Are you looking to lessen or even prevent significant health issues and behavioural problems in your pet? The veterinarians recommend pet owners ensure their pet is neutered or spayed at an early age, typically about 4 to 6 months. One of the most critical questions that an insurance provider for pets will ask potential applicants is to determine if their pet has been neutered or spayed. Particularly, neutered (intact) males face a greater likelihood of developing various illnesses later in life, including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and others.
Health Benefits of Neutering
- Reduce female attraction by reducing their roaming behaviour and sexual mounting. It is possible to reduce roaming in 90% of dog breeds and sexual mounting within 66% of dogs.
- Urine marks are the most common form of territorial behaviour among canines. Neutering decreases the marking of around 50 per cent of the dogs.
- The aggression between males can be decreased to around 60% in canines.
- The dominance of aggression is sometimes decreased. However, behavioural changes are essential for complete suppression.
Why Neutering Is Important
In addition to health concerns, intact male dogs may cause their owners stress because of behavioural problems related to their testosterone levels. Even miles away, male dogs can smell a female in heat. They may work very hard to escape from their home or yard in search of the female. Un-neutered male dogs are at a much higher risk of being hit by cars, getting lost, fighting with other male dogs, and often suffering other accidents while travelling far from home.
The majority of neutered dogs can be better pets for the family. According to experts, roaming has been decreased and almost eliminated in most male canines. This is true regardless of the amount of time since getting neutered. Marking, aggression among dogs, and mounting are reduced mainly by about 60%.
It would help if you considered getting your animal neutered by the date recommended by your vet. Neutering is not recommended as an alternative to proper training. It can reduce the likelihood of certain behaviours in certain instances but not eliminate them entirely.
Remember that the only behavior changes by neutering is those affected by the male hormone testosterone. Dogs’ personalities and ability to train, learn, and hunt are the outcome of genetics and the environment, not testosterone levels. Other aspects, including the level of masculinity and postures for urination, are determinable as a fetus develops.
Neutered Dog Behavior
Although testosterone levels fall to near 0 levels within hours of surgery, the dog will always be a male. You can’t change genetics. The dog will always be capable of certain male-typical behaviours. The only difference is that he will display them with less conviction or dedication than before. And despite our human tendencies to feel sorry for him, a dog is not self-conscious about his body or appearance. After surgery, your dog likely only cares about where his next meal will come from.
Dr Nicholas Dodman, a veterinarian and behavioural specialist at the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, likes to use the metaphor of a lamp with a dimmer switch to define the characteristics of neutered dogs. The doctor says, “Following castration, the switch is turned down, but not off, and the result is not darkness but a dim glow.”
Male dogs should be neutered. It does more than just control the population of pets. However, it also offers beneficial medical and behavioural benefits. This can reduce unwanted behaviours, avoid frustration, and improve the quality of your dog’s life. Consider it an expense that is only once to get a lifetime of memories.