Neutering XL Bully dogs too young could lead to 'even more aggression'
A dog expert has warned neutering or spaying XL Bullys too young could lead to behaviour issues - and potentially heightened aggression, amid calls for the government to extend its deadline.
PM Rishi Sunak announced the Bully ban late last year following several fatal attacks related to the breed - which is not recognised by the British Kennel Club. The ban came in at the start of the month - with the deadline to apply for a Certificate of Exemption online January 31.
Stipulations for the dogs to be spared include having them neutered or spayed to avoid further breeding. The British Veterinary Association, however, has called for owners of XL Bullys under seven months to have until June 2025 to allow the pets to be at a more suitable age for the procedure.
Speaking at an Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee meeting on February 1, MP Neil Hudson forced the issue, as Parliament's only registered vet. He cited the BVA's concerns about large breed dogs being at increased risk of developmental orthopaedic disorders (DOD) and other medical conditions if neutered or spayed before 18 months.
DOD is an umbrella term for growth disturbances and orthopaedic problems and, depending on the animal, has many manifestations, including physitis, wobbler syndrome, angular or flexural limb deformities and Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD). Such diagnoses can lead to pain, with some suggestion it can lead to irritability.
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Environment Secretary Steve Barclay told him: "Given my honourable friend’s expertise on this issue as Parliament’s only vet, I listen closely to what he proposes. As he knows, neutering is a necessary population control, and we have already responded to the greater risks to dogs of a young age by taking action to extend the deadline. I am happy to take away the proposal that he raises and look at the issue again."
Tory MP Neil Hudson - Parliament's only registered vet (DAVID WOOLFALL)Dog behaviourist Blake Clark told the Mirror that neutering or spaying any type of dog too young - most specifically before six months - can lead to behavioural problems, aside from the risk of DOD, particularly males that may already have anxieties or worries owners are dealing with. He said: "I will say, neutering or spaying dogs too young - that six-month cut off is too young, there will be more than likely a behavioural effect, also maybe a physical effect."
"If they are neutered too early, they are more likely to get worse with the behaviour. It doesn’t mean if you neuter a Bully at six months it’s guaranteed to make it worse. That’s not a guarantee, but it’s more likely in a dog that already has some kind of anxious behaviour and that age is not recommended at all.
"It used to be very much pushed that vets would say neut your dog at six months, and a lot of vets still say that. But more and more we are learning about the behaviour side and the negative impact that it can have, because they can’t develop their own testosterone that young, that’s why they rely on it.
"That’s why if you neut a dog who’s very anxious too soon, because it can’t develop that testosterone, it can’t get that worry down. It just goes straight to fight mode or flight, but generally it’s fight. This is not a guarantee with any dog or any gender. I think it’s more noticeable in a larger dog but it's not exclusive to them.
"When it’s a much bigger dog, like the Bullies, the Rottweilers, the German Shepherds, even the Great Danes and St Bernards, we notice it a lot more because it’s more intimidating to us. We see the size of the mouth, we see the size of the teeth, the barks are a lot deeper. You tend to notice the microaggressions in their face and their body language because they’re much bigger and we notice that more but I don’t think it’s more prominent in a larger breed."
Asked specifically about the link between developmental orthopaedic disorders and the potential for pain, impacting a dog's behaviour, Mr Clark said: "In general terms, yes, pain can affect behaviour and definitely does, to be honest. Whenever we - trainers or behaviourists - see any dog that’s got some kind of behavioural issue, the first thing we’ll be asking is the dog, how is it in itself, has anything changed physically, have they hurt themselves recently? Are they ill?
"There’s been more research around it in the last few years especially - the link between pain and the change in behaviour in dogs. It’s the same as us, if we’re in pain - you break your shoulder and someone bumps into you, you are more likely to act in a more frustrated way and you want to protect that area. Dogs are no different, in a sense. There is a link between pain and behaviour."
In terms of neutering or spaying dogs too young, he added: "It’s very much on the individual dog. Age is the first question. Let’s say you have a dog that doesn’t have a behaviour issue, doesn’t have a worry or anything, it might be okay to, from a behaviour point of view, neuter him at 12 months, but then a dog that has a slight worry I still wouldn’t recommend it at 12 months. I’d wait. This is regardless of whether it’s a Bully XL."
British Veterinary Association Junior Vice President Dr Elizabeth Mullineaux said: “The current deadlines to neuter registered XL Bully dogs following the Government’s ban fail to strike the right balance between ensuring the dogs' health and preventing breeding. They will result in some dogs being neutered before they are 18 months old and, with increasing evidence suggesting that neutering large breeds of dogs early can lead to developmental orthopaedic problems, alongside other medical conditions, it’s good to hear that ministers are listening to our calls to widen the neutering window.”
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