We have a 3-year old golden boy who is not neutered. He behaved very well except that he may not be able to keep calm when meeting some big male dogs (never had any problem with smaller dogs.) He may growl or bark, but there wasn't serious fight because they were just warning each other. Until recently, he fought with big male dogs twice. I was so sad when I saw that he was trying to bite the other dogs during the fights.

I decided to neuter him, but my husband was not happy with that... He loves our boy so much and he's afraid the neuter may change the dog's personality.

Do you have suggestions on how to persuade my husband?
Thank you!

I guess the first thing I have to say as somebody who now is back to owning 2 intact dogs..... it does not make them dog aggressive. And neutering him probably won't make him suddenly dog friendly. I think neutering will remove motivation for the macho posturing - if that is what is going on with those fights. If your dog has a fear of other dogs and feels threatened by big dogs - especially now he's gotten into fights with them, that is not going to go away.

Regardless of your decision to neuter or not, I would seriously consider stop turning him loose with other dogs.

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Always loved, never forgotten, all our previous boys -

We neutered our 3 year old Gambler in August and his personality has not changed at all. The only difference I see is that he doesn't mark or pee as often on our walks. None of our other males had personality changes either.

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Dis is da gamboi an da Gussee an angels BoBo an Emmikins

"What we have enjoyed we never lose. All that we loved deeply becomes a part of us." Helen Keller

Thank you for the opinion. I totally agree and understand. I'm not expecting the neuter will 100% fix the problem, but I do hope it MAY help a little. It's possible that other male dogs will not be interested in fighting with him after the neuter. I want to try anything I can do to help our dog live happier.

So glad to hear that... thank you.

I neutered our boy at two years old and never noticed a change in him at all.... which is probably exactly what you'll see with your male when he's neutered. He will still get in fights.... I doubt that neutering him is going to change that in the least.

Hi, Megora. I just read some of your posts in other threads, and impressed with your opinions on neutering. I have spent lots of time and efforts to train our boy, and I was shocked when I saw the fights. I believe it's my fault if our boy doesn't behave well. I have to face the fact and keep my hardwork on dog training, instead of dreaming that neutering may be helpful.

I'm afraid I didn't pay enough attention on the socializing training in the past months. This is my first dog. He is almost perfect when he turned to 2-year old. I didn't realize it might change.

Do you have any training resource to recommend about socialization?
Thank you.

Thanks... but remember I can be very opinionated. Doesn't mean I'm 100% right all the time. There are a lot of people here who especially have had experienced with "tougher" dogs. I hope they chip in here.


Please don't get me wrong - if the fights stem from hormonal or macho things going on with your dog, neutering may help remove some of the motivation for the fights, even though you still need to follow up with training and management. You need to manage which dogs your boy is loose or interacting with. The soonest you get a handle on this, the better for him. Since he's still young, there's a good chance you can "fix this".

For training, I recommend looking around your area for dog classes. I attend classes with somebody who owns a fairly aggressive St. Bernard. I even posted a comment last year re/my upset when this dog was heeling behind my Jacks and suddenly started chasing him while growling and snarling. It scared the heck out of me and there were a lot of people who shared the private comments with me before or after class about how they did not trust that dog and didn't want him there.

Fast forward 2 months and the instructor working closely with the owner, and this dog made a complete turnaround.

Now... I don't think this dog would ever be one that could handle being turned loose in a dog park, but as far as being in a crowded space around other dogs, he's doing great. I think that is honestly the goal you want right now.

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Always loved, never forgotten, all our previous boys -

There are studies that show that if a male dog has aggression issues, neutering is helpful. And often the marking, etc behavior improves... It will not house train a dog.... My two boys are neutered and wonderful pets.... They get along...there are also three intact girls and two spayed girls in the house. No fighting issues, but sometimes if food is involved, there might be a squabble...

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Janice and The Celebration Gang -
"Samantha, George, Tiki, Emily, Mick and Basil" Gone but not forgotten, Sally(Windjammer's Ima Country Girl CDX CGC), Laney(Mandell Marlenes Celebration UD RA CGC), and Cookie(Starseeker's Kissmas Cookie CDX RE CGC).

Neutering can take the edge off some boy dog behaviors, but it shouldn't be considered the primary solution to social problems. I'm definitely supportive of the idea in the situations you describe, but you should also take a training approach to the problem.

As far as convincing your husband, call your vet and enlist his or her help. Neutering a boy, especially after maturity, is a good decision.

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