# Dog aggression after neutering



## Ro11mops (Mar 21, 2019)

Hi everyone,
Our 21 month old Golden Retriever "Lasse" has been exhibiting some dog-to-dog aggression in the last few weeks. Lasse was neutered about 3 1/2 weeks ago and I wonder if this might be related? Lasse is an overall very sweet boy and we got him from a reputable breeder at the age of 8 weeks. He has a few issues that we are still working on, jumping on people, counter surfing etc. but he has never shown any signs of aggression and is super affectionate.
Lately he seems very on edge when encountering dogs his size or bigger on our walks. Lasse lunges, growls and barks and it's very hard to keep him under control in these circumstances. He seems to be fine and very playful, almost gentle with smaller dogs. Any tips on how to address this behavior before it gets worse? 
Thanks!


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## Emmdenn (Jun 5, 2018)

At 3.5 weeks post-op his testosterone levels are beginning to drop. Testosterone is a confidence boosting hormone, so it’s possible with the lack of testosterone he could be feeling a bit unsure and different about dogs he doesn’t know. I’d work on confidence boosting exercises when he gets in this state of arousal. Does he know sit, come, down, stay, heel etc? Practice things he knows with yummy rewards so help him feel confident and not worried about the other dogs.


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## pawsnpaca (Nov 11, 2014)

I tend to agree with EmmDenn... I think this is more likely the beginnings of some leash reactivity as opposed to true aggression. If you aren't familiar with reactivity vs aggression I encourage you to read up on it. If you catch it early it IS possible to mitigate the tendencies, and knowing what it is and how to address it will help prevent your actions from making it worse (speaking from personal experience here... My boy Guinness had this issue and my early reactions to this behavior _definitely _made the behavior worse!).


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## Beau-Bear (Jun 2, 2021)

Ro11mops said:


> Hi everyone,
> Our 21 month old Golden Retriever "Lasse" has been exhibiting some dog-to-dog aggression in the last few weeks. Lasse was neutered about 3 1/2 weeks ago and I wonder if this might be related? Lasse is an overall very sweet boy and we got him from a reputable breeder at the age of 8 weeks. He has a few issues that we are still working on, jumping on people, counter surfing etc. but he has never shown any signs of aggression and is super affectionate.
> Lately he seems very on edge when encountering dogs his size or bigger on our walks. Lasse lunges, growls and barks and it's very hard to keep him under control in these circumstances. He seems to be fine and very playful, almost gentle with smaller dogs. Any tips on how to address this behavior before it gets worse?
> Thanks!
> View attachment 886288


He's very cute! I've researched whether to get my now one year 2 months male neutered and have decided against it. Interestingly the other day a neutered male tried to jump my intact boy!!! Best wishes to you. Sounds like hormones are unsettled.


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