If you decide to delay spaying or neutering your dog, for whatever length of time or whatever reason, here is something else to consider- Some people just may not be cut out to deal with an intact male or female dog in their household. Here are some caveats and considerations:
1. Female dogs bleed when they come into heat.
Female dogs do not get menstrual periods like humans, as some people mistakenly believe; they come into “heat,” or “season,” once or twice a year – the three to four days in their cycle when their unfertilized eggs ripen. (Though both biological processes involve bleeding, it’s inaccurate to compare a woman’s monthly cycle, which is an infertile time, to the heat in the female dog, which is quite the opposite. Dogs get pregnant while bleeding.) Some dogs cycle every six months; more primitive breeds, such as Basenjis or Tibetan Mastiffs, come into heat only once a year.
Get more facts on dogs in heat at Dogster.com.
2. Female dogs can only get pregnant when they’re in heat.
A dog will begin her heat cycle after about 6 months of age. Some females will show physical signs of readiness – their discharge will lighten in color, and they will “flag,” or lift their tail up and to the side. Others will show no behavioral changes; still others will “stand” and accept a suitor at any time in their cycle, even days before or after they are fertile. If you cannot be absolutely certain of identifying the signs of heat in your female, and securing her during this time, spay her. Intact males are frighteningly persistent in reaching the object of their desires; they will hurl themselves through glass windows, and might even attempt (and succeed) at breeding a female through the wires of a crate.
3. Unneutered male dogs can get forceful.
You cannot leave a female in heat unattended for one moment outside, not even in a fenced yard. Whether or not she is in that narrow window of time when she can get pregnant, she might attract a male, and they might breed anyway. There is no way to predict how a male dog will act when a nearby female is in heat. Though dogs have been mating for millennia, it is not a process that is without risk of physical harm to one or both dogs.
4. Unspayed female dogs will attract stray males – from miles away.
If there are stray dogs where you live, walking a female in heat is asking for trouble. Ideally, have a secure, fenced area where your female can do her business, always supervised by you. If you must take her out in public to walk her, carry an umbrella that you can open to ward off unwelcome males, but know that you still might not be able to keep them apart.
5. Unspayed females need to wear sanitary pads while in heat.
Dogs stay in heat about three weeks, but the female will neither bleed heavily nor bleed every day. Nonetheless, to protect your carpets and furniture, it is smart to invest in “bitch’s britches,” which are dog-proportioned panties that can be fitted with a disposable sanitary napkin.
6. You cannot keep intact males and females in the same house.
If you have an unneutered male dog in your household, and you want to let your female go through one or more heat cycles before spaying her, the smartest and safest thing is to remove one of them for the duration of the female’s heat. It is difficult to describe the stress, restlessness, and sheer loss of sanity that a male dog can exhibit in the face of a female in standing season. It will be close to unbearable for you, to say nothing of him. Plan a vacation for one of them, ideally the male. (And if you plan to use a boarding kennel, females in heat will be too big a disruption there in the event other unneutered dogs are there, too.)
7. You cannot spay a dog while she is in heat.
Once your female has started her heat, don’t change course. Many veterinarians are reluctant to spay females in the middle of estrus; the uterus, preparing for pregnancy, is very vascular, and the risk of internal bleeding is higher. Instead, schedule spay surgery at a hormonally “quiet” time, ideally midway between heats. Depending on the individual dog, unneutered males can be trained through consistency and positive reinforcement not to urine-mark in the house. Ditto for discouraging “humping.” Do not tolerate these behaviors at any time.
8. Unneutered male dogs are always fertile.
As with unspayed females, unneutered male dog behavior must be under your control and supervision at all times. It is the height of irresponsibility to allow them to wander. Unlike females, unneutered males can procreate all the time, and they can create a neighborhood population explosion in no time at all.
9. Intact dogs are less welcomed in public.
Remember that in the larger world outside your door, intact dogs are the minority. By choosing to have an unneutered male (in particular, because he is visually easy to identify), you restrict your options and access to different environments, including dog runs and doggie day care. You will likely be required to explain and defend your decision not to neuter your dog; be prepared, be polite, and have a very thick skin.
Hey, the information is really very informative thanks for the great share.
Same risk of cancer with humans but not many neuter themselves or their kids because of the risk! I know it’s not as simple but i’ve been just shocked with the fact that many Australian labradoodle breeders do early spay and neuter I think at 8 weeks it might be earlier! They call it healthy and cancer preventative!
My previous female was spayed and developed cancer. I won’t be spaying my current unless absolutely necessary.
It is absolutely necessary to spay a female dog?. I have never heard of pus developing in the uterus.
It’s called Pyometra and 1 in 4 bitches under the age of 10 contract this infection. It becomes more likely as the bitch ages. It can be avoided by an Ovary sparing Spay, which will sterilise the bitch but allow her to keep her beneficial sex hormones. She will still have heats but they’ll be less messy and more subtle.
How can so many people, all of you, be so short sited and self centered?? The result of absolute gender neutralization (terminology/verb.) is absolute extinction! Who wants memories, pictures and stories grandpa told to be all there is known of dogs and cats within 2 generations of today’s general public? Its our children and their children will first taste the bitterness of our sterilization efforts. No procreation = no babies = species gone. That’s forever folks! People, lets deal with the people who dont properly deal with pets!! And deal with our pets as the pet should be treated!!! Dogs and Cats, who next.. Us???
I agree as does the AKC. It is required by the AKC that the animal be intact to show in the breed ring for confirmation. It seems to me that if being intact is detrimental to the animal’s health they would have a different position on the matter.
For those wanting to keep your dog from being bred but don’t want to remove vital hormones look into Vasectomy and Ovary Sparing Spay.
Thanks!
Our Vet informed us about the significant risk prostate cancer after neutering a dog. We lost 3 of our male dogs after neutering them. One to prostate cancer, one to hemangiosarcoma, the other to lymphoma. While one could say the risk are great for testicular cancer if the dog is intact—testicular cancer is curable., Prostate cancer is not.
I also know as a Physiologist -playing with hormones always significantly increases your dogs risk of mast cell cancers and other metabolic challenges. There are case studies and research to support this. A dog and cat owner owes it to themselves and their pet/s to do their homework, research, and educate themselves on the subject and for care of their pet/s. We will never neuter or spay our dogs going forward. We have an intact male standard poodle and intact male golden doodle!
61314_Pets_Lead Article_VizslaStudy.pdf
I am getting my baby girl spayed in August:( Belit will be 8 months and getting a full hysterectomy:( I have researched and there is no other option for keeping her from having pups. I have a male 6 months older then her. Griffith. Who will remain intact. He is healthy and happy and will live a long funtastic life. They both will. Its already a major surgery and decision for the owner to decide on or their baby. Lets not add cancer to try and sell it. Most of us know thats the responsible thing to do. For our own pets.
Have a great day/evening.
I’m planning to keep my lil’ doggy intact until after 12 months.
The plan is to get a litter, we’ve got a match lined up between my male pup and one of my brother’s dog’s daughters. The goal is to keep both bloodlines around and in the family. The mum is due to come in heat around the time my lil guy hits 13 months, so it should work out.
I’ve also done some research, and it does seem to be that delaying neutering until after the male dog finishes puberty has better long term benefits for the dog around a range of health issues for the rest of the animals life.
A big reason why the industry standard is to de-sex at six months is because that’s when a lot of male pups will become fertile and may start straying to find a mate, which can lead to stray puppies. The primary concern there is to keep the stray animal population under control – and that’s 100% the right proprity in the general case.
But in cases such as my little guy where I can guarantee that he can’t get out to stray and make unwanted puppies, the literature reads to me that delaying until after puberty is in the interest of the animal long term.
He’s 9 months old now. No marking or behavior problems yet. So long as he holds steady until after we get a litter, he gets to have a second puppy in the house from that litter, giving him a son/friend to play with, which is a big deal.
The hardest thing has actually been the socialization and stimulation. I’m really lucky to have an employer that can provide flexible working hours, and I’m really close. I come into work early so I have a longer lunch break that gives me time to get home, eat, walk him, and then get back to the office after he’s had a bit of stimulation. But it’s hard not being able to drop him off to doggy daycare like I used to when he was smaller.
Once the little pup is in he’ll have a friend at home, and once they’re both neutered they’ll be able to go to daycare together again. It’s a bit tough for the next couple of years, but once it evens out they’ll reap the reduced health risk for the rest of their lives. As their owner, I truly believe that’s in the best interest of my current and future animals, and I’m fortunate to be able to still provide them with the attention and care they need during their formative years.
But for other owners, your mileage will of course vary based on your context. If I wasn’t able to drop home in the middle of the day to keep him stimulated, I’d make the call to neuter early to keep him in daycare, because it’s tough on such a highly social doggo being home alone every day.
*proprity = priority, weird typo.
I need to know… Does a female dog stay in heat after mating? I have a Boxer/Pug mix, 7 years old. I’ve been very good about not letting her around male dogs. However, my daughter is not as careful. She was with my daughter when she began her heat cycle, I believe she might have mated with her male. But she went back into heat and was having a clear discharge. She is even producing milk. Could she be pregnant? Or are the see just normal signs of a heat cycle?
They can have phantom pregnancies, which is when they act pregnant but aren’t actually pregnant.