Why are neutered dogs less aggressive than un-neutered dogs

Making the decision to spay or neuter your pet can come with some worry and confusion. After all, you want what’s best for your dog and may worry about the effects of an operation like spaying or neutering. But when it comes to spaying and neutering, there are a plethora of good reasons to go forward. There are, of course, health benefits and convenience issues that often convince dog owners to spay or neuter, but you may be unaware of the behavioral reasons to consider spaying and neutering, as well.

Behavioral Benefits of Neutering and Spaying

Spayed and neutered dogs often live longer and enjoy healthier lives than intact dogs. There are many reasons for this, including lower risks of cancers and infections. However, the behavioral benefits beyond these health reasons are also significant. Here are just a few.

Spaying your female dog will:

• Eliminate cycles: Intact female dogs go into heat one to three times per year, and during the 4-6 days she’s in heat, her behavior may change significantly. You may not recognize your dog as she yowls, urinates all over the house, paces around, and appears restless and dissatisfied.
• Curb roaming: If your dog is spayed, she won’t be tempted to wander around the neighborhood while in heat, making it easier to keep her safe and close.

Neutering your male dog will:

• Likely reduce problem behaviors: Intact male dogs can exhibit problem behaviors such as aggression, mounting other dogs, marking their territory, and being overly protective. These types of behaviors become harder to deal with when there is a female in heat close by. While neutering isn’t a behavioral fix-all, it can help significantly with these unwanted issues.
• Keep your dog closer to home: Male dogs are prone to wander when they’re not neutered. An intact male can smell a female in heat up to a mile away and will try to get to that female. Neutering your dog can reduce these wanderings and associated fights with other dogs in the search for the female in heat.

Boarding Neutered and Spayed Dogs

As you can see, there are significant behavioral advantages to spaying and neutering your dog. At Intermountain Pet Hospital, the safety of the pets in our care is paramount. That’s why we’ve chosen to only allow neutered and spayed dogs in our boarding facility (Dogs under 1-year old are welcome). Reduced instances of aggression and mounting help keep all the pets within our care safe and give our clients more peace of mind. If you have any questions about our new policy, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. If you’d like to learn more about spaying or neutering your dog, we’re happy to help.