Why Should You Spay or Neuter Your Dog?

Love your dog? Of course you do! And believe it or not, spaying her or neutering him is a great thing you can do for your pup, your family and your community.

Neutering Your Male Dog

Routine neutering, typically performed around 6 months of age, is a simple procedure causing only minimal discomfort, in which your pup’s testicles are surgically removed. Because male dogs’ brains are “masculinized” with testosterone while the pup is still in the womb, neutering your dog will make him no less or no more “male” than leaving him intact.  Neutering can be done earlier or later with your vet’s approval.

Neutering your dog will allow him to be healthier, happier and calmer. Neutered males are far less likely to roam, mark their territory or be aggressive with other dogs. Neutered dogs are often more responsive to their owners.

Neutered dogs are less likely to roam.

A male dog can smell a female in heat miles away. Leaving him intact also means leaving him frustrated 365 days a year.

Neutering has many medical benefits:

• A neutered dog cannot get testicular cancer.
• Neutering greatly reduces the chance of prostate cancer.
• Chances of getting other diseases of the prostate are also decreased as are perineal hernias.

Spaying Your Female Dog

Spaying means to completely surgically remove the uterus and ovaries from your dog; it is generally done at 6 months of age, but can be done earlier or later. Once spayed, females no longer have a heat cycle, preventing messy blood spotting around the house.

Spaying allows your dog to be healthier, happier and calmer:

• The risk of breast cancer in your female dog is reduced by 99% in spayed females, (breast cancer is the leading form of cancer in female dogs.)
• Risks of ovarian and uterine cancers are eliminated.
• Pyometra, the condition of an infected uterus, is also eliminated.

Spayed females are calmer and more responsive to their owners.

It is a myth that allowing a female to “have one litter” before getting her spayed will make her more loyal, loving or mature. The aging process is what matures your dog, being a part of your family for a longer period of time makes her more loving and loyal…having puppies does not.  Having a litter of puppies also presents many medical risks to the dog, including the possibility of needing emergency surgery for Cesarean-section delivery, weight gain, hemorrhaging, not to mention the medical expenses.

Every year millions of healthy, well behaved, yet unwanted dogs are euthanized at animal shelters. We must all take responsibility for this tragedy and not allow unwanted pregnancies!

As a dog trainer, I believe that the most effective method of dog training revolves around teaching your dog what you want them to do, how to behave, how to act in their environment, and what appropriate behaviors are, under given circumstances and situations.

If you’re having a difficult time training your dog, don’t have the time to train him properly, or you would like to learn along with your pup, Contact me or check out my family friendly classes.