Spaying Make Aggressive Female Dogs MORE Aggressive?
I work at a vet clinic, and while we had a relief vet this week, she mentioned that at a behavior seminar she had attended, they said that with aggressive female dogs, spaying can make the problem worse because the estrogen isn’t there to mediate the testosterone put out by the adrenal glands. I have been looking this up on the internet and have found conflicting information. I was wondering if anyone here had seen this/heard about it? Before anyone gets on their soap box, I’m not suggesting people not spay and neuter their pets, and I’m not suggesting aggressive pets be allowed to breed and pass on this temperament. And dont’ insult my intelligence by telling me that that spaying/neutering FIXES aggression- I’m educated, and I work in a vet clinic, I have seen MANY aggressive dogs and cats that have been spayed/neutered, and aren’t the tiniest fraction better after. I’m simply asking if anyone has seen the problem get WORSE in female dogs who already have aggression.
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actually it makes sense that the hormones could make it worse. We’re WAY too likely to say that neutering any dog is the end all to the aggression problem, but i don’t think there really is ONE right answer…Dogs become aggressive for many different reasons, so there MUST be many different solutions to the problem.
Even in human mental health we tend to look for ONE definitive answer to problems. There just isn’t one.
I do think it would be a mistake for people to say they don’t want to have their dogs spayed because they don’t want them to become aggressive, although delaying it while they work with a behaviorist might be something to consider.
I surely do NOT think so!!!
However, if you leave an aggressive dog unchecked…/uncorrected/…the problem will remain despite the spay and will get only worse with the age.
I don’t think spaying or neutering, for that matter, has much effect on a dog’s aggressive tendencies one way or the other. What has been shown to calm aggression is allowing a female dog to have a litter of puppies before she is spayed. I know you are not looking for this answer, but there it is.
I had a rot growing up and she was pretty agressive… once we got her fixed, she was a little better for the first few days. Then went back to her old self.. the biggest difference was when she had puppies! She was MUCH better after that. Don’t know what the "technical" answer is, but that was how my dog reacted.
My female dog seems to have gotten more aggressive towards other dogs since she was spayed. However, there’s a few other things to consider– she was a stray, so I don’t know her exact age, but she was estimated to be anywhere from a year to two years old she I got her spayed. I have also heard that the full agressive nature of the dog can develop/show itself when the dog is around 2 years old. Therefore, it’s possible that she became more agressive after she was spayed because she was coming to the age where the aggression was becoming full-fledged. So the timing of the spaying made it seem like it made it worse. Or, perhaps the spaying did make it worse, I guess I will never know! I sure wish she would stop being mean to other dogs though!
testosterone is not made in large quantities in females – it’s a male hormone, so the amount of testosterone in a female is not enough to cause "roid" rage (testosterone falls in the classification of steroids). Neutering has been shown to decrease aggressive tendencies in males, because the testosterone amounts are indeed dramatically decreased. Not all aggression is steroid based, so of course neutering won’t magically make aggression go away.
Anyway – we have a female, who while I wouldn’t say was "aggressive" was quite pushy and a little domineering. After spaying, she was calmer. I am sure though, anytime you screw with hormones, you are going to get a mixed bag of results. I would highly doubt this seminar person. It would be interesting to know who gave the talk, what are their feelings on spaying/neutering? What are their qualifications? How many animals did they study? How did they diagnose aggression? Were testosterone amounts measured before and after spaying?
I am a scientist, and I always always read things like this with a careful eye – and with data like this, you have to consider study group size, length of the study, and specifically, how are they determining testosterone to be the cause of aggression. Seems doubtful and a little skewed if you ask me.
While I haven’t seen it get worse, more and more studies are coming out that prove that altering your pet could have worse results (not just behavior wise) then proponents of spay and neuter everything lead the general public to believe.
Whether it’s they just don’t know, or they refuse to "get" it, I don’t know, but they are relentless in their altering mantra.
I am also not really against altering your pets, but at least make an informed decision and know all the facts, not just those that the PC crowd want people to see.
I’ve been a trainer for 35 years and a vet tech for 34..I’ve worked with many breeds of dogs and dogs of many temperaments..I’ve also attended many clinics, seminars, conferences on canine behavior…so to answer your question the answer is no..spaying does not make an aggressive dog more aggressive. Spaying won’t make an aggressive dog suddenly not aggressive either…hormones do play a part in some cases and can help "minimize" or eliminate certain types of aggression but not all types… medical conditions,enviornment, breeding, socialization & training all play a big part in a dogs behavior.
Also females do not manufacture enough testosterone to make a difference….if there is a hormonal issue it was occuring before spaying ever occured.
Aggressive dogs SHOULD be spay/neutered..so that there is no danger of the aggression being passed on or even perpetuated.
A spayed dog could potentially get worse but it would not be a result of spaying but more the result of nothing changing in enviornment, socialization, training.
I will throw my “two cents” in here. I have a 7 1/2 year old English Bulldog who developed Pyometra and thus had to be spayed. She also had a mammary tumor discovered and removed at the same time. It has been a week and she is recovering nicely…..no pain, eating well, playing. However, she has become aggressive toward my female Jack Russell Terrier and my 17 month old son. If he walks into a room she is in she starts to lick her lips (a sign she has always displayed when she is unhappy) and wil actuall get up and “stalk” him. It isnt a constant reaction towards the two of them but it NEVER happened before. Anyone have experience with this? I am trying to figure out what is going on with her and am assuming that she is still recovering and is still a little ornery, but the stalking behavior is what concerns me. Even when she is being left alone she will get up and initiate contact. This is a behavior that was non-existent before the surgery…..can anyone offer advice?
By the way, not even 5 minutes after posting my previous comment, she bit him….not hard, but the fact that she was motherly towards him before and now this……
I am reading this because I have a 5 months female Cocker Spaniel. I had her spayed a week ago and it’s been a nightmare since. She became very aggressive, she is bitting me and my husband all the time, she just won’t stop! She also barks a lot more than before. We are trying everything, playing with her, we even locked her in a room for a few minutes so she calms down, but it doesn’t help, she will come out and start again. I am very frustrated, I was told that spaying the dog wouldn’t make any changes in her personality, but it seems to be wrong. I am starting to regret what we’ve done, she was a nice puppy before and now we can’t even have five minutes of peace. I hope this behaviour will go away
carla….
I have a 5 months female cocker spaniel as well and she was spayed 3 days ago. Im very concerned because she has been very aggresive towards the whole family since then. I was looking for information through this websiteand I read your comment.
Im really sad because she was a really nice puppy but now it seems like she hates us for what we did to her. I don’t know what to do.
Please tell me, Did your cocker spaniel went back to her normal bevahior or she’s still agressive?
Sorry that you had your dog spayed..She was far too young for a start and would have been near her first season.I refuse to be blackmailed by vets to get my female dog spayed..I have had rescue dogs who came to me spayed and its been a nightmare..The dog only comes into heat twice a year and it is not a problem..I had 2 females dogs that lived till they were 18 and they weren’t spayed and healthy..All this rubbish about cancer etc.. most dogs (female) are all spayed so where do they get their data from to say these remarks..Also ask yourself why do they want animals spayed..we are not living in greece and I can understand these reasons..It all comes doown to a lot of money for the vets..I get such aggressive from the vets thankly I wouldn’t be bullied by them..
Hell I’ll throw my bit in here, I’ve literally spent my entire life around animals ranging from typical cats n dogs, to horses, cattle, wolves, and a varying range of wild animals that my family has taken in from time to time. I can actually say I was raised with wolves, I was I was two when we took in our first. Animals can be aggressive and dominant for varying reasons for different situations and different animals. Anyone who spends time with animals know that they all have personalities like we do. So there is no clear answer but more times than not it’s not a hormone issue it’s not because it’s just a bad animal therefor it must have it’s balls chopped off or put down. It the owner! You must train them you must stimulate them, a bored dog will find something to entertain itself and most of the time that involves chewing and chasing that’s what they do. Be a responsible adult and if you don’t take your dog out on walks multiple times of day, regular exercise, and encourage the good things and repremanded them when they do wrong then find it a home where it can get those things it needs. They need structure and a leader not just a bowl ofwater and food.
OK, Need a quick response here. Have a scheduled spay tomorrow. Not truly wanting to, for her Mom (a Newfie) now spayed is my heart, yet I have a Heard of spayed /Neutered Newfs here, which is why I have not bred her. YET, she is the only girl from the one who WILL one day be gone. I also have One unneutered Male. It is a game of hide and seek during heats, and have irt worked out during the every 6 month heat. BUT there were 3 reasons I was opting to spay her. She is nearing 4 years in 4 months and sound as they come. She is The ONLY non spayed girl here, They are well trained and have 3 acres of playground / woods to run and play. BUT the past few months she has become very alfa and occasionally has started a fight with 2 girls. One understandable also trying for thhe alpha role, and has now opted to avoid her, and 2 days ago went at a VERY non alpha girl. She latches on to the scruff of their necks and won’t let go until I put her in a arm/neck grip raising her up. These are Big dogs and I am not, but all see me as the leader. BUT she becomes focused as if I were not there. Seeing this behavior, I called the Vet to schedule a spay, but also felt this may create a worse situation, which is why I went on the PC search (spay/aggression) . Also reading about a litter calming this behavior. Makes sense, BUT this would be her 1st AND last litter if this would help YET, I am concerned how old is too old, for I am REALLY not ready to have a litter until our Newfie heard lessens . AND than my concern would be allowing my boy who has never bred, and is a true gentleman, now developing non acceptable behavior. I question if he had a taste of breeding, would HIS behavior now change toward the other dogs and overall. VERY torn and have little time, for if I WERE to spay I want to catch her before her next heat which is nearing.
I have a 1 1/2 year old dane we resqued 10wks ago we had her spayed 5 days ago. She has become very aggressive the last couple of days. She is going after my older dog and cats. She thinks she had puppies. She has a tshirt that she carries around like a pup, she puts it in her crate and lays with it for hours, she also has milk coming from her nipples. She wont allow anyone near the crate. We took her to the vet today and she thinks it is postpartem depression. Has anyone heard of this?
To Carla and Abril,
We had our one year old boxer/lab spayed yesterday and today the aggressive behavior has started out of the blue… She was the sweetest dog I had ever met. She tolerated our two kids, 6 and 9 years old, our two cats and all the neighborhood dogs. Today she seemed like the same dog but showing no body language at all would suddenly begin growling and actually snap at me and my family while being pet or just being near us. I am hoping that it is from the unnatural feeling of post-surgery and pain and will improve with healing and time, but it is alarming and rather painful that our loyal companion is acting this way towards us. Please if anyone has experienced this let me know if it WILL improve or not… It would break my heart to take her to the pound or even worse if she injured one of my children!
We love our dog and she is a member of our family, this is an extremely sudden, dramatic change in behavior, I don’t even want to pet her anymore because of the constant thought that she might bite. Was it abuse at the vet’s office (My business will never be there again BTW) or could it be a hormonal imbalance?
Please someone help before we have to remove our beloved family member!!!
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Hi, this is my experience. Our little Yorkie was speyed at 12 months, after her first season. Before, she got along with our other bitch but has not been the same since. She fights with the other dog and it does not bother her that she comes off worse. She can be grumpy with us and my husband got bitten breaking up afight. She really has not been the same since. We got the other girl speyed on the vets advice to calm things down and it has helped a little. We have got her on 75mg of Zyklene a day on vets advice. This has calmed her but she is not the same dog as she was. I know what the statistics say but think very carefully about speying, I love her dearly but she can be difficult. I wish I had never got her done and am wondering if there is such a thing as dog HRT, anyone out there know?
Please help me! We have a female miniature schnauzer and a female mix that got along fine until the female mix got spayed at age 5. Now they literally try to kill each other. It is so bad that we have to keep them apart 24 hours a day. Yesterday one broke out of her kennel and attacked the other and I had to break it up and now I’m literally bitten and eat up on both hands and arms and bruised all over. It is a miracle I got them torn apart. The larger one would have killed the smaller one. Why did they start hating each other after one was spayed? Please help. This is tearing our family apart. One dog is mine, and the other is my husband’s. We’ve all been a family for over a year, and this has been happening for 2 months now. I’m desperate for help.
I am the full-time, main caregiver to 6 dogs. 1 mixed 13yr fem. 1 mini doxie 7yr fem. 1 boxer 5yr male. 1 stn. poodle 2yr male. 2 boxer 1yr fems from different litters. None are “intact”. Bella, 1 of the 1yr old fems, is my problem child. She was with me from 7wks and was spayed at 4 months. Arlie came to us as a rescue at 10 months and was spayed then. These 2 girls are 2 weeks apart in age. I do know that Bella was an assertive puppy, would this have grown into aggression as she matured? Hard to say. Bella’s aggression started when Arlie came into the house but isn’t always directed at Arlie. A few times she has gone after the 13 yr old mellow mixed breed. Just shortly after i had Arlie spayed 2 months ago, i saw an articale on the physcological affects of spay/nueter. This was found on “Life with dogs” link through Face book. Around the same time i had a chance conversation with the manager of a rescue ranch in our area. He was in the process of training a new cattle dog and mentioned that he only wants females for this work. When the subject of spaying came up, he explained that he has had a hard time finding a vet willing to take only his dogs uteres. He insists that the overies be left in tact because then they don’t get, his word “bitchy”. No worry of unwanted puppies, and no worry of what looks for all the world like “surgical menopause”. I cant help but think that this makes sense. I will NEVER allow one of my dogs to reproduce, however, i am rethinking the traditional methods of spaying.
I have had the same problem, loving beautiful 4-Year old English Bully Girl, got along with EVERYONE, all the cats & dogs. After spaying I have to keep her separated from the other female canines — my happy loving family is now on pins and needles because of this behavior; and only after spaying! Even on walks now she is aggressive — whereas before she loved everyone, just wanted pats and sniffs — now she growls and jumps at other dogs & cats. It is heart breaking — I do not see a solution on this page, but can see this is definintely a problem in the FEMALE CANINES!!!!!