Male Retriever, to neuter or not to neuter

[buksida]

In a bit of a quandary here over whether to get our dog neutered or not, and I have no knowledge of these things so thoughts/advice are welcome. He is a 15-month-old Golden Retriever.

He is getting a little boisterous (unusual for the breed I know), especially with the other dogs in the area which are scrappers. He also barks a lot at night so we've been keeping him inside.

Would neutering calm him down a bit and stop him from being so aggressive with the other dogs (who gang up on him in packs due to his size)? I guess it may also stop the barking and him chasing females when they're in heat?

I presume the downside is weight gain and never being able to breed him with another Retriever.

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Edit: He is not a house dog or one of those little 'condo rats' that can stay inside all the time, we have no fences and all dogs in the neighbourhood are free to roam about.

[PeteC]

If you have no plans to breed him then yes, you should get him neutered. It will stop all the behaviour you mentioned, but not immediately. He's late at 15 months getting it done and after neutering it will take some months for him to stop doing all the things he should stop doing. Not to ever display any of it at all, it should be done around 6 months for a large breed dog.

We had two Goldens for years here, male and female, and they were fixed at 6 months. All went well and they were great dogs, although the male never learned to lift his leg to pee.

One plea is that if he is mixing it up regularly with soi dogs, please make sure his vaccinations are always up to date, especially rabies.

[PeteC]

Note...over time he will turn into a bit of a coward and probably run from the local soi dog pack. It's a complete hormone change and it does take away their bravery to a significant degree.

[buksida]

Wow, six months, and I was thinking it was too early getting him done at a year old! Yes, he's up to date with the vaccines.

All the dogs here are territorial and stay on their own land mostly, but being young and curious, he wanders about and often takes a beating for it!

What about weight gain, is that a problem? I know we can control what we feed him but I don't want him wandering off begging for food elsewhere.

[Dannie Boy]

Both of our dogs (that both have a % of Lab in them) were both neutered at 6 months and haven’t suffered from gaining weight other than from my wife tending to over feed them - instead of putting “waste” food in the bin, it goes into the dog bowls!!

[PeteC]

After you do it I would say best to keep him inside at night. He'll turn into more of a house dog and softie once neutered, although ours still kept their playful personalities all through out their lives.

Tick and mosquito diseases (heartworm) are tough on foreign breed dogs here. Many a person in my area who have lost retrievers, beagles, German shepherds etc., to tick and mosquito diseases. Mainly due to ticks even with the monthly medicine applications which can't be missed if an outdoor dog.

[PeteC]

Both of our dogs (that both have a % of Lab in them) were both neutered at 6 months and haven’t suffered from gaining weight other than from my wife tending to over feed them - instead of putting “waste” food in the bin, it goes into the dog bowls!!

I agree with that. Just watch the treats and all should be ok. Golden's love to swim. Take him down to the beach sometimes as he should love getting in the water and burning off some energy.

[STEVE G]

We've had three dogs in Hua Hin neutered over the years and only one of them gained weight so it's not always a problem.
Generally it makes them calmer and more laid back and less aggressive towards other dogs which can make your life more peaceful.

[PeteC]

Another consideration, Golden's have a high risk of cancer after about age 6-8 (so it is written). Females more than males, but fixing both sexes seems to cut the risk significantly.

[migrant]

We neutered both the soi dogs we adopted at around 6 months also and have noticed no weight gain, One is a tripod so not active but still stays in decent shape.

[Big Boy]

Our youngest dog, who is 10 years old, and I got him as a rescue puppy from somebody on the forum. He isn't a big dog i.e. half poodle/half terrier. He had the snip soon after we got him, and around humans he's the most docile thing you'd ever want to meet. Around other dogs - including giant breeds, he wants to fight with every one that he sees - they could have created Scrappy Doo based on him. With female dogs, if they haven't run a mile from his aggression, he literally tries to hump them as soon as he gets close enough. He actually needs a step ladder for many.

So in his case, the snip did nothing to calm him down.

As for weight gain, yes, he gained a lot of weight. He is now on a strict diabetic diet, but he's still a fat boy.

[buksida]

Thanks for the replies, there doesn't appear to be many downsides to it then.