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.
Ha Ha !! More scare, fear! In America, there many dogs , out on the street these days, are a sad, pile of really bad crap! So some dog byers, they think a person using their dogs for money, sometimes charging much more that a ethical breeder Are breeders, they just a person, not testing, their dogs. and using their dogs for the money!!.
We got our female pup last year and decided not to get desexed. We feed natural home made food etc and it’s very healthy and never been to vet.. Our 2 friends got 2 puppys from same source and got desexed and eat food they buy from vet . Guess what.. their pups are constantly getting sick and going to the vet . If ever in doubt just do what’s natural . Plus here in Australia the price of puppys have gone up ridiculously cause of covid etc.. ours was 2000 .. now the same is around 8000.. another reason not to desex.. make more puppys responsibley and give them to friends and those that can’t afford them now.
After all these I read I am convinced to NOT neuter my 0ne year old GSP
I find it as abusive N honestly I don’t care to breed him but I would like him to live years with his hormones and all philosophies , I mean people can talk, and every chair is another opinion
I am grateful that he is healthy and I give him good organic food to avoid disease 😉👍🏻🙏🏻
I suppose truthfully it comes down to preference. I love my young pup. Solid Black German Shepherd named Valor-Lehner. He is very well nurtured and I spend hours with him. Personally I would never consider Neutering him. I’ve had the discussion with him multiple time because… you know, were family and we talk. You can look up all the information you want about whether neutering does or does not affect your pet. You’ll always find conflicting information. Life is meant to give more life, that’s all I can say. If you cant neuter then don’t. I can’t because hes family and I would never tell family they can’t have kids. My boy has never strayed, i’ve personally trained him well and spent countless hours in training. Healthy or not healthy isnt the question really. It’s how much of a bond you have and amount of time you can take for your family. Life comes life goes. I’ll remember my puppy (he’s always a puppy) as living a full life, no matter the duration of it.
This is one of the most misinformed posts I have ever read. It has moments of truth but is misleading at best. MOST female dogs will spot blood going into season. Not all. Responsible owner/breeders will keep records, have reproduction vets and KNOW when to expect seasons. If a pet owner wants to keep a girl intact, they need to work with that responsible breeder. Male dogs are OFTEN NOT fertile for the rest of their lives. Many develop what is referred to as “soft testicles” and very often will no longer produce sperm. This can happen as early as age 4. People who want to collect and freeze sperm are encouraged to do that closer to age 2. As far as the prostate goes, there is an excellent medication called Finasteride that will shrink the prostate. Works very well with no observable side effects. And it is a rare occurrence that dogs will mate through a fence. Normally a male would just hang out outside the fence. Females are only receptive for about 48 hours. They do a thing known as flagging. Tail up, butt out. Before and after they will usually chase the boys off. It is absolutely possible to keep intact boys and girls. But do work through a responsible breeder who is known to others in the breed. Don’t just get any puppy without breeder support for a lifetime.
If you guys want to keep your dogs intact fine, just please don’t be those dickheads at dog parks I see all the time that start beating the shit out of their dog if they start mounting and attacking other dogs. Intact dogs have no business being at dog parks in general. Every severe fight I’ve seen where there were significant injuries occur always have an intact male involved. It’s just too risky.
Weill I have a question, I have read through a lot of these posts granted not all of them as there was a lot. I have three dogs, two males, one female. We did neuter one of the males and the female is still intact as well. Here is the issue we are having and please no judging or negative comments, everyone does what they feel they need to do, our female came in her season and the males would get in blow out fights where they were bleeding and keep in mind one male is neutered. Why would they go at each other? Yes I have done my readings too. I read that the neutered male with go after the intact male which I dont understand. The testosterone level in the neutered male is either very low or doesnt exist. We neutered one of the males thinking that it would stop the fighting but now I am told that we should have had both of them neutered. Some days they go without fighting and other days are full blown out fights where blood is drawn. Again feed back is fine just dont judge or have negative and rude comments.
If the fights only occur during your bitches heats, just keep them seperate during that time. I don’t think neutering your remaining dog will help much, in fact it might make it worse. There’s really no way to tell for sure until it’s done, at which stage it will be too late if things go the wrong way. You could try temporary chemical sterilisation and see if that improves things. When neutered and intact dogs fight, the neutered dog is almost always the instigator. I think its because testosterone makes dogs brave, so a neutered dog tends to be more reactive and aggressive when they feel threatened, and the scent of intact dogs is threatening to them, so they pick a fight with it.
Good luck on your decision. IF they were my dogs ALL would be neutered &/or spayed… and trained NOT to fight. Hope you NEVER leave them alone… Better to kennel them rather than fights when you are not there to control them.
I’m old school…. LOL
To consider an intact male dog as a thing to ostracise is small minded when it is more likely a neutered dog will be more aggressive towards the intact dog. Have never had male dogs neutered always have had female dogs desexed after first litter.
How opinions have changed over the years.
It’s no surprise that most people opposed to dog desexing are men. Still, as triggering as the idea of slicing open and scooping out live testicles might be to some, trust your vet’s advice. After all they know balls better than you.
I leave my male shollie intact for bear protection. No problems yet at almost 4 years old. He even rest in my lap and neck nook.