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Will Neutering An Adult Australian Shepherd Affect His Personality?

by SRH
(Texas)

My family and I just adopted a 3 year old male Australian Shepherd from our neighbors who moved. He has been an “honorary” family member of ours since born, so we know this dog well.

He is a great dog—very sweet and loves everyone he meets, including other dogs. However, he likes to roam during the day and his previous owners let him, but we worry about his safety and are doing our best to stop this behavior; we are on land, but it is still a neighborhood.

He is not neutered. While we know being neutered should help the roaming, will it negatively affect his personality? Has anyone else ever neutered an adult dog?

Thank you for the input—sorry for the long post!

Comments for Will Neutering An Adult Australian Shepherd Affect His Personality?

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Neutering too young
by: Anonymous

Do you have a fenced in yard? I know I’m going to get harsh feedback on my comments but I don’t care. Neutering before age 5 or 6 robs your dog of all his sex hormones which in turn drastically exponentially increases his chances of developing diabetes and cancer. The same can be said for humans As well as all animals. Don’t do the neutering yet. Put up a fence or put him on a leash walking and crate bedding system. I have 7 mini aussies that are let out in the fenced backyard when I’m home but go in their crate when I’m not home. Rarely they may have to be in that crate 12+ hours but usually it is 8 or less hours. They do very well and actually run for their crate when they are frightened by storms and such. The crate is their security. They also sleep in their own crate every night in our garage. Your Aussie is roaming because he has no boundaries which he desperately needs and will appreciate AND he needs more human attention and EXERCISE. Start a daily regiment of walking or running with him even if you have to put him on a treadmill. He roams because he has pent-up energy and is bored. Get him tired and crate trained and he will not roam. Keep him leashed if you don’t have a fence, because he is a male and will search out for a mate if one is not readily available to him. I have male Aussies that are as old as four, and none are neutered yet. Yes I have to keep them away from my young females that are in heat, but that is a responsibility I took on myself. Exercise and crate training are the answers to your problems. Start training him today!

Good on you!
by: Anonymous

Neutering is the most responsible thing to do, but I would check with your vet on timing. Our 17 year old Aussie that passed Dec 2018 was never sick, and neutering him at 9 months didn’t change his personality, but may be different for an adult dog.

Wish I hadn’t neutered my male
by: Anonymous

I just neutered my male Aussie at 18 months and I wish I hadn’t. He's gotten fearful and aggressive as a result. Barks his head off when he never did before, wary of people, anxious and needier. He’s also gained weight quite literally the week after the procedure. I trail run and have always taken him and now he's tiring out. I’m going to look up a behavioral specialist to get him back in training. I’m just so upset because I spent the first 16 months really training him (behavioral, socialization, agility) and I have to start over. I was definitely pressured into it by people who don’t own Aussies. I’m convinced they’re just different and a little more sensitive. Maybe that's just my dog. I also read he’d be more prone to prostate cancer if I *didn't* neuter him, so I'm confused by the comment about 5-6 years. Anyway, it’s a personal choice but I think you really have to know your dog and know if he's got any fear potential in him.

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