When to return pup to normal after a neuter

[luke4275]

I will be neutering my 5.5 month old pup next week.. It has been decided..( he has shown some agression and hormonal actions.. like humping.. etc) My question is when is it ok to return him to normal training.. where NILF. where I will make him sit and down and stay, etc. for everything. ? and how many days after the neuter would he go back to training and play., etc? thanks

[KZoppa]

Chances are you will have to restrain him and his energy for a couple weeks. The first day or so after the surgery he'll probably be groggy and uninterested. After a couple days, you can resume easy training like sit, stay, down. Anything strenuous, I would give him two weeks because any strenuous activity like running or jumping or rough housing can actually cause complications in heeling like fluid retention at the surgical site which has been known for some to swell pretty dramatically and will have to be drained.

He'll be ready to go before he's supposed to go. Definitely verify with your vet after care procedures.

[Draugr]

Neutering will do absolutely zilch for the problems you mentioned.

NILF will do a lot - definitely keep a good, structured NILF environment. I don't adhere to it perfectly, but my general "style" is very close to that.

Don't expect his behavior to make a huge turn-around just because you removed a single hormone from his body. It takes training to modify behavior, not surgery. A lot of people think neutering is a paneca, and it's far from that. If you expect behavior change, you will be disappointed.

[Good_Karma]

Have you considered waiting a little bit longer for the neuter? For males in particular, waiting until they are a year or so old before the neuter is best, helps them grow at a natural rate and keeps their features masculine.

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

The things you can do to mitigate the 1-2 cm increase in size is to check the calcium levels of the food you feed and be sure to keep them at a lower rate. There is a sticky in the puppy food section that explains that. Your male will look like his genetics.

And while people who don't neuter say that you won't see behavior changes, people who neuter a lot of males...may have seen different. It takes a bit for things to clear out but combined with continued NILIF and going to positive training classes you will very likely see changes.

For a young male getting neutered he will bounce back VERY quickly. Too quickly for his incision. He will feel good quite soon after the surgery but you will need to keep him quiet - combine crate rest with leashing him to you - for probably up to 2 weeks. Your vet will give you guidelines that they use. But I wouldn't let him run or play for at least 10 days.

Ask your vet about -
Pre-anesthetic bloodwork
Fluids
A bleeding time test (German Shepherds have inherited bleeding/clotting disorder diseases so always good to check that)
What they will be using for anesthesia
What they will be using for pain management

He might need a cone to keep him away from the incision but having some good chew things will help, also helpful is hiding food throughout the house, keeping him leashed and letting him find it.

Good luck!