I used to think that just about every dog needed to be spayed/neutered. I was pretty vocal about it too. Now, I'm having second thoughts.

I do think that there is a population explosion of cats and dogs. I also think that there are too many strays and I think life must be sad for any domestic critter that doesn't have a home. Plus, there conceivably could be problems with groups of strays as far as aggression to each other and people as well.

While wholesale spaying and neutering certainly might help with the problem of overpopulation, the fact is dogs have to have sex in order to have puppies, and if owners are REALLY committed to not having their bitches have unplanned puppies, I'm thinking that with enough oversight oops litters can be reduced to a small risk.

I still think that for many people who don't want to invest that kind of time for oversight, spaying and neutering might be a good option.


I'm at a point now when I want to do more critical thinking about my choices. No, I don't want to buy crappy grocery store dog food that is mostly corn. No, I don't want to have a 'back yard dog' that will eventually have behavior problems because I'm not putting in the kind of time and evergy the dog needs to become a quality companion.

And no, I'm not going to just take advice when it comes to dog health care without looking into the choices I make. I am a medical professional (I'm a nurse and I work with children). While there are plenty of people like myself who love what they do, I think health care as a whole is driven by financial considerations, and I also am seeing a disturbing amount of incompetence in the entire field as managed care elevates the dollar at the expense of the person.

And I don't necessarily want to expose my dogs to a medical model that may insist on spay/neutering simply for financial gain, especially if I have competence questions. I want to take the time to think through what is best for my pets.

It is not always easy to know what the right answers are.

Welcome aboard Lucille. Dogs are fun. Have a Ball!

Thank you for the kind welcome. My dogs ARE fun, and even as I ask questions for thoughtful folks, I never lose sight of the basic joy of having dogs in one's family

 Quote: LucilleHollander

I still think that for many people who don't want to invest that kind of time for oversight, spaying and neutering might be a good option.

Agreed!

Although, for those who do have the commitment and ability to manage their dog(s), delaying spaying/neutering until the dog is physically mature seems the healthier option to me, these days.

There are some great theads here on the topic, so you should be able to find a lot of good information to help you in your decision-making.

Welcome, BTW .

leih

 Quote:

It is not always easy to know what the right answers are.

I know I'm not exactly thoughtful, but where the heck are the questions??

 Quote: leih merigian

There are some great theads here on the topic, so you should be able to find a lot of good information to help you in your decision-making.

Welcome, BTW .

leih

Thank you for the welcome!! I did do a search and there is a treasure trove of info available here.

I don't think every dog should be spayed or neutered. As a community we need the genetics to keep producing the type dogs we use, for many types of things.

High end performance and winning dogs that are bred selectively to do so is not coincidence.
While I understand any dog can win, selective genetics gives more consistency.

It has been used in Bulls, Dogs, Horses and many other types of animals, that in my opinion is way beyond proven to work very affectingly.

I personally do not neuter my males. Even my mixed breeds. But, I also do not breed them to anything. I just like to keep them whole, because I believe personally that it helps build drive, muscle, size and the things I look for in a dog.
If I did neuter a male, it would not be until they were 4 years old, or a bit older.

I am not pro, or foe of spaying, or neutering. I think its up to the owners discretion.
But, I do think that all one way or the other, when it comes to just about any persons ideas, ends up being a bad thing in the end.
The world needs balance.

Just some of my opinions.

David.

I was forced by circumstance to spay my dog much younger than I ever would have wanted to. She was one of those sassy girls who started giving off pheromones at around 5 months. It started with males intensely sniffing, and then quickly progressed to them coming out of nowhere and trying to mount her.

I live in a neighborhood that the houses are 20 feet apart, and almost nobody has a fence. There are intact males with irresponsible owners all over the place.

The worst one was my neighbor across the street who had a large, dog aggressive GSD who was never leashed. The owner didn't even attempted to contain the dog. I just couldn't take the chance.

I do believe that all pet dogs, both male and female. should be neutered in an urban living situation. We just have to share too little space to take the risk of accidental breeding.

If you are actually working them, breeding them or in a living situation that you can 100% contain them, the health benefits are now leaning toward the side of keeping them intact.

Biggest regret I have with Falcon is neutering him. If I had known then what I've learned here, he would definately still be intact.