Should I neuter my personal protection dog?--A question for ppl with experience with protection dogs?

Question

I have a male rottie who will be 2 yrs old in March. He has been obedienced trained by a professional working dog trainer, and he has also had some personal protection training. I am continuing his training in both obedience and protection under the tutelage of this trainer at that facility and reinforcing the obedience at home. His only problem is marking in the house. Is that something that can be ultimately trained out of him or is altering him the only way to get rid of this behavior? Is is just a dominance issue? Can neutering him negatively affect his ability as a personal protection dog? I have no intentions of breeding him, he doesn't fight with other dogs, and I'm confidant about preventing unwanted breedings (he only goes outside under our supervision and our three females are all spayed). The main concern is that blasted marking.

Answer 1

Yes, you should neuter him. It won't change his temperament and the marking will stop immediately.

Answer 2

Sounds like one of the reasons I got a dog! So, I can feel a little more protected when my husband is oversea's and such:)

I looked up myths and facts on neutering....that isnt a true statement. A dog who is part of the family and loved by his owner(s), will protect his family (pack) at any costs. Dogs just have that animal instinct, and nuetering wont take it away:)

I hope that makes you feel better about neutering him. It's overall better for his health, and he will be more focused on you as his trainer (no hormones, sexual tendencies there anymore).

Good luck:)

I would like to add, it would still be best for health to get him fixed.

But, I have also read that neutering at a later age doesnt help too much for training him any better. Sometimes even spaying a female dog later in life (after 1 yrs.old), it usually makes them worse (behavior wise). Ask your vet how true this info is that I have read....But that is what a few training sites stated.
I dont have a link to this info I read, but Im sure it's easy to find.

Answer 3

Neutering him is a healthier choice. I have a male and had him neutered. Mine is a hunting dog and I would like for him to keep his mind on the prize and not some other dog that another hunter has with. Males are territorial and he is telling you that he is in charge of the house by marking it. I would fix him as soon as you can.

As for the person that was wondering what kind of person needs personal protection....I would say.........anyone that lives in a big city now a days.....unless you live in the boonies, you are always at risk. Crime is everywhere.......

Answer 4

You have a problem that can be fixed by you with little help from your trainer. I think you should talk to your trainer on this.
Knowing your dog is almost 2, I am guessing basic agitation is done. I am sure your trainer test him before training.
If you are looking for basic protection dog( Bark, bite , out on command, poison proof) with solid obedience, you can neuter your dog. If you have to .
If you are looking for high level protection dog(long hit, call off, bark & hold, building search, tracking) or sport dog (French ring, Mondio ring, etc) Don't fix your dog. In most of case, your dog will loose little bit of drive and sharpness. I never seen neutered police patrol k-9 or high level competition dogs; I work with them on daily bases.
If you fixed your dog. Make sure you run him daily, Play with kong/ ball everyday. Do everything you can to keep his drive up.
Don't take long break between training as well. Keep him from getting fat.
Again, DON'T DO ANYTHING BEFORE TALK TO YOUR TRAINER.

Answer 5

I would recommed neutering him.
I personally feel that for a male they are much more focused on the handler and less likely to be looking for love when they are working if they are neutered.
It also cuts down on behavior like marking in the house.
It reduces the cancer risk and it ensures they will not get an enlarged prostate.
I have had Dobermans for 17 years and had both neutered and in tact males. I much prefer them neutered if I am not going to breed one. It makes them more focused and they do not loose anything as far protection factor goes. They are if anything less likely to follow a female dog or be distracted by one.
It sounds like you have a great dog and it is nice to hear about someone taking the time and training and working with their dog.

Answer 6

No, For one thing, you will need an experienced (and good) agitator.to train properly. Training a good protection dog is not a one man job. Many dogs have been ruined by the wrong training. There are a few protection trainers who are regulars. They can give you more details.

Answer 7

Good morning. Excellent question. I am a working dog handler. I have worked with patrol and detection dogs for the last 27 years. I have never bred a litter of puppies as I am NOT a breeder and I have NEVER neuter a male working dog in my life. I know a lot of people here will disagree with this statement, but, I feel that it takes drive away from the dog. That is a personal statement/observation I have seen in the past 27 years in this field. I have seen dogs that were fixed, males and females, and it DID NOT affect them, but, I have seen dogs that WERE affected also. I am not willing to take that chance on a dog that was trained in protection. I cannot tell you that it will affect him, but you cannot tell me that it will not. So, it becomes an issue of preferences. I PREFER to keep my working dogs intact. There is too much at stake and too much to lose. I look at testosterone as the hormone that gives drive to males, human and animals. Have you ever seen a human with low testosterone? And I have NEVER seen a police dog neutered in all these years of working with them. The marking issue is best addressed by figuring out the dominance issues that exist at home and working towards correcting them. I am not there, so I cannot tell you why he is doing it. Again, after 27 years and hundreds of dogs trained in protection, I cannot neuter a male and see what happens. And all the comments about the dog being able to concentrate on his job better have a flaw. If the dog has the proper drives and if he is trained right, a female in heat means nothing to him. Remember, survival instinct is stronger then mating instinct. If you need any more help, please do not hesitate to send me an email.

Answer 8

A dog should be trained on how to eat, walk with you, not to bark, potty training and sleep on its place etc. You can teach anything to your puppy, dogs get trained easily with some good instructions. If you want some good training tips visit https://tr.im/Dfcir

If properly trained, they should also understand whistle and gesture equivalents for all the relevant commands, e.g. short whistle or finger raised sit, long whistle or flat hand lay down, and so on.

It's important that they also get gestures and whistles as voice may not be sufficient over long distances and under certain circumstances.

Answer 9

at age 2 i think it would be all right to neuter him. i neuter a 2 1/2 year old sheltlie and it made no difference in his attitude. you might try using what is called rattle cans to throw at him. this how you make rattle cans. you take a soda pop can and wash it out and let is dry.. then put a small amount of pennies or a small amount of small stones in the bottom and seal the top of the can. you can correct him from a distance. when you throw in tell him no very firmly.

Answer 10

Neutering him will NOT affect his training. It will, however, affect how long he lives. Dogs that are altered have less of a change of developing many different types of cancers. They are also less likely to mark your house, or escape if there is a female in heat in the neighborhood.

I use to own Rotties and I worked with Rottie rescue for years. I had a male Rottie that was altered, and he was extremely protective of me and my children. Altering has no affect on that at all! Good luck to you.

Answer 11

A protection trained dog takes an owner with years of experience in knowledge and handling dogs, or in the wrong hands they become one huge liability.
You should be able to walk the walk since you talk the talk. You don't sound like you don't have a clue about dog behavior if have to turn to Y.A.'s for direction on marking. You have an intact dog and 3 b!tches inside the house...