Does Neutering Dogs Help Stop Them From Being Aggressive?

Neutering male dogs has many benefits, among them the fact that a neutered dog will be less inclined to be aggressive. When done by a veterinarian in a medical setting, the procedure is reasonably safe and the animal will recover quickly. The dog will benefit most if he is neutered before his first birthday.

  1. Definition

    • The veterinary procedure called neutering (or castration) involves removing the testicles of male animals. Veterinarians recommend neutering male dogs for reasons both medical and behavioral, but one of the most important is that doing so will decrease the dog's aggressive tendencies.

    Testosterone

    • Dr. Race Foster, D.V.M., who writes for the pet education website Doctors Foster and Smith, explains that androgenic hormones, of which testosterone is the most important, affect many behaviors in dogs, including sexual and aggressive actions. "Regardless of which category [of behavior] we are talking about," he writes, "most of the unwanted characteristics or conditions are caused by the male hormone testosterone, which is produced within the testicle." Removing the testicles effectively puts a stop to these unwanted behaviors.

    Curbing Aggression by Neutering

    • Dogs that have been neutered are less inclined to be territorial and to aggressively protect their space. They also are less likely to run away from home in search of sexual partners, or to get into fights over those prospective partners. Dr. Foster writes that female dogs in heat give off pheromones, which can move through the air for miles. Intact male dogs can sense these pheromones and will gladly travel those miles for the chance to mate with the female. A neutered dog, on the other hand, can't sense pheromones and thus will have no sexual interest in a female dog in heat.

    When to Neuter

    • You'll get the best results from neutering your dog if you have it done before he turns one year old. The surgery usually takes place when a dog is between five and eight months old, but many humane shelters are neutering puppies as young as six weeks old. The main issue in neutering animals that young is that they may respond poorly to anesthesia. Aside from that, they grow and develop as normally as dogs neutered later in life. In most cases, dogs recover from the surgery surprisingly quickly.

    Neutering, Not Vasectomy

    • According to Dr. Foster, at one point during the 1970s, it became popular to perform vasectomies on dogs rather than to neuter them, but this only prevents male dogs from producing offspring. The procedure has no effect on other undesirable behaviors, including aggression, and consequently has fallen out of favor among vets.