# Should I neuter my golden? he keeps licking other dogs' genital area.



## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

IMO no dog is well suited to a dog park ...they are chancy at best, since most owners go there to let their unsocialized dogs get to visit friends equally unsocialized. And then too you get to meet the experts such as your fellow who said that your dog licks others' genitals because he's intact. Honestly I have no idea why he's licking other dogs' genitals, but doubt it is because he's whole. His marking behavior at the park is perfectly normal, and as long as he isn't marking your couch, I wouldn't worry about it.


----------



## danoon58 (Jul 1, 2015)

I would personally not neuter your dog because of a behavior such as this. There are many health reasons not to neuter especially so young. Work with a trainer to find an acceptable solution to stop the behavior.


----------



## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Riopan0130 said:


> My golden is 1 year old now. Recently he won't stop licking other dog's genital area in the dog park ( no matter male or female). He knows the command "leave it" very well. However, "leave it" can't solve the problem this time, he wont even notice i am gone if he starts to lick other dogs. Other dogs and their owners will usually get mad. I tried to play fetch or use food to distract him, but he just won't give up. Once he found a target, he will never stop. He can lick the whole time we are at the park. I want him to play in the dog park because he is very energetic. One guy in the dog park told me he does that because he is not fixed. I already schedule an appointment on Friday. I didn't want to get him fixed because he seems fine, he never marks at home (he marks at the dog park tho) and he never try to hump anyone or any dog. Now I am having second thoughts, should I neuter my dog? Will that stop him from licking other dogs? Or maybe he is just not suitable for dog parks.


Neutering him won't stop the behavior. 

I would avoid the dog park if at all possible. They are problematic at best.


----------



## Riopan0130 (Aug 9, 2017)

Prism Goldens said:


> IMO no dog is well suited to a dog park ...they are chancy at best, since most owners go there to let their unsocialized dogs get to visit friends equally unsocialized. And then too you get to meet the experts such as your fellow who said that your dog licks others' genitals because he's intact. Honestly I have no idea why he's licking other dogs' genitals, but doubt it is because he's whole. His marking behavior at the park is perfectly normal, and as long as he isn't marking your couch, I wouldn't worry about it.


I am not worrying about marking. He never marks at home or outside, only at the dog park. He has no other bad behaviors. Thank you guys, I will cancel the appointment


----------



## FosterGolden (Mar 10, 2014)

He might be licking because he is over-excited due to all the other dogs. He might also need a different type of socialization, maybe one on one with trusted dogs you know. He might be immature. Dog parks are iffy at best, and it may not be the best place for him. 

I am not a proponent of early neutering, but I disagree that this isn't about being intact. My current four year old dog was an obsessive pee licker (on the ground). He is very well-trained, has excellent home manners, well-socialized, etc. People call him "Mr. Perfect" or "Perfect Wyatt" because he is smart and always wants to please, so he just comes across as a really good dog, which he is (most people don't know the behind the curtain stuff that you can get with dogs that care too much, like the shutting down and planning for errors so you don't make him afraid of the exercise). It was like he couldn't help it. If we trained outside, there was always conflict because he was being pulled into the pee, so to speak. I was seeing a lot of conflict during training inside, too, as there are lots of intact bitches as well. So, I ended up neutering him (at 2+) and the pee licking completely stopped within 48 hours as did all of the conflict working outside and around bitches in season. He does still mark (in appropriate places), but he completely stopped marking during field work as well. I talked to a lot of people who do not neuter or only neuter late and there were several behaviors such as this that completely stopped once the neutering took place. Of course, there are plenty of behaviors that will not stop. The hormonal stuff can be hard on some dogs.


----------

