Would the spaying of a 2-year-old showline GSD cause any negative behavior problems?

I have heard that spaying a female can cause her to become very indiscriminant where she eliminates and can also cause heightened aggression.

Is this totally wrong information?

Any replies are greatly appreciated!

Your correct - spaying an adult female can sometimes increase (not decrease) aggression. It does not do this with males.

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Would the spaying of a 2-year-old showline GSD cause any negative behavior problems?.......

Not in my experience.

Editing to say that I had forgotten about the aggression thing Ed posted, but now I remember reading it.

Because of the profound impact on the instance of mammary tumors, I do spay. I understand that there is a related possibility of something called spay-incontinence, but I have not experienced it with my dogs. It's not indiscriminate peeing, though, so much as it is a partial-incontinence problem.

http://www.vetinfo.com/dspay.html

My understanding is that it's both unlikely and treatable with very low doses of estrogen (lower than the levels which trigger canine mammary tumors).

Thanks, Ed and Connie.

The aggression thing is unfortunate. I really would like to introduce an older female GSD into the household with my current 7 month old GSD sometime within the next six months or so. However, I really do not want the trouble of preventing an accidential mating from occurring every time she goes into heat.

Looks like this will not be happening if spaying produces such negative results and not spaying substantially increases the risk of cancer.

Bummer.

Too bad two males cannot be owned together. Now that would be great if it was possible!

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....The aggression thing is unfortunate. I really would like to introduce an older female GSD into the household with my current 7 month old GSD sometime within the next six months or so......
Looks like this will not be happening.....Bummer.

No, you don't want to produce accidental litters.

But I don't think Ed was saying you can't have a female who's spayed, because of aggression. (Of course, I can't speak for anyone else, but that's my guess.)

Having two dogs is a big step, yes, and having great control of the first one beforehand is vital (IMO). The introducing is important to do right, and so is the training of the new dog. But no no........... I feel certain no one is saying that you can't have a spayed female with a male! In fact, that would be my choice if I had one male and was shopping for a second dog.

And the increased aggression thing is a "maybe," not an absolute. And eliminating dog-dog aggression is (IMO) a training thing -- it's up to you, the pack leader, and not the dog's hormones, to decide things like aggression in your home and who's in charge (that'd be you).

Here are two places to start:

http://www.leerburg.com/dog-agg.htm
http://www.leerburg.com/introducingdogs.htm

Your best thing right now is to have great obedience training in place (Leerburg DVD #302) with the dog you have, and then to follow Ed's protocol about introducing a second dog.

All that said, if you don't feel ready yet for that level of pack leadership, then don't do it. Two is much different from one.

Good job, that you are reading up well in advance. I think too many people just impulsively add a second dog with no plan at all for the introduction or the training, and with a "they can work it out" attitude. Wrong. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Hi Michael, I have two showline GSDs. A 3.5 yr. old SPAYED female and an 11 month old intact male. They co-exist just fine and I haven't noticed heightened aggression in the female. She was spayed at 28 months.
Beth

Beth:

Thanks for that info.

How has the bonding between you and these two individual dogs been affected (if at all) by having two dogs?

Have you been able to maintain their individual obedience to you or has that been diluted because they have bonded to each other?

Ed:

Is the heightened aggression a result of the reduction in estrogen which in turn makes the amount of testosterone in a female more pronounced in her behavior?

In other words, does the female take on more male-like dominant/aggressive behaviors?

If the latter is the case, then I think I would be rather pleased with the result of spaying an adult female...it would be like having two males without the territorial fighting. (Assuming the pronounced testosterone effect didn't also produce increased territoriality in the female.)

I would have to think part of the picture is the ability of the owner to control the *pack* and the bond.

Agreed, there are some dogs who cannot be left together.

My little female is snarky around other females but good as gold around males, and she was spayed as a young adult, but I know very closely 5 working line females who are spayed and not that way at all and quite personable around other females to the point they live with them.

Actually my intact male has NO dog aggression and my neutered male IS dog aggressive- but he has some nerve issues.

The three dogs live together well, but it took me about 2 months to get the rules clearly and firmly restablished with the older neutered male. And I don't leave the 2 males unsupervised together.