Are intact male dogs more aggressive?
Annabelle Kreiger
2025-06-23 23:54:06
Count answers: 7
I have yet to find one study that shows evidence that unneutered dogs will specifically attack intact dogs. I have seen studies that show neutered males are more likely to be aggressive in general, harder to train, and exhibit more fear based behavior. So it would seem that a neutered male is just as likely to attack another neutered male as an intact male. I feel that many owners who have dogs that are reactive and not properly socialized and/or trained simply scapegoat the issue on the intact dog when the issue is with both the owner and the dog of the neutered male.
Rick Boyle
2025-06-23 22:22:20
Count answers: 8
Fights involving unneutered male dogs aren’t uncommon, and with Wishbone and Jonesy both being intact, you’ve got double trouble. While it’s true that there are plenty of intact males who are not dog-aggressive, dogs can tell when another is unneutered. When an intact male enters a dog park or social group, it’s not unusual for other dogs to get their hackles up, both literally and figuratively, and fighting can result. Fights involving unneutered male dogs aren’t uncommon. When two dogs are intact, you’ve got double trouble. Neutering decreases urine marking, roaming, and aggression-related behaviours such as territoriality. In addition to lessening the incidence of aggression toward other males, neutering also decreases urine marking, roaming, and possibly, other aggression-related behaviours such as territoriality.
Jonathon Bartell
2025-06-23 21:48:51
Count answers: 10
Neutered males can be problematic. Before I owned an intact male dog, I had no idea that a lot of neutered males don’t like intact males. We learned this the hard way with Colombo when he was about a year old. One day, we were at one of the large parks when another dog started getting aggressive with Colombo. The other dog, a large male pointer, was growling and getting in Colombo’s face. Colombo was not scared and was growling back. Afterward, I did some online research and discovered that neutered males are often aggressive to intact males. When males are neutered, they smell female to other dogs. Since most of the dogs in this country are spayed or neutered, the majority of dogs smell female to each other. It makes sense that when a neutered male encounters an intact male, they smell male, and thus different. Colombo will not initiate a fight with a neutered male, but if one tries to start one with him, he won’t back down.
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