Barkley growls etc and not a great advert for owning a cocker really . I'm not sure there is a golden rule as its a
hormone thing and we all know how they effect people differently..

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

I'm not an expert or a behaviourist, but my personal opinion is that castration may not be the answer and could even make things worse. I've never had any of my dogs castrated unless there's been a sound medical reason such as a retained/undescended testicle. One of my current Cockers, 3 year old Louis, has fear related problems around other dogs and around men following an incident when he was a puppy. A few people have suggested that castration will calm him down but I think it's more likely to make him more fearful than he is now. That's based on recent studies that are casting doubt on aspects of castration that used to be thought of as beneficial, including behaviour.

A while ago the vet asked me about castrating Charlie, I said that I didn't want to as he is a bit nervous at times and I'd 'read' that if they were cut off it might knock his confidence (his main source of testosterone/confidence gone). The vet agreed. Could it be Sonny feels threatened by the kids in 'his space'?

Second one done at 18months and is now soooooo lazy when I drive out to the forest to walk her and let her off she runs back to the car !!

Charlie does this now...the only reason he actually goes on walks is because he knows if he doesn't walk, I'll make him - so he may as well do it.

[curly_locks]

Thanks for sharing your experiences everyone.

I think Mark AKA Top Barks is in York, we need someone who can come out to the house really, we contacted Mark when we had the initial problems with food guarding and it was too expensive to pay for his travel costs to Sheffield as well as the consultation fee (although I'm sure he's worth every penny ).

Dipsy, I think Sonny's problems are down to fear, he's very much my dog and I suppose just hasn't learnt to associate the children with 'good things' - I think they still make him nervous. I suppose I was just wondering if other people's experiences tied in with my parents' advice about neutering. I wouldn't listen to them on any other aspect of dog training, they are very much punishment based with their dogs. I think I'm just questioning my own judgement because I feel Sonny's problems are down to me.

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Would it help if the kids have him nice treats and his dinner?

Charlie is very much my dog you and if anyone gives me attention he's there on my knee, he's ok with them giving me attention so long as he gets some as well.

[elaine.e]

This might be useful http://www.apdt.co.uk/local_dog_trainers.asp It's a link to the APDT website page with details of APDT registered dog trainers in different areas. The link to South Yorkshire works from the page but I couldn't post it here directly for some reason.

[Holly Berry]

I have no experience of neutering male dogs, but can say that spaying hasn't affected the behaviour or temperament of any of my female dogs.

Another option you may want to look into is Tellington Touch or TTouch. I initially went on a seminar run by a TTouch practitioner, who is also a COL member a couple of years ago and then had a few 1:1 sessions for Rosie. She had become quite fearful following the loss of my 2 older cockers, as she found herself unable to cope meeting other dogs and some people. She probably was always fearful, it was just that Poppy had always done the sussing out. It was compounded when we got Ebony, as she now had to look out for a puppy as well.

The TTouch worked really well and now she is much better at coping. She will still woo woo at some dogs and occasionally at some people, but is so much better.

This explains more http://www.ttouchtteam.co.uk/TTouchwhatis.shtml

[Ninasmum]

I hope you manage to sort out the situation, its always a worry with children.
It could be something as simple as the kiddies body language that sets Sonny off 
As Elaine suggested i would def. call in a reputable behavourist asap, they can observe the interaction between your children & Sonny to advise/help. 
Personally i wouldn't advise having Sonny castrated atm.    it really does depend on each individual dog wether castration can change their behaviour. 

[twiceover2]

I don't know whether neutering affects behaviour or not.  We had Barney neutered at 13 months and I didn't notice any change in his temperament but he has always been a big softie and still is.  At the time Pippa's breeder wouldn't allow us to have her with an uncastrated male dog in the house so we agreed to get him done.  If we hadn't been getting Pippa I wouldn't have had him done as it has affected his coat, making it fluffy and lighter, and I think the health advantages and disadvantages cancel each other out.  I would try a behaviourist before going down the route of castration.

[mlynnf50]

IMO I do t think it makes an y difference, I know in some countries now it's illegal to castrate dogs,

I do know how you feel, but I would certainly try a behaviorist first.  Selby can be like this too if any comes in the house he is just awful, but luckily we don't have children (well we do but they are grown up) I had a golden retriever when they were young and they could just do anything with him.

I do hope you can sort it.

[Karma]

Castration can change behaviour - and can make a nervous dog more anxious. 

I also think you are under-estimating your children - my eldest is only 2, but knows fine well not to bother Honey when she is in her bed, or to give her a hug... Honey is not very tolerant of children in general, and we've had to do a lot of work on mutual trust - it's been a hard couple of years, but Honey has learned to relax around the children... but only because they (well, the older one, as younger one is only 6 months) know to respect her space.  Yes, Isobel has pushed the boundaries a bit, and there have been occassional woofs and warnings, but just the other day Isobel saw that Honey was eating something in the kitchen, so went the long way around so as not to walk past her while she was eating. 

I would definately get a reputable behaviourist in - the fact that he snaps rather than growls does worry me... normally a growl is an early warning signal that a dog isn't comfortable and a snap is generally the next step up.  It may be that he needs somewhere he can retreat to that is entirely off limits to children.  I would also encourage your children to hand-feed him treats - again, Isobel loves to do this.  Don't ask him to sit or anything when your children offer him treats - he needs to feel free to move as he feels comfortable - and he should approach the children for the treat, not having the children approach him.... A behaviourist may be able to point out some of his early warning signals which would mean he doesn't need to escalate to a snap - and work on the children's interactions with him.

It's hard work juggling children and a dog, especially when the dog isn't 100% straightforward - but it is possible to manage it!