To Castrate Or Not?... That Is The Question

[MrJones]

I'm really torn at the mo and would really appreciate some advice from those with simular experiences.
My parner and I took on a male staffy mix from friends of friends. He's about 6 or 7 years old and generally healthy, quite a softy, and very playful and friendly and loves kids. However, we don't know his background and recently, weve had a couple of experiences where he's got aggressive around loud aggressive, especially drunken people. I'd like to be comfortable with the fact he's very protective of us but the other day, the father in law fell against our kitchen shelves making a big crash bang wallop, sending glasses and mugs crashing, and the dog got very aggressive and nipped his hand bad enough to cause some bleeding.
My partner seems to think castration will solve this show of aggression but personally I believe it's more of a learnt behaviour from previous owners... There was a good chance he witnessed some drunken domestic abuse from the previous families dad, and protected the wife and kids.

So... Is it worth castrating him? Is it likely to reduce this protective behaviour of his owners? would it change his personality?

 

[tigerlily46514]

I think all dogs should be spayed or neutered, as we have such a SEVERE dog overpopulation crisis in the USA, and most other countries as well. In USA, about 17,000 dogs are put to death each DAY,
yes, that's right, i said each "day"..........
for the crime of having been born....just wayyyyyyyy too many dogs out there.

One lil brief escape from your yard, your dog could create a litter of dogs that someone else has to find homes for........within a few generations,
that one "whoopsie" can add 100s of extra dogs into the world,
and each of those dogs, can, in turn, create 100s more, it increases exponentially from there.....
all competing for the available humans......

and the end of the line for all these "extra" dogs is a reeeeeal heartbreaker of an ending. The shelters can't afford to feed them all.

But neutering or spaying does not impact a dog's aggression. I have an aggressive dog, he was neutered,
and now,
he is an aggressive dog who can not add to the severe dog overpopulation crisis.

 

[tigerlily46514]

BUT the good news is,
you CAN help your new dog become more confident.
and GOOD ON YOU for helping out a dog in need, too!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD THIS DOG IN YOUR HOME???
Whether or not the human detects it, most newly rehomed adult dogs are a bit tense to be in new home, even a peaceful, quiet new home.....most newly rehomed adult dogs are a bit overwhelmed by all the new smells, new ppl, new sounds, new rules, etc etc. It takes many adult dogs a week or two or three to decide they are fully safe in their new home,
and that all of you are trustable.

Most dogs will become frightened by a loud human knocking over shelves and dishes and falling over. Many dogs, when frightened, may bite, in their overexcitement.
That, in and of itself, does not necessarily indicate the dog has an aggression problem, imo. ONe isolated incident, with a frightened dog biting someone while everything is loud and crashing around, may have been a fluke thing.
Unsettling, yes, maybe this dog is aggressive, but, it *sounds like* an extreme moment, which might frighten or severely startle many dogs. No doubt, your dog had NO IDEA what all was going on there, with the loudness and noises and sudden startling motions, etc etc.

Most dogs do seem to dislike loud noises, whether or not they've been abused, most dogs will at least leap up and move back a bit, if a sudden loud noise occurs.

Are there any other events or episodes which give you impression this dog is aggressive? YOu mention, your dog "has gotten aggressive" around loud drunk ppl.

Be very specific. What did the dog do, exactly? No detail too small to interest me.

Did he growl?
Did he bite someone?
What was the person doing that he bit?
Did he full on attack a person?
Were any measures taken about the event, towards the dog?

Is the dog otherwise okay with 'normal' ppl, who are not loud or drunk?

 

[charmedwolf]

Like tigerlily said neutering him won't make the aggression going away but it can prevent health problems in the long run. It sounds like a natural response for him to loud noises. Both incidents seem to have that in common. I would also guess that he would have the same response to gun shots and thunder.

I would look into noise desensitization to see if that helps.

 

[Anneke]

Castration won't solve it. IT has nothing to do with his testosteron levels.
My dogs react to drunken people too. They act strange and unpredictable, so they go into guard mode.
When a dog gets frightened, ther ore two things he can do. Run away as fast as he can(flight) or turn around go for the sorce(of what the dog thinks is the sorce) and bite(fight)
It has nothing to do with what we normally perceive as 'agressive'
Both can be placed under fear-agression(flight and fight), but it is just a natural behavior for the dog.
Like Tigerlily and Charmedwolf say, it is just your dog not being comfortable yet.
Desensitizing for sound and bonding with your dog is the answer. He has to get to know you and your family and it may take a few months to get there, depending on how 'damaged' he was with the former owners, and of his personality.


Castration MIGHT make him a little more layed back, but his personality will not change.
Would be easy though, for some humans too. Agressive behaviour, just take his balls off, problem solved...

 

[southerngirl]

No it will not help his aggressive behavior, but you should get him fixed there is an overpopulation of dogs. So many dogs are put to sleep every year. Please get him fixed so you won't contribute to the overpopulation. Like Tigerlily said your dog could easily slip out of the house and get another dog pregnant.