German Shepherd Dog Discussion (Neutering Continued)

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Hi Everyone,

To wrap up yesterday’s discussion regarding neutering and how this could change your German Shepherd Dogs personality and physiology. If you neuter after maturity, the personality of your German Shepherd Dog may change very little, if not at all. However, if your German Shepherd Dog is neutered as a developing puppy, it is likely that their personality will be changed significantly.

If an aggression problem towards other males existed as competition for breeding rights to females, this behavior may be abated to a large extent by neutering. However, if your German Shepherd Dog has aggression problem towards other dogs and people based on fear or lack of confidence, you will likely see little change in this behavior. Correction of this behavior takes extensive training and most likely the assistance of a professional trainer.

In addition, it is common to see a slight decrease in energy levels. This may lead to weight gain in your German Shepherd Dog. Decreases in metabolism and increases in appetite may make your German Shepherd Dog fat without proper diet management. Overweight German Shepherd Dogs are susceptible to diverse diseases including diabetes. Research indicates puppies neutered before five-months-of-age are at greater risk of becoming obese than puppies neutered later.

A slight increased risk for neutered German Shepherd Dogs exists to develop cancers such as osteosarcoma and hemangiosarcoma. I would argue that this negates the decreased risk of testicular cancer after neutering. In addition, research has shown that German shepherd Dogs puppies neutered before the age of five-months are more likely to develop hip dysplasia.

I would never neuter a male German Shepherd Dog unless there was a good medical reason or in a situation where two males living together are competing for breeding rights.