Today we are talking about a controversial and often discussed topic: neutering dogs. For many dog owners, the decision of whether and when to neuter their dog is one of the biggest questions in everyday life with their animal companion. But did you know that early neutering can have health, behavioural and even legal consequences?
In this article, we take a closer look at why neutering is not always the best solution - and why early neutering in particular should be critically scrutinised. Our aim is to provide you with sound information so that you can make a decision that really benefits your dog.
Reason #1: Legal basis for neutering dogs
Before we talk about the health and behavioural aspects, let's take a look at the legal requirements for neutering dogs in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Many dog owners are not aware that neutering is not a routine procedure but is strictly regulated by animal welfare laws.
Germany: Animal Welfare Act (§ 6 para. 1)
The German Animal Welfare Act stipulates that the removal of organs or tissues from vertebrates is generally prohibited. Exceptions only apply in two cases:
- Medical necessity: For example, in the case of uterine inflammation or tumours.
- Prevention of uncontrolled reproduction: This primarily concerns free-roaming dogs whose reproduction cannot be controlled by the owner.
For dogs that live in the household and whose mating can be avoided through supervision, the second point is usually not sufficient. In this case, the law requires owners to take responsibility by taking measures such as keeping dogs on a lead or supervising them before considering neutering.
Switzerland: Animal Welfare Act (TSchG)
In Switzerland, too, castration may only take place if it:
- is therapeutically or diagnostically necessary, or
- The prevention of uncontrolled reproduction.
The Swiss law particularly emphasises that any measure must take into account the well-being of the dog. Neutering without a medical reason is viewed critically, as it interferes with the natural function of the body.
Austria: Animal Welfare Act (TSchG)
In Austria, the regulations are similarly strict. Castration is permitted if it:
- is necessary for medical reasons, or
- serves to prevent unwanted reproduction.
The law also emphasises the responsibility of dog owners to consider alternative measures, such as supervising dogs, before performing surgery.
The laws in these countries make it clear that neutering is not a routine procedure and should never be carried out lightly. Especially for dogs that live under supervision, there are alternatives such as the use of a hormonal chip or careful supervision.
By observing these legal requirements, you are helping to safeguard your dog's welfare and avoid unnecessary interventions.
ℹ︎ Info
Animal welfare laws in Germany, Switzerland and Austria make it clear that neutering is not a routine procedure and should never be seen as a simple solution to contraceptive issues. Before you consider neutering, there are alternatives that need to be considered, such as supervision or temporary measures like the use of a hormonal chip.
A common misunderstanding
Many dog people believe that the passage in the law to prevent uncontrolled reproduction means that neutering is generally permitted in order to avoid unwanted offspring. But this is not the case!
This point in the Animal Welfare Act refers primarily to cases in which there is an actual risk of dogs having uncontrolled offspring - for example in the case of:
- Free-roaming or stray animals ,
-
Stray dogs in rural or urban areas,
where contact with conspecifics cannot be monitored.
Responsibility instead of intervention
If your dog lives in a controlled environment, it is your responsibility to prevent unwanted mating. You can achieve this by:
- Supervision during walks, especially for bitches in heat.
- Ensure that your dog does not escape unintentionally.
- Supervision in situations where unneutered males and bitches in heat could meet.
Neutering should therefore not be seen as a convenient preventative measure, but should always be weighed up carefully and only carried out for valid reasons. The responsibility for controlled reproduction lies with you as the dog owner.
You'll find the perfect equipment with us
Reason #2: Health aspects of castration in dogs
Your dog's health should always come first - especially when it comes to a decision like neutering. Premature neutering can have a negative impact on your dog's physical development and lead to long-term health problems.
Bone growth and joint health
Your dog's bones grow as long as the so-called epiphyseal joints (growth plates) are open. These only close when the dog is fully grown - a process that is largely controlled by the sex hormones oestrogen and testosterone.
- Early castration and prolonged growth phase: If the growth plates remain open for longer due to early surgery, the bones often grow disproportionately long.
- Stress on the joints: This excess length leads to increased stress on the joints, which increases the risk of orthopaedic problems such as hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia or cruciate ligament ruptures.
Muscle building and stability
Hormones such as testosterone are not only important for reproduction, but also for building muscle. These muscles stabilise the joints and take the strain off your dog's skeleton.
- Less muscle mass: Early castrated dogs often develop weaker muscles due to a lack of hormonal support.
- Unstable joints: Without sufficient muscles, the joints lack stabilisation, which can lead to increased susceptibility to pain and restricted movement.
Immune system and long-term consequences
The sex hormones also have a regulating effect on your dog's immune system. Studies show that dogs that are castrated early have an increased risk of autoimmune diseases and skin problems due to a lack of hormonal protection.
Imbalance between bones and muscles
Dogs that are castrated too early often have a disproportion between the length of their bones and the strength of their muscles.
- Effects: This imbalance changes the natural gait, puts strain on the musculoskeletal system and can impair the dog's quality of life due to pain or restricted mobility.
ℹ Hormones as a natural protective mechanism
Your dog's sex hormones are not only important for reproduction - they also control essential physical processes. Early castration interferes with these natural mechanisms and can affect both your dog's health and well-being in the long term.
Reason #3: Behavioural aspects of castration in dogs
In addition to the physical effects, behavioural changes also play an important role in the decision to neuter. Hormones such as testosterone and oestrogen not only influence your dog's physical development, but also their behaviour and emotional maturation.
Self-confidence and stress regulation
The sex hormones have a regulating effect on your dog's nervous system and promote his self-confidence.
- Early castration and anxiety: Studies show that early castrated dogs are more prone to anxious behaviour as they lack the hormonal support to cope with stress.
- Increased reactivity: Without the balancing effect of hormones, many dogs react more quickly to stressful situations and show insecure or exaggerated behaviour.
Socialisation and puberty
Puberty is a crucial phase in your dog's life in which he learns to interact with other dogs and resolve conflicts. This learning process is significantly influenced by hormonal changes during puberty.
- Impaired social development: Early neutered dogs can develop problems with communication with other dogs, especially with intact animals.
- Failure to learn conflict resolution: The hormonal changes during puberty help your dog to resolve conflicts in a socially acceptable way. If this phase is missing, insecurities or inappropriate behaviour can occur.
Heat and social interaction
In bitches, heat plays an important role in communication and learning social signals.
- Natural development phase: During heat, bitches send and receive hormonally controlled signals that help them to understand their position in the social structure.
- Missed learning opportunities: Early castration prevents these natural processes and can lead to deficits in social behaviour in the long term.
Your dog's sex hormones are an essential part of his emotional maturation and his ability to interact with other dogs and his environment. Early castration can disrupt these natural developmental processes and lead to insecurity, behavioural problems or impaired communication.
Reason #4: Behavioural problems due to early castration
Early castration is often promoted as a solution for unwanted behaviour. However, in practice, it often turns out that the procedure does not improve your dog's behaviour, but can even worsen it. Sex hormones such as testosterone and oestrogen play a crucial role in the development of emotional stability, social skills and stress management. Their premature removal has profound effects on your dog's nervous system, learning ability and social behaviour.
The influence of sex hormones on behaviour
Sex hormones not only control reproduction, but also act as natural regulators of the nervous system. They promote your dog's ability to cope with stress, master social interactions and develop a healthy self-confidence.
- Testosterone: Supports the development of self-confidence and assertiveness. In males, it helps them to understand their own role in the social structure and to resolve conflicts without reacting aggressively.
- Oestrogen: Promotes social bonding in bitches and ensures a balanced response in stressful situations.
If the hormone balance is disturbed at an early stage, your dog will lack important mechanisms to process stimuli appropriately.
Increased reactivity and uncertainties
Early neutered dogs often show excessive reactivity to environmental stimuli. This means that they react inappropriately strongly to everyday situations such as strange dogs, noises or new environments.
Early neutered dogs often send unclear signals as they lack the hormonal support for social interactions. This can lead to conflicts as other dogs misunderstand their body language or behaviour.
Some early neutered dogs develop an excessive interest in other dogs or, conversely, are more frequently harassed by intact dogs.
Why is this happening?
Sex hormones have a calming effect on the nervous system. Without this protective shield, the release of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline increases, which means that the dog is more quickly overwhelmed in stressful situations.
Lack of social maturity
Puberty is a crucial phase for your dog's emotional and social maturation. Sex hormones play a key role in this by promoting the motivation to learn conflict resolution and social behaviour. Early neutered dogs are often unable to complete these learning processes.
Psychological effects on learning:
- Dogs learn through observation and direct interaction with other dogs. Early castration can lead to dogs reacting anxiously to social signals or misinterpreting them.
- They often lack the necessary experience to navigate complex social hierarchies.
Social insecurity:
Early neutered dogs often appear indecisive and have problems finding their place in a group. They often react overcautiously or aggressively out of insecurity.
You might like this
"Juvenile behaviour": staying childlike instead of growing up
A common problem with dogs that have been neutered early is that they remain in a juvenile stage of behaviour, often referred to as "juvenile behaviour". This phenomenon is caused by the premature removal of sex hormones, which play a crucial role in a dog's emotional maturation. While a dog's physical development can be disrupted by neutering, emotional and social development is often even more affected.
Puberty is one of the most formative phases of a dog's life. During this time, it learns to deal with challenges, increase its frustration tolerance and position itself in a social group. These processes are largely controlled by the hormonal changes that take place during puberty. Testosterone and oestrogen not only promote physical maturity, but also influence behaviour: They help dogs to resolve conflicts socially, make decisions and strengthen their emotional stability.
If a dog is neutered early, it lacks this hormonal support, which means that important developmental steps are not taken. As a result, the dog remains stuck in a childlike stage of behaviour characterised by excessive playfulness, impulsiveness and a lack of control. For many dog people, this state initially seems harmless or even charming, as the dog appears playful and full of energy. However, behind this behaviour often lies an emotional immaturity that can put a strain on the dog in the long term.
Dogs that display this juvenile behaviour often have difficulty reacting appropriately in stressful situations. This is because they have never learnt to deal with frustration - an essential part of social and emotional maturation.
The effects in everyday life can be manifold:
- Excessive excitement in new or unexpected situations. For example, an early neutered dog may overreact to a sudden noise or a stranger by barking, jumping or becoming nervous.
- Difficulties in training: Such a dog often has problems concentrating as it is easily distracted and has not developed patience. This makes training more strenuous and time-consuming.
- Impulsive behaviour: Dogs without hormonal support often show little self-control. This manifests itself in impetuous jumping at people, excessive barking or hectic behaviour in unfamiliar surroundings.
This emotional imbalance not only has short-term effects, but also influences the dog's entire behaviour over many years. Juvenile behaviour is also often clearly evident when interacting with other dogs. Early neutered dogs are often insecure and cannot correctly interpret the body language of other dogs. They either try to avoid conflicts through excessive playfulness or react with inappropriate behaviour, such as exaggerated dominance or sudden submissiveness.
Another problem is that dogs that have been neutered early often find it difficult to integrate into a social group. In a dog group, there are clear structures and roles that are negotiated through body language and behaviour. Dogs that are not fully developed hormonally are often unable to read or send these social signals correctly, which leads to misunderstandings and conflicts.
In the long term, this juvenile behaviour can also be stressful for the dog itself. Without a stable emotional basis, he finds it difficult to build trust in his environment and his carer. He remains in a state of permanent insecurity, which affects both his quality of life and his relationship with his humans.
Castration as a measure with reason
Neutering is a surgical procedure that cannot be reversed and has a profound effect on your dog's physical and emotional development. Therefore, this step should only be considered if there are valid reasons. Neutering should not be seen as a default solution or a substitute for consistent training or responsible ownership. Rather, it should be the last resort if there is a medical need or other measures have proved inadequate.
Medical indications
In some cases, neutering is medically necessary to save the health or even the life of a dog. These situations require careful consideration and advice from a vet:
- Inflammation of the uterus (pyometra): A life-threatening disease in bitches in which the uterus becomes inflamed and fills with pus. Spaying is often the only way to save the bitch's life.
- Testicular or mammary tumours: In males and females, removal of the sexual organs can be part of cancer therapy to prevent the spread of tumours.
- Hormonal disorders: In rare cases, hormonal problems such as extreme aggression or pseudo-pregnancies can lead to a health risk that can be alleviated by neutering.
In these situations, neutering is not only justified, but often there is no alternative in order to ensure the dog's well-being and quality of life.
No substitute for education or training
Many dog owners consider neutering to solve behavioural problems such as aggression, disobedience or nervousness. However, the causes of such problems often lie not in the hormones, but in other areas:
- Lack of socialisation: A dog that has not learned to interact with other dogs or people often shows insecure or aggressive behaviour. This problem cannot be solved by neutering.
- Unclear leadership: Dogs need clear rules and consistent leadership. If this is lacking, they seek guidance and often react in an overwhelmed manner, which can result in problematic behaviour.
- Insufficient exercise: An under-exercised dog often develops behavioural problems such as excessive barking or destructiveness. Neutering does not help here, but rather an adaptation of everyday life with more mental and physical activity.
Behavioural problems should always be tackled first with targeted training, a well thought-out education plan and, if necessary, the support of a dog trainer or behaviour consultant. Neutering alone cannot solve behavioural problems that are based on a lack of training or the wrong attitude.
Summary
Neutering a dog is a complex issue that requires careful consideration. Early neutering can have profound effects on your dog's physical, emotional and social development. Sex hormones play a crucial role in regulating growth, behaviour and stress management. Premature intervention can not only endanger health, but also lead to behavioural problems such as insecurity or overreactions.
In many cases, there are alternatives, such as the use of hormonal chips or targeted supervision, to prevent unwanted reproduction. Neutering should therefore always be considered on an individual basis and only carried out if there are medical or compelling practical reasons. Your goal as a dog person should be to make an informed and responsible decision in the best interests of your dog.
Is castration always necessary?
No. Neutering is only necessary in certain cases, e.g. medical indications such as uterine inflammation or hormonal problems. It should never be considered a standard measure or a quick fix for behavioural problems.
What are the risks of early castration?
Early castrations can:
- Lead to disproportionate bone growth and joint problems such as hip dysplasia.
- Affect muscle stability and thus joint health.
- Promote behavioural problems such as insecurity, reactivity or excessive anxiety.
Can neutering solve behavioural problems?
Only in rare cases if these are hormonal. Many behavioural problems are caused by a lack of socialisation, unclear leadership or insufficient exercise. These problems can be better solved through targeted training and behaviour management.
At what age does neutering make sense?
The ideal age depends on the individual development of the dog. As a rule, the dog should be physically and emotionally mature, which is often only the case after puberty. A medium to large sized dog is only mature at 3 years of age, smaller breeds a little quicker.
The authors: Paulina & Lui
Paulina and Lui are the heart and soul behind Vitomalia [Dogstraining & Store]. Her journey in dog training began with the adoption of her first list dog, Vito. This experience sparked her deep interest in teaching other dog owners about dog behaviour and training. Initially this was just a hobby, but with the adoption of the American Pitbull dog Amalia, who had been relinquished several times due to severe behavioural problems, her passion developed into a true vocation. Amalia's particular behavioural challenges intensified her interest in dog training and behavioural therapy. This turning point led Paulina and Lui to leave their original career paths, undergo intensive further training and dedicate themselves fully to the subject of dog training. Their work with human-dog teams also revealed a gap in the dog market: there was a lack of safe, high-quality dog accessories specifically for medium-sized and large breeds.
From this realisation, Vitomalia [Dogstraining & Store] was born, a combination of their commitment to professional dog training and the need for quality dog accessories. Paulina and Lui bring their personal experience, extensive knowledge and passion for dogs to every product to help human-dog teams live together.
Share: