Dog Neutering. Procedure of Neutering a male dog.

Sterilization or neutering of male dogs that are not going to be used to reproduce is something that arouses a lot of different opinions. There are people that believe that the dog neutering operation can alter or change the dog's personality and that these dogs suffer from weight problems and tend to be lazy. Others believe that neutering does not change the dog's personality at all, and that it is useful to prevent certain hereditary diseases, and most importantly that the owner is able to control how many puppies he wants that dog to have or not have. If you own a male dog, the decision is entirely up to you. Neutering consists of surgically extirpating both of the dog's testicles, making it impossible for the dog to produce sperm and testosterone. This operation is relatively simple. It is done with general anesthesia and the dog usually recovers within a few hours. It's normal for the dog's scrotum to slightly swell, but it does not seem to bother dogs. The dog will probably want to run about as normal but it is suggested for the dog to get as little exercise as possible for a few days.

Will neutering a dog change his personality? There are many people that neuter their male dogs because they believe that this procedure makes the dog more tranquil, less aggressive, helps the dog stay inside the house more and not escape, and that the dog will stop urinating on everything to mark his territory etc. Although neutering is not a miracle cure, it is true that it does help combat the problems just mentioned. When this operation is done before the dog is eighteen months old, the aggressive and territorial behavior will diminish very noticeably. However, once a dog has already learned his pattern of conduct due to his masculine hormones, stopping the production of these hormones will not be useful at all and the dog will continue acting and behaving the same way as always. Older dogs don't necessary adopt aggressive behavior because of sexual reasons, but usually it's because of a fear or because he has not been trained adequately. If you have two dogs in your house, it's convenient to get the male dog neutered to help calm the dominating role that male dogs have. Neutering also helps calm down hyperactive dogs, although in these cases it's necessary to stay aware of the amount of exercise and have an appropriate diet for the dog, otherwise the dog can have weight problems and become obese.