One of the biggest misconceptions about misbehaving dogs is that all can be reversed by neutering. Both physically and behaviourally, neutering your puppy too early can lead to a series of ill-advised effects such as increased risk of certain cancers, joint problems, and hip dysplaxia. While neutering in itself is an excellent idea for any dog for the sake of preventing unwanted litters, Neutering is often touted as a good way of controlling unfavourable behaviour - and nothing could be further from the trulth. Changing your dog's body is not any replacement for puppy training from a reputable dog training school. 

Misinformation is rife when it comes to the health of our beloved pets - and while most will tout the loss of testosterone as a factor that contributes to good behaviour by a dog (or prevents bad behaviour), the benefits of cutting off a dog’s testosterone are completely and totally overshadowed by the fact that a lot more damage is being caused by the procedure – both with the dog’s personality and in body.

During development, dogs are very similar to humans – undergoing identical processes inside their brains and outside their bodies. A puppy is the dog equivalent of a child, and when adolescence hits (after the first 12 months in dogs, known to vary in humans, but generally in the teenage years) your puppy is no longer a child, and your puppy is undergoing development, on the way to becoming an adult. In some “problem” dogs, this means that the dog is no longer content to listen and obey. Like humans, a puppy’s brain is rewired completely to form an adult brain during adolescence – and when you think of a teenager having a strop, this can often be very much the case with dogs.

As the dog’s brain is rewired during adolescence, they display characteristics such as testing boundaries, as well as challenging and wilful behaviours – much like any teenage human would (and does!) Neutering is removing the chemicals which cause these changes, leaving an adult dog with the permanent mindset of challenging behaviour and pushing boundaries is not right.

Most owners consider neutering a dog to help with his or her behavioural problems during this awkward and sometimes rather difficult time, but putting thought into having a dog neutered at such an early age is a terrible way to deal with bad behaviour. You wouldn’t neuter your own children, and dogs should be considered with the same regard.

Engaging in puppy training and dog training programmes from reputable dog training schools will help your dog learn to readjust and behave in a more proper manner – as well as helping you understand what exactly your dog's behaviours actually mean. Taking your dog to the vets and having certain parts cut off will not affect behaviour – no more than it would affect behaviour for a human being.

Bespoke Puppy Training is an excellent way of correcting issues with problem dogs, and the assistance of a dog behaviourist, a fence and proper training will ensure that problems with your dog stop – for good.