My boy is 6 yo and still intact. He definitely shows less “humpy” behavior now than he did when he was around 2-3 yo. For us, he’s definitely got easier to handle with his aging. I’m guessing it has as much to do with training as it has to do with going into middle age for him - everything about him has settled down. He is also a very friendly dog, so at least that part is of no issue. However, if there’s a bitch in heat there’s nothing I can do except leash him up and take him away otherwise he goes hyper-crazy with desire. He still sometimes tries to hump other dogs - male, female, neutered, intact. The reasons are not the same each time, or clear to me, and not always related to his being intact: over-excitement and not knowing what to do with his excess excitement, wanting to dominate a young, frisky male, a certain scent a dog gives off. He has neutered dog friends who are so excited to see him on walks that they mount him (one even mounts his head), and he just stands there and wags his tail. I grew up thinking it was the norm to castrate. We left our boy intact cos he has other medical issues (epilepsy, slipped disc) and we didn’t want to over-stress him or possibly make matters worse. I think it has been harder work with an intact dog (not to mention being judged by people are anti intact dogs), but he has got so much easier with age.
My two girls would often hump each other. We have a girl and a boy at the moment and the girl does all the humping (Not that I allow it, I distract them every time - not a good habit!)
I remember when we first had Millie , we didn't know if she was spayed and as an older girl , the scar could have faded, so it was a wait and see job . Sure enough , she came into season after about three months , what a little trollop she was ! Sam , who was castrated ( and I never regretted it ) was quite traumatised when she tried to hump him , stood still as a statue with a terrified look on his face ! I think castration/spaying should always be the choice of the individual owner , as long as they are armed with information . No one should ever be made to feel that they have made the wrong call , one way or another .
Of course all Guide Dog males (apart from their stud dogs) are castrated at 12 months old. That'll be about 700 puppies a year. They wouldn't do it if it were at all harmful. Their dogs are bred and trained to be very bold as they have incredibly challenging lives, so I don't think neutering changes their temperament. I'm certainly not worried about Keir being neutered when the time comes.
Neutering is a very individual decision and what is right for one dog and one family may not be right for another. There are many situations where neutering is essential. I would think that guide dogs and other service dogs fall into this category, you can't even consider having service dogs heading off in hot pursuit of an amorous liason! However, and I don't think this has been mentioned yet in this thread, there is recent evidence, from a number of studies in certain breeds of dog, that neutering is associated with some serious health problems. These include joint issues and several different types of cancer. So, if you have a pet dog and there are no pressing needs to neuter him or her, it is important to read up on the latest research before making a decision. You can find some of it here: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/should-i-have-my-labrador-neutered-the-latest-evidence/ We will be updating that article at intervals, but in the meantime it's worth looking for more recent studies as they come out.
