Will neutering my 6-month-old puppy change his peeing habits?

Yes it can be. Sirius had anesthesia, a surgical procedure and medications for pain. His routine was changed and his eating and drinking also. Most likely they gave him fluids during the procedure that can cause increased urination. Please go back to his housebreaking training. I recommend keeping him in a crate when you’re not home, and taking him out frequently for potty breaks. Reward him and praise him when he goes outside. When you’re home keep Sirius on a leash with you so he’ll ask when he needs to go, and he can’t sneak off somewhere and mess in the house. This behavior will improve as he gets over the surgery and you reinforce the housebreaking training. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Sirius.

If this behaviour is related to territorial attitude (as normally is) and so related sexual hormones, yes it will. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Yes, neutering may indeed help even though he is not a puppy anymore. As for your question, "is this something we can control?" This article has some great information and tips. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/prevent_urine_marking.html?credit=web_id110528407 I hope thats helpful for you!! Thanks for asking PetCoach!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your question. There are certain health benefits for neutering dogs. Prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate) and certain testicular tumors can be prevented by neutering dogs. However, dogs can also live happy and normal lives intact. Behavioral problems such as territorial aggression and marking may be reduced by neutering dogs as well. Once neutered, Dante will not behave more like a female, this is a misconception and does not happen. He may become more calm and not as hyper or aggressive once he is neutered and this is due to the reduction in circulating hormones following removal of the testicles. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

I wouldn't expect this behavior as a side effect from surgery and would be more concerned about a UTI or other medical problem. Puppies certainly can get urinary tract infections although they are a bit more common in female dogs than males. I would recommend making an appointment with your veterinarian who would likely recommend checking a urine sample. If Finn does not have a medical issue you could discuss what could be causing inappropriate urination and how to get him back on track with potty training.

He probably started marking when his hormones increased. Now that he’s neutered these levels will go down over the next four to six weeks. Please clean all of the area he’s marked with lemon or vinegar cleaner to remove the scent. I recommend going back to crate training for housebreaking, or using a male belly band when you aren’t able to monitor him. Please take him outside or to the pee pad frequently so he has a chance to urinate there. Marking behavior can become a habit so working to stop this right away is best. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care Toby.

The short answer is: maybe. Urine marking can develop into a set habit of behavior, and it can be difficult to get them to stop completely if they weren't neutered at an early age. However, in trying to minimize the behavior, the very first thing you should do IS to neuter your dog, so you're already on the right track. Here are a couple of great articles that you may find helpful in terms of curbing this behavior. https://www.spca.org/document.doc?id=116 https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-rules-for-effective-housetraining/ I hope that helps you! Thank you for asking PetCoach!