[4NGI3]

Hiya all,

We're going to make an appointment to get nelson's "strawberries" plucked off in a couple of weeks. I know the benefits of doing so is to reduce his risk of prostate cancer and because we are not going to breed him due to his hip dysplasia.

But I have a bit of a worry... my neighbour's Newfoundland (Angus) whos just around Nelson's age, was castrated about 2 months ago. Angus used to be completely docile and just the friendly and most aloof dog. But after he was fixed, he turned into the Newfie from hell. Angus started to fight their other dog who's an Australian Bulldog and who's older than Angus and who's been castrated long ago. Angus has grown up with the aussie bulldog, he's always seen him as the older dog and his dominant big bro.

After the castration, the next time Angus and Nelson played, (they used to play like puppies all the time before the castration) Angus started a fight with Nelson so we had to seperate them. The next time we saw them, nelson and i were doing the gardening in the front yard and the neighbours came home with angus in the back seat of the car and nelson went across the road wagging his tail at the car to play with angus and as soon as angus saw nelson outside the car, he went berzerk in the car barking and showing his teeth at nelson. so i had to take nelson inside so angus could get out of the car.

also, i feel for my neighbours because its now got so bad that they can't have both their dogs in the house at the same time. they have to have one inside and one outside at all times. and they even have to leave their curtains to the backyard closed because if angus catches a glimpse of the Aussie bulldog on the other side of the door he starts ramming it to get to the bulldog. my neighbour also mentioned one day that ever since she had angus, she has never ever been scared of him, but there was one day that she was very cautious as she wasn't sure if he would bite her. she's so upset angus has turned into another dog, a dog she doesn't know. Angus also now barks at people walking across the other side of the road and other dogs and he never used to. she does have a good trainer helping her but i don't know how well its going.

i guess my thing is i don't want nelson to become like this and wanted to ask you all if this is a common thing? i always thought that getting a dog fixed can stop them from being agressive, i didn't know it could go the other way. i just couldn't imagine what it would be like to be scared of nelson and i know that it will be so depressing and would not know what to do.

any advice would be really appreciated, thanks guys

 

[Cookies Mom]

getting a male dog fixed usually decreases the aggression problem. I don't know what advise you need?

 

[msvette2u]

No it is not common at all. If it were there'd be far fewer neutered dogs out there.
More likely it is Angus's age in play, and a Newf with a temperament like that is totally out of the standard - where did they get him?? A breeder selling dogs with that temperament should not be in "business".

 

[i love remy]

Angus used to be completely docile and just the friendly and most aloof dog.

How could he have be aloof AND friendly at the same time? If he was aloof prior to castration, it sound like he was already headed toward an iffy temperament.

 

[4NGI3]

cookies mom, i guess i just need reassurance that its not a common issue that after a dog gets castrated that he becomes agressive. but msvette2u has answered that.

msvette2u, she got the newfie from a reputable breeder in queensland, australia. he never used to be agressive at all, he used to be the coolest dog and so laid back and he use to love everyone but now hes turned into a different dog. only after hes been fixed.

Leeann.Bella.Remy, sorry i just looked up the term "aloof" in the dictionary and i was using the term as in "cool/laidback" but maybe i used the wrong word. i'll be using "aloof" less from now on i'll tell u that before castration, angus was very very friendly and cool tempered. forget i said aloof at all.


i guess i really want to hear if you guys have seen a change in your dog(s) after castration? a change in their temperment, personality? either good or bad. nelson's 1 and a half now, has anyone else had their dog fixed at such a late age? is it a late age to get fixed? i just don't want nelson to change at all, he's just got the coolest personality right now and i would hate for him to change. bu ti know we need to get him fixed for his health.

also do dogs get depressed after they get fixed? i heard they drag their @sses around and look at you with a sad face like, "whhhhhyyyy?? whhhyyy did u do this to me?!?!?" should i make sure i have a couple of days off to look after him or will he be ok for me to leave him by himself straight after?

 

[i love remy]

All of the dogs in my house are altered, and I've never noticed a change for the worse as far as temperament goes in ANY fixed dog. I actually prefer fixed dogs because they're more content to be pets and companions rather than horny animals always on the prowl. :lol: Dogs don't know that they're not "whole" when they are altered, and they most likely don't feel sorry for themselves about it. People tend to anthropomorphize their pets too much. Humans are the ones who feel sorry for their pets (for putting them through surgery, taking away a body part, etc.), so they project these feelings onto their pets.

It's never too late to alter a dog, although doing it earlier prevents a lot of unwanted behaviors: marking, sexual mounting, aggression, etc. Once a dog has already started these behaviors, neutering most likely won't "cure" them. But I believe that it's always a good idea to alter your pet when you've decided that you won't be breeding him. Since Nelson is still pretty young, he should bounce back from his surgery like nothing ever happened! Bella was spayed on a Friday, so I had all weekend to look after her. I'm a big fan of Friday surgeries!