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Abstract：
Male dogs are often castrated based on the thought that it facilitates well-behavedness. However, the causal evidence for this from prospective studies lacks and the existing associative studies present mixed results depending on the studied behaviours. We aimed to gain insight into possible factors driving an owner\'s decision to castrate their male dog, through a quantitative survey based on a convenience sample. We determined the advice owners received from three types of dog professionals (veterinarian practitioners, behavioural trainers, behavioural therapists) and the owners\' assessments of castration\'s behavioural effects. Data on 491 Dutch owners of castrated and intact male dogs were analysed with Chi-square tests. Results indicate that owners of both castrated and intact dogs received castration advice most often from veterinarian practitioners, with pro-castration at higher frequencies for owners of castrated dogs (Chi-square, P<0.001). Overall, most owners disagreed with or were neutral about statements on castration positively affecting male dog behaviour at a population level. Nevertheless, 58% (N = 145) of the owners of castrated dogs (N = 249) reported that correcting unwanted behaviour was a reason to castrate their own male dog. Unwanted behaviour involved aggression in 50% (N = 70) of the owner-dog dyads. Castrated dog\'s aggression changes were reported on most as \'no change\'. The second most common answer indicated an aggression decrease in dogs castrated to correct unwanted behaviour and an increase in dogs castrated for other reasons (Chi-square, P<0.001). The increase in aggression in a subset of castrated dogs is concerning, as aggression can pose risks to the dog\'s welfare. We acknowledge the limitations of our study which identifies associations rather than provides causal evidence. Still, we recommend professionals\' awareness of possible negative behavioural changes following castration, like increased aggression. Future research on behavioural consequences of castrating dogs needs to build a more solid knowledge base for balanced advice regarding castration.
摘要：
雄性狗经常被cast割，因为它有助于行为良好。然而,缺乏前瞻性研究的因果证据,现有的关联研究根据所研究的行为提出了不同的结果.我们的目的是深入了解可能的因素，驱动主人决定阉割他们的公狗，通过基于便利样本的定量调查。我们确定了业主从三种类型的狗专业人员(兽医从业人员，行为培训师，行为治疗师)和所有者对阉割行为影响的评估。用卡方检验分析了491名荷兰人的阉割和完整雄性狗的数据。结果表明，去势犬和完整犬的主人最常接受兽医的去势建议，对于阉割狗的主人来说，阉割的频率更高(卡方，P<0.001)。总的来说,大多数主人不同意或对阉割在人口水平上对雄性狗行为产生积极影响的陈述持中立态度。然而，58％（N=145）的cast割狗的主人（N=249）报告说，纠正不良行为是cast割自己的雄性狗的原因。不想要的行为涉及50％（N=70）的主人狗二叉的侵略行为。大多数狗的攻击性变化被报告为“没有变化”。第二个最常见的答案表明，为纠正不良行为而cast割的狗的攻击性减少，而由于其他原因cast割的狗的攻击性增加（卡方，P<0.001)。一部分阉割狗的攻击性增加令人担忧，因为侵略会对狗的福利构成风险。我们承认我们的研究的局限性，确定关联，而不是提供因果证据。尽管如此，我们建议专业人士意识到阉割后可能的负面行为变化，比如增加侵略性。关于阉割狗的行为后果的未来研究需要建立一个更坚实的知识库，以提供关于阉割的平衡建议。
