Monday Myth: Got a Behaviour Problem? Neuter Your Pet! Neutering of cats and dogs is a standard procedure usually recommended to avoid unwanted puppies and kittens which could potentially join the ranks of animals in rescue centres desperately looking for homes. The age at which animals are neutered differs and there isn’t really an easy answer to what age is best to get it done. However there appears to be a worrying tendency with the use of neutering as a cure for all behaviour problems in pets, especially dogs. “Get your dog neutered, it will calm him down” is repeated almost like a mantra and very few owners stop to think whether this is actually the case. Neutering is often recommended as a cure for all types of aggression – be it towards people or dogs, excitability, jumping up, mouthing, mounting, scent marking, roaming, chasing, chewing furniture, and other inappropriate behaviours owners experience from their pets. Only a small fraction of these problems can actually be completely solved by neutering surgery. A lot of them have absolutely nothing to do with the dog’s hormonal status and will be completely unaffected by neutering. A small number of these behaviours can actually be exacerbated by getting the animal neutered. Some behaviour problems will get slightly better after neutering, but will still require a behaviour therapy to help resolve them completely. Therefore owners should think very carefully about the procedure if their pet is displaying an inappropriate behaviour. Contacting a qualified behaviour specialist, recommended by the vet or by searching on here apbc.org.uk, prior to the operation is a really good idea as they will be able to advise as to what impact neutering might potentially have on the problem behaviour and what work needs to be done post operation in order to resolve the problem completely.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 08:35:44 +0000
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