Spaying and Neutering

an article by Stan Rawlinson (Doglistener)

Spaying and neutering can make for a better and affectionate family pet. It is a medical fact that spaying and neutering can prolong the life of a pet, and may reduce the number of health problems in later life.

Females can benefit from spaying by reducing the incidence of uterine or ovarian cancers; it also prevents dogs from getting uterine infections later in life, such as Pyometria,

Neutering a male reduces the incidences of prostate and testicular cancer. Male pets are less likely to develop unwanted behaviour's such as marking, sexual aggression, and mounting. They are less likely to escape, roam, or fight with other dogs. Vets depending on their outlook recommend that dogs are spayed or neutered anywhere between 5 to 16 months. I have some serious reservations about this advice

As a professional behavioural consultant I am treating many more cases where the dogs are showing (paedomorphic) tendencies, that is puppy like behaviours in adult dogs, possibly related to the incidence of early spaying and neutering. I have also observed that bitches spayed too early may be far more interesting to intact males; unwanted male attention may cause the female to become aggressive and protective in later life.

These finding have been borne out by observation and findings of other behaviourists and trainers who are members of PAACT “The Professional Association of Applied Canine Trainers” An organisation dedicated to enhancing and bringing together the two main canine disciplines of obedience training and behavioural therapy.

It is PAACTs belief that to be able to work with dogs on a professional level, you need to be versed in both of these disciplines. All to often the obedience trainer has little or no understanding of the behavioural sciences and the behavioural therapist may have little or no handling skills, They have the academic qualifications but these are of little use without the practical skills.

You may have the theory of how to drive a car but when it comes to actually driving then the theoretical side leaves much to be desired.

With regard to neutering we believe that males should not be castrated until they have been cocking their leg for at least one month, and should be at least 10 to 16 months depending on breed and size, unless there are medical or serious behavioural issues.

In females, it should be after her first season, you should wait approx 3 months after finishing the season whilst everything settles down before spaying.

Many vets will neuter a dog before they have cocked their leg, this means that the testosterone burst that occurs at around 10 to 16 months will not happen. At this point dogs start to seriously mark territory. Not the half-hearted attempts we see earlier on in young immature dogs.

The testosterone burst clearly turns on a dormant, hard-wired program that establishes this cocking behaviour. Many hard-wired behaviours are not isolated to just one behaviour therefore other functions that are not so obvious may be switched on at this time. These may have social functions or psychological effects that aid in the development of your dogs psychological and physical growth. If we switch these off by neutering or spaying early, we may be denying the dog the opportunity to achieve its full adult potential.

Many dogs that have been neutered early appear to retain far more juvenile characteristics than those neutered afterwards. In other words, they retain perpetual puppy like characteristics. Whilst this may appear endearing, who would really want a dog that shows a low concentration level and bounces and leaps on you and everything else in sight for the remainder of its life.

In conclusion, I am all for spaying and neutering, but at the right time. Thereby allowing your dogs to reach full maturity in both body and mind.

© Stan Rawlinson

more articles by Stan Rawlinson

Stan Rawlinson (Doglistener) is a Behaviourist and Obedience Trainer with over 25 years experience of working with dogs. He now has a successful practice covering London Surrey and Middlesex. Web site www.Doglistener.co.uk
E-mail enquiries@Doglistener.co.uk

This article is written by Stan Rawlinson and based upon his experience as a behaviourist and trainer. It may not necessarily reflect the opinions of Burns Pet Nutrition.