Hello, I would like to know if anyone has had a similar problem after their dog was castrated, and what alternative medicine has helped.
About 5 weeks ago I had my 3 year old German Spitz called Sam castrated, no particualr reason, people were saying it would calm the dog down and also
health issues. Sams breed is a non aggressive dog and a one person dog, he does like to chase anything moving e.g cyclist, jogger.
Anyway since being castrated he has got aggressive and if anyone gets near to me he will grawl, he never did this before, sisters dog stays with me sometimes which is normal, no problems before, now if the other dog want to come to me he will bark or grawl if the other dog gets near me, again never done this before, even if my sister gets near to me he grawls, never done this before. I spoke to the vets and explained the problem they said sam wants to protect me and himself, this was not told to me if I knew this was going to happen I would never have got him castered. A suggestion was to go to an animal behaviourist (costing £100 + Vat) not covered by pet Insurance - I cannot afford this, and anyway how will that help!! I have been giving sam in his water rescue remendy plus others but nothing seems to work, I would appreciate any help/advise that you may have. As you can see from the picture he is cute!!

I doubt it's anything to do with protecting you.

You have to remember that, like human males, entire dogs have testosterone oozing around their bodies. Testosterone, among other things, can make dogs somewhat braver than they would be if they were female.

Take away that testosterone through neutering and you can tend to find that you've taken away their Balls in more ways than one

Rather than wasting time and money on "alternative" remedies, you'd do better to think about training classes, where he can work on his social skills with other dogs and get his confidence so he feels a bit braver

If you don't get any usable help here or with a trainer I'd find a dog behavorist.

I'm with you I would have expected calmer behavoir.

Kinda adds credence to the old adage "If it works don't fix it". I'm sorry for the outcome and hope to work it out.

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Remember not everybody loves your dog. Leash it.

Firstly about pet insurance, if you get referred to a behaviourist you can sometimes claim through insurance, depending on your policy. Ask your vet about that!

Secondly, a few dogs I know seem to become unsettled after being spayed or neutered. Does he growl at you, or just anything that approaches you? His hormones are now different from before so he might feel like a different dog - reintegrate him into his 'pack' where you are the clear leader (this is something a behaviourist can help with). Try not to reassure him verbally or otherwise if he growls, as that might reinforce the growling. Good luck!

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Hi thanks for a sensible answer to my problem, Sam does not growl at me, only if anyone approaches me, even though he has grown up with them, i.e. my sisters dog and my sister. I have to day seen my vet, and has suggested a few training tips, she is saying that Sam is top dog and thinks he needs to protect me, I need to be top dog will give this a go.

My insurance is "More than" and said they do not cover for a behaviourst my vet has said she would write a letter if need be.

Thanks Anna

Sorry, but I don't think that Sam necessarily growls because he is protecting you. He is more likely to be protecting HIMSELF, and not because he feels "top dog".

Bear in mind that vets are not trainers or behaviourists. They are qualified to make animals better and often, actually give terrible advice on behaviour and nutrition.

When I got Bailey castrated, he seemed to toughen up a bit as he can be a bit of a wuss lol. Since having him done, he does bark at people who are in the street who he can see when looking out the window and now actually chases and barks at cats in the garden, whereas before he used to run in with his tail in between his legs. However, he does not bark or growl when anyone gets close to us, so unfortunately I can't give you any advice.
Hope you get it sorted

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Castrating is not guaranteed to 'quiten or steady ' dogs! And there are cases where undesireable behavior occurs, I would have expected your vet to have mentioned this to you! Not however saying that this behavior is caused by the castration, there may be another reason
regards
DT

when you take away a dogs hormones, its like women going through the menopause. their bodys need to adjust to the changes in chemicals and some dogs will become more grumpy, have mood swings and feel off.

id have to agree with collipoodle your do just needs a bit of basic training and to build up his confidence. try rewarding him for any good/calm behaviour when other people and dogs are around, whether thats treats, games or cuddles. if he does growl, dont shout or talk to him, just remove him from that situation, walk him out the room and leave him there for 10-15 mins to think about things and calm down.