# Does neutering help calm down males?



## KAW (Jun 11, 2009)

Our Monty is now almost 15 months. We have been trying to wait as long as possible to neuter him so that he had all the advantages of fully growing. But we now seriously want to get him into doggie day care a few days a week and, thus, he needs to be neutered. I am curious as to whether or not GR owners feel neutering "calms" these crazy boys down a bit. I recognize that a 15 month old Golden is going to be a crazy dog, and although he has had lots of training and is generally well behaved, he stills goes nuts in the evenings when we are all trying to settle down. So....although we are NOT neutering him to try to settle him down, I'm just curious if anyone thnks that might happen as a result. Thanks for your input.


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## Muddypaws (Apr 20, 2009)

Darby is ~3.5 yrs. and just calming down. He was neutered at 1 year. I don't think it will take the energy out of him that only comes with time.


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

Sorry! It's not likely to make a difference. 

On another note... regular scheduled play times with dog friends could be a safer, more appropriate, and way less expensive option compared to daycare. Not all daycares are bad... but even with the well-run ones....it tends to make the dog owners feel great more than it gives the dogs a great day!


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## Muddypaws (Apr 20, 2009)

Oh and ..... snow. Snow helps drain energy but the buckets!!


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## NuttinButGoldens (Jan 10, 2009)

I don't think so. I think it's an old Wives Tail 



KAW said:


> Our Monty is now almost 15 months. We have been trying to wait as long as possible to neuter him so that he had all the advantages of fully growing. But we now seriously want to get him into doggie day care a few days a week and, thus, he needs to be neutered. I am curious as to whether or not GR owners feel neutering "calms" these crazy boys down a bit. I recognize that a 15 month old Golden is going to be a crazy dog, and although he has had lots of training and is generally well behaved, he stills goes nuts in the evenings when we are all trying to settle down. So....although we are NOT neutering him to try to settle him down, I'm just curious if anyone thnks that might happen as a result. Thanks for your input.


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## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

It won't make a huge difference at all. A 15-month-old Golden is going to have a ton of energy, neutered or not. I would much rather deal with the excess energy than neutering before 18 months of age. Tucker just turned 18 months old about a week ago and now we're debating on whether we should have him neutered now or wait a bit longer. DH wants to do it within the next month, which we already have an appointment for, but I'm still a bit on the fence. We will most likely have it done when he's between 19 and 20 months old.


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## Cosi (May 22, 2008)

NuttinButGoldens said:


> I don't think so. I think it's an old Wives Tail


 You guys are alot smarter than I am... but I have to say .. it really does seem to calm down .. Here is my deal.. my first GR was neutered at 8 mos.. and it had an amazing effect on him.. like night, and day. My second GR.. was done at age 1 1/2.. and it has not seemed to have any effect on calming him down.


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## mdoats (Jun 7, 2007)

Nope. The only behavioral difference I noticed after having Rookie neutered was that he attempted to mark less on walks. If anything is going to calm him down, it's probably the doggy daycare! Rookie loves to go. He gets really excited when the van comes to pick him up. He goes for about 3 hours, usually just one day a week. When he comes home he is completely EXHAUSTED. It's great!


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Nope! Neutering will not "calm him down". Maturity will allow them to settle down for longer periods of time. Maturity for many Goldens occurs around age three.


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## Goldnbear (Dec 28, 2009)

Everyone seems to have different opinions on this...mine is that it probably won't help your boy now because alot of "male" behaviors and excitability becomes learned. Now if you had done it before he started to mature and have all those extra hormones, it may have prevented some of it. However, no one could ever prove that either way. Because who would be the one to say that maybe so and so's dog wasn't really just alot calmer, and it had nothing to do with the neutering.
I neutered my male at 15 months and it put a dead stop to his humping- no kidding, but he is just as hyper as ever. Would I have traded his excitability for not allowing him to grow out? Absolutely not.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

As I think about my 'exuberant' 7 month old male golden, I realize that energy, goofiness and zest for life is part of what I like about the breed. Of course it can be trying at times but generally I love that part of my guy's personality. 

I plan to neuter Hank at around 18 months. The only things that would cause me to move it up would be aggression, running away or excessive sexual behavior.


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

It *absolutely* *will* calm him down - well at least till the anesthesia wears off. 
After that all bets are off.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I noticed a difference in my guy over the span of a few weeks. Though I'm not sure if it was the lack of testorone or the fact that he got used to having a home. 

I picked him from the rescue group two days after his neutering (side note: vet said he had the biggest balls she'd ever seen on a dog...I guess that's his claim to fame...) and the first few weeks, he'd trot along the fence lines looking for a way out. He found his way out of the yard 3 times in two days and would roam around the neighbourhood. The neutering definitely helped with curbing his wandering ways and he doesn't try to escape anymore which is great, but I didn't notice a difference in his energy level.


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## JakeofThePoint (Apr 19, 2009)

KAW said:


> Our Monty is now almost 15 months. We have been trying to wait as long as possible to neuter him so that he had all the advantages of fully growing. But we now seriously want to get him into doggie day care a few days a week and, thus, he needs to be neutered. I am curious as to whether or not GR owners feel neutering "calms" these crazy boys down a bit. I recognize that a 15 month old Golden is going to be a crazy dog, and although he has had lots of training and is generally well behaved, he stills goes nuts in the evenings when we are all trying to settle down. So....although we are NOT neutering him to try to settle him down, I'm just curious if anyone thnks that might happen as a result. Thanks for your input.


Unless he is to be used for breeding purposes he should be neutered now. There is no valid reason for not neutering.


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## GRZ (Dec 4, 2008)

mdoats said:


> Nope. The only behavioral difference I noticed after having Rookie neutered was that he attempted to mark less on walks.


Ah, this is good to know.


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## GRZ (Dec 4, 2008)

AmbikaGR said:


> It *absolutely* *will* calm him down - well at least till the anesthesia wears off.
> After that all bets are off.


 
LOL!! 

I'm thinking that neutering will, over time, effect the need to act on hormones and ease some stress, not necessarily "calm him down" but ease some stress caused by raging hormones? Does that make sense?


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## Dreammom (Jan 14, 2009)

In my experience no.. it does not calm them down... but phenobarbital works wonders LOL. Of course the pheno was not by choice.


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