# Help...will fixing my dog help with hyperactivity?



## Ares2010 (Mar 14, 2010)

I had an appointment with the vet to get my 2.5 yr old GSD fixed and then she called back and said that she thinks we misunderstood eachother. She said that fixing our dog wont help with being hyper, they fix dogs mainly to help keep the dogs from trying to mate or humping objects. Well he doesnt do either. And she said his breed has a lot to do with him being hyper. So I need advice on what I should do. Thanks


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

What do you do for training? I agree with your vet, as far as neutering won't change his lack of an off switch. 
I would work more with him~ mind and body. 
Have you ever tracked with him? That is a great way to work the mind. 
Is he able to run off leash much? Fetch/tug/swimming are excellent exercise beside the daily walking. 
If you are a responsible owner(don't let him out unsupervised), then decide what is best for his health as far as the neutering goes.


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## Ares2010 (Mar 14, 2010)

We had him a in class when he was younger and this week we plan on signing him back up for the intermediate class. we do play ball with him a lot and we have a fenced in yard so he gets to run around. Tracking..not so much but if I had some tips I would try it. Bought a kong to fill with food bc I heard it helps with mind stimulation. We really need to take him out more to socialize him..but my husband gets sooo frustrated with him being hyper that he won't take him anywhere and argues with me about it. I have read many things that state that if you react to him being hyper it reinforces the bad behavior. If someone comes up to pet him he will jump all around and won't sit to let them pet him. He won't jump on them he is just so excited. I think him being hyper makes people uneasy. And when it comes to him being around other animals...well that is no good. When we took him on a walk today he didn't do bad. A few dogs barked and he looked at them but then ignored..but then this lab was going crazy and he started to bark slightly and hair raised up a bit. I just tell him leave and give him a treat when he corrects his behavior.


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## Draugr (Jul 8, 2011)

Getting him neutered could take the edge off his behavior, but it won't eliminate hyperactivity altogether.

It took a few months for the hormones to settle out of Jake but once that happened I noticed a definite edge lost from his drive (a good thing since he is a pet and not a working dog). He's less inclined to do the things he was before, and combining that with training, he's pretty good now.

Being excited around people though isn't a behavior based on a dog's "drive." You'd likely see very little change. And even Jake's situation could be an exception, or just a flip of a coin. Some dogs see no change, some dogs see drastic changes. We were lucky with Jake.


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## Gracie's My Girl (May 27, 2011)

I can't imagine that hyperactivity is going to be solved by neutering. I know quite a few dogs who are fixed who bounce off the walls. Instead, hyperactivity seems to be most often remedied by quality exercise. Instead of walking the dog, run with the dog. While you are playing fetch, give the dog a command to perform before the ball gets tossed. Those two things have been life savers for me and managing our very hyper, one year old GSD. I constantly remind myself that I can't expect my dog to relax if I haven't given her a release for her energy.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I noticed a difference in all my dogs shortly after they were fixed...male and female, purebreed and mixed. All of mine have been fixed between the ages of 4-6 months. They were all still very happy go lucky but more mellow.


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

There is a difference in male dogs who have a little frantic thing happening (talking all different breeds not just GSD) that seems to mellow after neutering. Like...the voices in their brains are gone. 

But neutered males who are energetic still need a lot of physical and mental exercise.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Fixing a dog at 4-6 months really tells you nothing about the reason for the dogs behavior. The pup is not even trained at that age to let it's true personality be known. 
I spayed Onyx at 6 months and at that time her fear aggression and reactive behavior really surfaced. She didn't mellow whatsoever! I blamed it on the vetting/spay stay experience(they were not kind to her) but it was her temperament/nerves which made her not recover from whatever they did to her, not the stay, not the spay.
She had to mature at 3 before I saw the actual dog I have. And now at 5, she is who she is, still on the reactive side, still a bit anxious but can control herself better because her brain is firing more sensibly.
My male is 3, and a great dog, still intact and I have no behavioral problems with him, due to his genetics.


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## Twyla (Sep 18, 2011)

It honestly sounds like he doesn't get enough exercise and is in need of further training.

Have you thought about riding a bike with your dog? Do you jog? As long as your dog isn't on hard surface the majority of time, that would help. How about playing tug? A flirt pole would get him moving big time. Playing in a backyard isn't going to give him enough exercise to tire him.

How much training do you do at home? Commands from the previous class, teaching tricks? 

Our dogs need physical AND mental exercise to tire them. Once you physically exercise them and burned off excess energy, he'll be more receptive to the mental exercise.

Neutering may or may not slow him down, that is dependent on the individual dog.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

train and socialize daily. training and socializing starts
the day you bring the pup home. on a daily basis what
do you do with your dog to help with him being hyperactive?
i think training and socializing is the cure to most behaviour problems.



Ares2010 said:


> I had an appointment with the vet to get my 2.5 yr old GSD fixed and then she called back and said that she thinks we misunderstood eachother. She said that fixing our dog wont help with being hyper, they fix dogs mainly to help keep the dogs from trying to mate or humping objects. Well he doesnt do either. And she said his breed has a lot to do with him being hyper. So I need advice on what I should do. Thanks


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

JeanKBBMMMAAN said:


> There is a difference in male dogs who have a little frantic thing happening (talking all different breeds not just GSD) that seems to mellow after neutering. Like...the voices in their brains are gone.


Hehe... that's a good way of putting it.

I have seen a LOT of neutered dogs that are hyperactive, so neutering isn't a magic bullet in all cases. However, I notice a definite difference in attitude with the dogs I've groomed; If they are allowed to remain intact for more than a year or so, they start acting like punks. Thinking they have much more important business than listening to me, and thinking they are too cool to be groomed. After being neutered, their attitude gradually changes and they are much more compliant, calmer, less inclined to fight, bite, or back themselves off the table.  

I can see why SchH people would want to keep their males intact, that little bit of extra bravado and desire to dominate is desirable on the field.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

onyx'girl said:


> Fixing a dog at 4-6 months really tells you nothing about the reason for the dogs behavior. The pup is not even trained at that age to let it's true personality be known.
> I spayed Onyx at 6 months and at that time her fear aggression and reactive behavior really surfaced. She didn't mellow whatsoever! I blamed it on the vetting/spay stay experience(they were not kind to her) but it was her temperament/nerves which made her not recover from whatever they did to her, not the stay, not the spay.
> She had to mature at 3 before I saw the actual dog I have. And now at 5, she is who she is, still on the reactive side, still a bit anxious but can control herself better because her brain is firing more sensibly.
> My male is 3, and a great dog, still intact and I have no behavioral problems with him, due to his genetics.



If a dog is fixed between the ages of 4-6 months and its FA, chances are it will still be FA after the surgery. If its a genetic issue it is what it is. I don't think I would put hyper and fear aggressive in the same category...hyper can be fixed with more mental/physical exercise(most puppies have high energy/and would be considered hyper) and fear aggressive needs to be handled a little differently and is based more on genetics. I don't believe the OP's dog has FA, he's just "hyper" and still acting like a puppy(needs more exercise and lots more socialization, etc), but I do find it odd that the vet didn't push the neutering issue and give more pro's to why is should be done..I believe that most vets leave the choice up to the owner, but I don't think I've ever seen a vet not tend to be more pro spay/neuter


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## Falkosmom (Jul 27, 2011)

I believe there is a genetic component to acitivity levels. Of course pups will be more energetic, and exercise/training can help manage it, but I don't think fix it. Same could be said for FA. 

When I look to purchase a pup, I always insist on a high energy pup. They may be a bit more work when they are young, but I like the way they age.


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## RocketDog (Sep 25, 2011)

I agree with the genetic component part to activity levels (in my admittedly limited experience, of course.) Although it sounds to me like the OP's dog needs more structure, more actual exercise--playing ball and running around in a yard is NOT enough for many dogs and certainly not mentally taxing in any way-- and more mental training, a friend of mine has a mixed breed female, spayed, that's just turning 5. We think she's Vizsla/Boxer, but that girl can GO. She is trained well, my friend has done a great job with her (rescued at a year) but she is very excited when people come over (she'll get a toy so she doesn't jump but she's just HYPER, even though she's not actually bothering you) and when they get together, Rocket is done running and playing after about 45min-an hour ( I mean, he's not as excited and could hang out resting for a few), but she isn't. I kid my friend that I'm going to start taking her on my runs, since she handles the coming heat better and I've no doubt that she could easily run 10-14 miles with me, where as I'm not sure Rocket ever will or could. 

Also had another friend with a Golden that again, was very obedient well trained, but constant activity and whining, even though the family ran and biked and hiked with her. Just never enough. Was still running 10 milers with the mom at the age of 12.


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## jetscarbie (Feb 29, 2008)

I had my youngest male neutered a couple of months ago. He was super hyper before. He's still super hyper. I still have to exercise him like crazy.
He still gets so excited when people come over...his tail is moving 100mph...and it still knocks things over.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I went back and looked at things you posted over the past 2 years which seem like pretty normal stuff for a dog without a lot of training which GSDs really need. Since I am playing ball with a 9 month old for about an hour a day in 4 sessions, also doing obedience 4 times a day and walking about 3 miles a day....there is no end to the energy....(his not mine)..The walk is not so much physical excercise but mental as we do obedience during it.

Does this dog constantly pace? Will he settle down in a pen or crate? He sounds like a dog who might simply need structure and more interaction (is he inside or out? An old post said outside). How much ball does he play?

What kind of lineage does he have. I would prbably neuter him anyway as he is fully grown and a good age for that and it may help a LITTLE but I don't think it will fix everything.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

llombardo said:


> If a dog is fixed between the ages of 4-6 months and its FA, chances are it will still be FA after the surgery. If its a genetic issue it is what it is. I don't think I would put hyper and fear aggressive in the same category...hyper can be fixed with more mental/physical exercise(most puppies have high energy/and would be considered hyper) and fear aggressive needs to be handled a little differently and is based more on genetics. I don't believe the OP's dog has FA, he's just "hyper" and still acting like a puppy(needs more exercise and lots more socialization, etc), but I do find it odd that the vet didn't push the neutering issue and give more pro's to why is should be done..I believe that most vets leave the choice up to the owner, but I don't think I've ever seen a vet not tend to be more pro spay/neuter


I wasn't putting FA and hyper in the same catagory, I was posting that a 4-6 month old pup isn't even old enough to warrant s/n because of their 'behavior'. 
I'd much rather let a pup grow up some before doing it so early.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

The op has a 2.5 year old dog


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

My post was in reply to *llombardo*( I was clarifying my response, sorry to get off the OP's age/topic):
_I noticed a difference in all my dogs shortly after they were fixed...male and female, purebreed and mixed. All of mine have been *fixed between the ages of 4-6 months*. They were all still very happy go lucky but more mellow.
_


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

llombardo said:


> but I do find it odd that the vet didn't push the neutering issue and give more pro's to why is should be done..I believe that most vets leave the choice up to the owner, but I don't think I've ever seen a vet not tend to be more pro spay/neuter


Probably because the OP said, "We want to get our dog fixed because he's hyper and has too much energy." The vet could have a very un-satisfied customer if they pay $$$ for a surgery in the expectation it will make the dog less hyper, when the vet knows full well neutering will not fix it.


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## Zisso (Mar 20, 2009)

My girl was hyper prior to getting spayed. After the spay she is still just as wired as before. Training has helped. Exercise helps. Mental stimulation helps. Nothing completely settles her down though. I think some dogs are just 'hardwired' for lack of a better term, to be on the go nearly 24/7.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

It sounds like a dog who isn't getting enough exercise and just isn't trained. You and your husband need to put in the time and effort with this dog. This breed is not a couch potato breed. They need at least an hour of exercise a day in some form or another. If they don't get that, you'll get what you're experiencing right now.



Ares2010 said:


> If someone comes up to pet him he will jump all around and won't sit to let them pet him.


That's a training issue. 



Ares2010 said:


> When we took him on a walk today he didn't do bad.


Shouldn't he be going on walks everyday along with other exercise? Based on how you're describing it, it sounds like he doesn't get much time to burn off energy. How much and how often is he getting out?

I highly doubt that neutering is going to solve your issues. You guys need to be more proactive with this dog.


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## Dakotasmom23 (Jan 11, 2012)

Should you neuter? Absolutely. Will it help his energy level? Depends on what is motivating him. It certainly will not make things worse. Sounds like you've got a dog who is genetically more energetic and *needs* lots of exercise, mental stimulation and training. He will be a much nicer dog to live with if he's neutered, tired and trained.


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## ColleenAli (Nov 12, 2012)

So glad I found this post... we have a 6.5 mo male GSD who is going to be neutered next week. Im not expecting miracles but I am hoping to notice even a tiny bit of difference in his hyperactivity... we take him for daily walks and most days play fetch and he goes to puppy playcare twice a week for about 8-9 hours and he still comes up with a TON of energy despite chasing and wrestling with like 15 other dogs all day, its like he never stops. And on top of that we found out he has Mitral Valve Stenosis that is mild at this point and is apparently supposed to slow him down but you could never tell haha. Love my pup but sometimes I just need a break lol


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## Cheerful1 (Sep 27, 2011)

We neutered Joey last year due to an enlarged prostate.

We were not expecting any behavioral changes, nor did we get any.


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## Jag (Jul 27, 2012)

I've had shepherds neutered early, neutered late, some with "issues" some without. I never noticed one ounce of change in their behaviors, energy, or anything else from speutering. If you've got a hyper dog (or high drive dog), you've got to exercise mentally and physically! More than the average dog. If you don't socialize this dog because it's 'too hyper' then the behavior's never going to change! If this is an outside dog, you've got to commit to spending as much time with it as in indoor dog. If you guys can't or won't put in the time and effort to meet the dog's needs, then neuter him and re-home him to a working home. Not meeting their needs can turn a dog into a neurotic mess. Neuter to keep him from producing pups, but don't expect any change in who he is. I think your vet was 100% correct, and I applaud her for clarifying!!

About the comment about neutering sport dogs to calm them... I think that's all in the heads of those who believe. A reproductive vet for the sheriff's department said that he's had to neuter police dogs for whatever reason, and it didn't alter their drive, ego, working ability, or energy. There was NO difference after the neuter in these dogs. Since he's seen so many of them over the years, I'm going to go with his experience on that one.


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## pets4life (Feb 22, 2011)

no it will not help at all 

Can u tell us where you got ur dog from or his lines or anything about his backround might help us a bit understanding what is going on, and what may help to fix it? Sounds like a typical BYB gsd issue to me.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

ColleenAli said:


> So glad I found this post... we have a 6.5 mo male GSD who is going to be neutered next week. Im not expecting miracles but I am hoping to notice even a tiny bit of difference in his hyperactivity... we take him for daily walks and most days play fetch and he goes to puppy playcare twice a week for about 8-9 hours and he still comes up with a TON of energy despite chasing and wrestling with like 15 other dogs all day, its like he never stops. And on top of that we found out he has Mitral Valve Stenosis that is mild at this point and is apparently supposed to slow him down but you could never tell haha. Love my pup but sometimes I just need a break lol


Are you doing any obedience training with him? It sounds like he is getting plenty of exercise but not enough structure. I have several clients who take their dogs to playcare, and it seems like it only makes them MORE hyperactive if they aren't doing obedience training at the same time. The chasing and wrestling seems to amp the dogs up, and they seem to think that humans will want to play the same way. These dogs can be difficult to work with, as they are in good hard condition, have lots of stamina, and are used to getting their own way. If they haven't been taught obedience (or at least manners), they can be WILD.

Neutering won't affect his activity level, but I do notice that neutered dogs have less of an "edge" to them. Mature, intact males tend to be a bit egotistical.  If you don't want that, then neutering is a good idea, but what will really help is obedience training. Get him into a class ASAP!


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I don't think it's a big deal to neuter him but I would not bank on it fixing the problem. It may help or it may not. I would definitely have some other plans in place, like plenty of mental exercise, NILIF, etc.


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## Anitsisqua (Mar 25, 2012)

ColleenAli said:


> ... we have a 6.5 mo male GSD who is going to be neutered next week. Im not expecting miracles but I am hoping to notice even a tiny bit of difference in his hyperactivity


I wouldn't hold my breath. You have a 6-month-old GSD.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I really don't understand why people think neutering will fix training problems. You need to train, not snip if you want a well behaved companion.


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

pets4life said:


> no it will not help at all
> 
> Can u tell us where you got ur dog from or his lines or anything about his backround might help us a bit understanding what is going on, and what may help to fix it? Sounds like a typical BYB gsd issue to me.


It doesn't sound like a BYB GSD issue (which could be pretty insulting... I know some extremely well trained and behaved BYB dogs, and some poorly behaved and trained stellar bloodline dogs)...it sounds like a lack-of-training-and-structure issue...


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