Reasons for and Behavioral Consequences of Male Dog Castration—A Questionnaire Study in Poland
In many Western countries, castration is the most popular surgical desexing procedure in dogs. The aim of the study was to identify the reasons for male dog castration and to determine the owners’ perceptions about changes in dog behavior before and after castration. An online survey was posted on s...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/15/1883 |
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| author | Marcelina Kriese Ewelina Kuźniewska Andrzej Gugołek Janusz Strychalski |
| author_facet | Marcelina Kriese Ewelina Kuźniewska Andrzej Gugołek Janusz Strychalski |
| author_sort | Marcelina Kriese |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In many Western countries, castration is the most popular surgical desexing procedure in dogs. The aim of the study was to identify the reasons for male dog castration and to determine the owners’ perceptions about changes in dog behavior before and after castration. An online survey was posted on social networking sites dedicated to dogs. A total of 386 respondents participated in the survey. The main reason (39%) for castration was undesirable behavior, including hyperactivity (8%), roaming (8%), mounting (7%), aggression (5%), marking (5%) and others (5%). This surgery did not change the prevalence of aggressive behaviors towards people, but it reduced aggressive behaviors towards dogs and other animals. Castration did not reduce the presentation of anxious behavior in fearful dogs. Castration increased the number of dogs that were fearful of unfamiliar dogs/humans, as well as dogs with sound phobias, while decreased the prevalence of hiding behavior. This procedure greatly decreased incidences of roaming, mounting and urine marking as well as the dog’s overall activity. Thus, it can be concluded that while castration can resolve many undesirable behaviors in male dogs, the arguments for and against neutering should always be considered on an individual basis. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:10:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a9dc89db6a594e9eab49d8f2a57940b2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:10:40Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-a9dc89db6a594e9eab49d8f2a57940b22023-12-01T22:48:10ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152022-07-011215188310.3390/ani12151883Reasons for and Behavioral Consequences of Male Dog Castration—A Questionnaire Study in PolandMarcelina Kriese0Ewelina Kuźniewska1Andrzej Gugołek2Janusz Strychalski3Department of Fur-Bearing Animal Breeding and Game Management, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 5, 10-719 Olsztyn, PolandDepartment of Fur-Bearing Animal Breeding and Game Management, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 5, 10-719 Olsztyn, PolandDepartment of Fur-Bearing Animal Breeding and Game Management, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 5, 10-719 Olsztyn, PolandDepartment of Fur-Bearing Animal Breeding and Game Management, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 5, 10-719 Olsztyn, PolandIn many Western countries, castration is the most popular surgical desexing procedure in dogs. The aim of the study was to identify the reasons for male dog castration and to determine the owners’ perceptions about changes in dog behavior before and after castration. An online survey was posted on social networking sites dedicated to dogs. A total of 386 respondents participated in the survey. The main reason (39%) for castration was undesirable behavior, including hyperactivity (8%), roaming (8%), mounting (7%), aggression (5%), marking (5%) and others (5%). This surgery did not change the prevalence of aggressive behaviors towards people, but it reduced aggressive behaviors towards dogs and other animals. Castration did not reduce the presentation of anxious behavior in fearful dogs. Castration increased the number of dogs that were fearful of unfamiliar dogs/humans, as well as dogs with sound phobias, while decreased the prevalence of hiding behavior. This procedure greatly decreased incidences of roaming, mounting and urine marking as well as the dog’s overall activity. Thus, it can be concluded that while castration can resolve many undesirable behaviors in male dogs, the arguments for and against neutering should always be considered on an individual basis.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/15/1883male dogscastrationdesexingdog behaviorreasons for castration |
| spellingShingle | Marcelina Kriese Ewelina Kuźniewska Andrzej Gugołek Janusz Strychalski Reasons for and Behavioral Consequences of Male Dog Castration—A Questionnaire Study in Poland Animals male dogs castration desexing dog behavior reasons for castration |
| title | Reasons for and Behavioral Consequences of Male Dog Castration—A Questionnaire Study in Poland |
| title_full | Reasons for and Behavioral Consequences of Male Dog Castration—A Questionnaire Study in Poland |
| title_fullStr | Reasons for and Behavioral Consequences of Male Dog Castration—A Questionnaire Study in Poland |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reasons for and Behavioral Consequences of Male Dog Castration—A Questionnaire Study in Poland |
| title_short | Reasons for and Behavioral Consequences of Male Dog Castration—A Questionnaire Study in Poland |
| title_sort | reasons for and behavioral consequences of male dog castration a questionnaire study in poland |
| topic | male dogs castration desexing dog behavior reasons for castration |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/15/1883 |
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