Ovary spaying surgery would actually be easier than a standard spay. The ovaries are the only thing hard about a spay.

I'm an old person, possibly narrow in my views, but I'd never recommend ovary sparing. If for any reason you need to go back and fetch the ovaries it's going to be a major operation. Major.

Back to the time I was living in France, my grandfather used to have working females German Shepherd. He never spayed one of them. All of them got a great, long and healthy life. Never got any unexpected litters or behavioral issues either.

IMO for a working dog, at least one doing PP, I want all the hormones there. I personally, believe they are there for a reason.

My female was spayed at almost 9 yrs old, due to a false pregnancy & my concern about her going into a pyo. ( she has lived all but the first 2 years of her life with 1 or 2 intact male GSDs in the house, with never a breeding encounter. I have never bred her ) I didn't have any intention of spaying her unless health required it. (nor did I spay other females & male dogs that I have owned..all have been papered dogs) She is the only one that I have ended up having to spay/neuter due to a health problem. The others all passed due to old age.

She never acted any differently when in heat other then to be even more intense when working, if that was actually even possible. She is a vocal dog...but NOT more so when in heat. I never had focus problem with her during a heat cycle or any other problems with intact males around her in heat at home or at training.

For working dogs in working homes....I think a lot depends on the individual dog & the handler, as to whether to keep a dog 'whole' or not to. It is mostly a management & training issue. I have a 6' stockade fence around my side & back property. But my dogs are NEVER outside if I am not home & paying attention, even if in the kitchen. I am constantly checking on them or out with them. But mostly they sit on the deck looking at the back door waiting for me to come out if I'm in the house. My female was NEVER, EVER outside while in heat unless I was right there with her...out in the yard within 10 feet of her, especially at night.

The female I had spayed was a Kerry Blue. She was spayed BECAUSE of pyro.

I damn near lost her because of a "student" at the clinic when I brought her in.

I kept insisting something was wrong but this "student" said there was no problem with the dog's whit count.

I got this "student" because my regular vet was in emergency with another dog.

In the ten mins it took me to get back home my regular vet called the house and said to get the dog back now.

He agreed with me 100% and actually told the "student" "This man knows more about his dogs then you've learned in school."

The dog went through the surgery successfully and the vet said Uterus was as big as a grapefruit.

Hopefully the student became a lawyer or something.

My vets have learned to listen when I tell them something about my dogs, too. They questioned why I thought she was having a false pregnancy & my fear of pyro. She did not have a swollen belly or nipples..not tender...(She is a very hard dog)....but when they did the emergency spay they found that she was on the verge of pyro & she leaked breast milk while under anesthesia. They also said that her uterus was so full of blood & that she bled heavily & had I waited & not insisted on the emergency spay she would not have lasted another day or survived the delay of surgery...She would have bled too heavily for them to be able to stop.

Her prior behavior was occasional nesting, slightly generally agitated, annoyance for my male & just being ever so slightly off....not quite herself...but nothing that you could be specific about....things that she never does or is.

I have always had good instincts where my animals.have been concerned ...So I have learned to follow them in spite of any resistance I might encounter.

Amen to instincts!

The dog was having an abnormal cycle. Abnormal timing and showing four-five days longer then normal and heavy for her. She was also somewhat lethargic.

I've never had a "lethargic" terrier in my life.

Me too, Anne and Bob.

When I think "s/he's just not right," I always head for the vet a.s.a.p.