Yes you can prune

i know you are able to post pix ....

except for timing, usually due to flowering ..... rules for pruning really should not change all that much.. shrub to shrub ...

when i look at pix here ...

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Aucuba&t=ffcm&iax=images&ia=images

i do not see any that appear to be sheared like boxwood might be ... into nice little 3D rectangles ...

but that said ... they can be hand pruned to reduce size ... just like any other shrub ...

ken

oh yea, here is one. You cant tell by the picture but the wood fence comes out about 3-4ft from the brick fence. I don't think there is anything else i can do to that spot other than add more aucuba.

Aucuba is as tough as old boots. The flowers are unimpressive but if yours are female you might not want to lose the berries. Yours is a normal size for this species. You can prune it as hard as you like. But please don't shear into blobs. Large leaved species are not suitable for shearing into formal topiary.

Eta I've just seen the photo. They look like absolutely typical attractive healthy specimens to me. But if you don't like them as they are they're the wrong species for you.

From the photo at that distance, it looks like three........but that's just guessing :-))

You could always cut it/them down near the ground in spring, to start over, if you just can't stand the existing aspect. But you will never be able to make them look like a dwarf box, with its tighter growth and much smaller leaves. And I am not aware of a dwarf aucuba on the general market, at least out here. Maybe you should just replace these with something you like better.

I don’t know what type it is, but I have had one for years and it is only about 3 feet tall, maybe shorter

1. In that dry, shady position I'd say healthy Aucuba are one of the best things you can have. It would be hard to get much else established and looking so good. Do the neighbours keep their conifer hedge topped? If not the shade is only going to get deeper.

Those aucuba do look shaped to my eye, as in shaped in a defined mound by hand without slicing through leaves. A few more clips with a hand pruner would make them even tidier. Agree with Floral that if you don't like the look, this isn't the right plant for you. Too bad, because they seem so healthy.