# Dog neutering in older dogs



## beckc09 (Apr 8, 2012)

Hi Everybody, 
I have a male staff who is 7, he was my brothers dog but now my brother and his girlfriend are having a baby so I am going to take him on. As he was my brothers dog he has never had his dog neutering done (because my brother couldn't accept the idea). 
He is usually alright with most dogs but I do worry as he is defenceless with his muzzle on so if he growls and snaps at other dogs and winds them up I fear they could attack him. He isn't off of the lead much because he was never formally trained - to be honest he has always been loved to death but never been treated like a 'dog'.
It is always male dogs that he goes for and almost always others who have their manhood in tact - I really want to get him done but understand this is a major operation at his age.
Any advice would be great.

Thanks
Charlotte


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

We had to have our Chessie done at 3 due to worsening behaviour, however due to him being very sick as a 2 year old the behaviour had only just surfaced. He is very even tempered now.
Many years ago I rescued an older JRT and had him neutered also at about 3, his behaviour was already set and though he did improve a little, he was always and forever a little s**t


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## cinnamontoast (Oct 24, 2010)

If he's dog aggressive aged 7, I really doubt his behaviour will change now if neutered. You're better off trying to teach a solid 'watch' command and distract with treats when he sees other dogs. 

We have a very dog aggressive dog and frankly, I avoid popular paths or I very politely tell people he's aggressive and would they mind recalling their dog as I don't want it hurt.


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

beckc09 said:


> Hi Everybody,
> I have a male staff who is 7, he was my brothers dog but now my brother and his girlfriend are having a baby so I am going to take him on. As he was my brothers dog he has never had his dog neutering done (because my brother couldn't accept the idea).
> He is usually alright with most dogs but I do worry as he is defenceless with his muzzle on so if he growls and snaps at other dogs and winds them up I fear they could attack him.
> 
> ...


Castration is not a "maor operation" at any age.

I doubt very much if castration is going to affect this dog's outlook as by 7 years old all his reactions are learned behaviour.

It has worked, he has perfected strategies to cope.

The simple thing is to either keep the dog on a lead or long line or teach the dog simple obedience like a reliable recall.

Then it does not matter HOW grumpy your dog is with others, you can keep him out of trouble.

Please do not treat castration as some sort of magic wand that, once waved, turns a DA dog into a "hail fellow well met" individual.

It will not.


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## Malmum (Aug 1, 2010)

My last dog was a Staffie and he was neutered at ten because he had prostatitis and the vet said it would help prevent future attack. He came home from the op fit as a fiddle and like nothing had happened, all happy and full of beans! 

They are tough dogs and neutering is not a big op like spaying a bitch. Don't think it will help his DA though but it will protect against testicular cancer and prostatitis in the future.


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## beckc09 (Apr 8, 2012)

Thanks everybody all of your replies are much appreciated. I would like him to be a bit more calm for his own sake, I am swayed by neutering as I know male dogs are prone to cancers and other health problems in later life if they have not had it done - if it doesn't calm him then I would think it was still a good option just for the medical benefits. I thought this was a bigger operation than you have all said so that has made me feel a bit better and I have learned something new ! 
I would never intentionally put him in a situation where he has to 'protect' himself smokeybear but I will not be keeping him away from all other dogs as he is fine with the vast majority and wears a muzzle so can't hurt them - I always speak to owners and explain that he might be a bit funny if their dog is a male who has not been neuted but of course you will always get dogs who approach and their owners are no where to be seen or miles away.

cinammontoast - my brother used to avoid other dogs with Galis, walk him late or early and take him in the other direction if he saw dogs off of leads - all in all it didn't help his temperament because he saw other dogs as a threat - I would rather him snap at a couple than not have contact with any at all as I think socialising is really important for them all.
The muzzle I use is not invasive at all, he can lick, smell and drink through it - it fits right over the mouth (I hate cloth muzzles) and acts as a 'cage' - he can do everything other dogs can do accept bite so maybe try that?

I am definitely working on recall with him and have taught him quite a lot of late, sitting at roads, waiting for treats etc etc - although getting him to 'drop' things is a totally different story at the moment unfortunately!


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## beckc09 (Apr 8, 2012)

Thanks everybody all of your replies are much appreciated. I would like him to be a bit more calm for his own sake, I am swayed by neutering as I know male dogs are prone to cancers and other health problems in later life if they have not had it done - if it doesn't calm him then I would think it was still a good option just for the medical benefits. I thought this was a bigger operation than you have all said so that has made me feel a bit better and I have learned something new ! 
I would never intentionally put him in a situation where he has to 'protect' himself smokeybear but I will not be keeping him away from all other dogs as he is fine with the vast majority and wears a muzzle so can't hurt them - I always speak to owners and explain that he might be a bit funny if their dog is a male who has not been neuted but of course you will always get dogs who approach and their owners are no where to be seen or miles away. 

cinammontoast - my brother used to avoid other dogs with Galis, walk him late or early and take him in the other direction if he saw dogs off of leads - all in all it didn't help his temperament because he saw other dogs as a threat - I would rather him snap at a couple than not have contact with any at all as I think socialising is really important for them all.
The muzzle I use is not invasive at all, he can lick, smell and drink through it - it fits right over the mouth (I hate cloth muzzles) and acts as a 'cage' - he can do everything other dogs can do accept bite so maybe try that?

I am definitely working on recall with him and have taught him quite a lot of late, sitting at roads, waiting for treats etc etc - although getting him to 'drop' things is a totally different story at the moment unfortunately!


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## ClaireandDaisy (Jul 4, 2010)

Since your brother hasn`t trained, socialised or neutered his dog it sounds like the dog is having a lucky escape. Let`s hope your brother is a bit more active about child rearing. 
Yes, castration will help if the dog is simply being pushy. If, however, the dog is posturing because he is frightened or anxious, castration will make it worse. 
So you need to address the behaviour in any case, no matter if you neuter or not. 
Have a read of Jean Donaldson`s Fight! 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fight-Pract...2969/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333960445&sr=8-1
which will help you retrain the dog. 
Good Luck and well done for taking him in.


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

Posting and dashing, but the only cancer I think from memory he will be more prone to without his testicles, is testicular cancer, which is a very low risk. Other than that, neutered dogs have a higher incidence of many cancers:

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf


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## toffee44 (Oct 21, 2011)

Buster was neutered at 5yo this year all its done is kind of calm him down...a bit. Him and Dylan still have the odd mumble at each other and door guarding.


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## Guest (Apr 10, 2012)

i had my bichon frise done at 4yrs old last year, he has become aggressive after castration i think its only to do with his sex drive not been able to have a go. he snaps at other dogs now that still has their manhoods attached also he still humps

so all i am going to say is No castration of a dog is not a major operation and he will recover in the same day, with the cone of shame!!! all it does is calms them down and makes them alot quieter

thats my opinion dont know what anyone else thinks


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## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

It is a slightly bigger operation than castrating a 6 month pup as the testicles are bigger and the blood vessels are better developed but apart from that it is exactly the same and the after care and recovery are the same.

There are many good reasons for castrating a dog but at 7 you are the only one that can judge whether has behaviour that can definitely be improved. Aggression probably wont be altered but if he is overly interested in bitches in season or your neighbours have entire bitches or you have to walk in an area that has a lot of bitches being walked then you might decide it is a good idea. It is highly unlikely to do any harm.


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## rottiemum (Apr 12, 2011)

beckc09 said:


> Hi Everybody,
> I have a male staff who is 7, he was my brothers dog but now my brother and his girlfriend are having a baby so I am going to take him on. As he was my brothers dog he has never had his dog neutering done (because my brother couldn't accept the idea).
> He is usually alright with most dogs but I do worry as he is defenceless with his muzzle on so if he growls and snaps at other dogs and winds them up I fear they could attack him. He isn't off of the lead much because he was never formally trained - to be honest he has always been loved to death but never been treated like a 'dog'.
> It is always male dogs that he goes for and almost always others who have their manhood in tact - I really want to get him done but understand this is a major operation at his age.
> ...


Hello! 
I have to agree with most responses, in that it probably wouldn't be that major of an operation, and that he should recover well. 
As for whether it would change his dog aggression, I can't say.

However, I would suggest that it is never too late to 'teach an old dog new tricks' - have you considered training (a good 'watch' or 'look' command can work wonders) or seeing a behaviourist?

I think it's good you have him muzzled - for his sake as well as that of others - but I agree that it is your responsibility not to let him get into situations where he could 'wind up' other dogs enough to become a target.

By the way, good for you for taking him on!


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## beckc09 (Apr 8, 2012)

Thanks for all new replies - first port of call is to change his vet - he is with Pets at home and I have taken him twice - I have now come to the conclusion it is a 'conveyer belt' vet who ALWAYS sells you stuff and doesn't get to the root of the problem (He had ear infection deep down in his canal - I got told 'its a bit pink, keep an eye on it! - so took him back and said nobody even looked inside he needs to be re-checked....turned out this infection could have turned into ear worm and been really bad! Second time he was licking his paw and wasn't quite himself, I took him straight there.... probably should have looked at it myself first but didn't wasnt to risk it getting infected from his licking - the vet poked and prodded his paw and he went a little bit mad, growling etc when he NEVER growls at humans, its the first time... she said there was nothing wrong with his paw - took him home and looked closely while he was asleep - he had a huge split right down the middle of one of his nails which went further up than i could see so put him in a bath with disinfectant daily and after lots of running, exploring it snapped off and now a new one is growing - moral of the story is, the vet was usless TWICE so I hate to think how many dogs/cats etc are walking round with problems because their owners trusted the vets when they were told nothing was wrong!)...... Rant over.

I see there are loads of pros and cons with neuting - he is fine with bitches, he tried to hump 1 (in her ear) then gave up.... so thats not a problem, no leg humpin etc from him - females in season have snapped at him but he doesn't do anything in that situation. 

I think I will keep an eye on him but for now I believe he will always be a snappy dog with other males - he is 95% a good boy all the time, its just the odd occasion I need to watch out for!

I tried to post pictures but I am still quite new to this forum! Coming soon


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## cinnamontoast (Oct 24, 2010)

When you're writing a post, there's a paperclip symbol above the box: click on this to upload pics direct from the computer. Alternatively, create a (free) Photobucket account and copy/paste the img code onto your post. Tis embeds the pictures so they're visible without people needing to click on links.


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## Jarvie (Mar 10, 2012)

neutering provides protection against prostate cancer which is particulalry rife in dogs...so if for no other reason, neuter your little chap. i neutered my dog at 6, though he was never aggressive, it did stop him from peeing in my christmas tree!


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