Vasectomy

I understand the argument (sort of) that sterilizing a male dog does not have many advantages, other than that the operation is less invasive than castration - and as discussed already, sterilization will not stop sexual behaviour (just like with a vasectomy in humans). I do find it interesting that vets dont advise or even talk to their customers about sterilizing, rather than spaying, bitches. The main argument I hear for spaying is to prevent pregnancy, but obviously that is not the whole story, as sterilization as well as being a smaller surgery, would also stop any danger of pregnancy. It would not however stop the bitch coming into heat and attracting other males. Therefore, we as humans are choosing to subject our dogs to more invasive operations than are strictly necessary to prevent unwanted pregnancies, for our own convenience.

Interesting to think about, isn't it???
 
herefore, we as humans are choosing to subject our dogs to more invasive operations than are strictly necessary to prevent unwanted pregnancies, for our own convenience.

Interesting to think about, isn't it???
Yes, it is interesting. Like @snowbunny I intensely dislike the use of the word "fixed" in this context, because I think that it smacks of exactly what you say here @MellowYellow . Fixing them how we want them.

But it is definitely a personal decision, for each of us to make. I'm just old enough to remember when unwanted puppies were routinely taken away and drowned at birth, maybe just leaving one to keep the bitch "happy". Gradually it became the norm to spay bitches to prevent unwanted pregnancies, but not to routinely castrate dogs. I wonder why.

Agree with others that it's perfectly possible to have entire/intact dogs of both sexes without having unwanted puppies. But I also know from experience that a bitch can become pregnant in a very short space of time --- so one visit to the back of the bike shed :)
 
Regarding the inconvenience of not allowing an intact dog into doggy daycare: this made me upset for my boy because I felt I was denying him the social experience. He went from age 3 months to 6 months, after which the blanket ban was imposed: no intact males or females older than 6 months. Not that he didn’t have social interactions—I took him for play dates every day.

But you know what, as he grew older he appeared to like his own space more and more. As an adult, I don’t think he would want to be confined to a doggy daycare for a full day. He doesn’t even want to stay in the dog park for longer than it takes to wee on all the trees and kick some dirt. He still loves social interactions with other dogs, but I would not impose doggy daycare on him now. So, yes, an inconvenience not being allowed during the puppy years. But those years didn’t last that long to be that much of an inconvenience.
 

Boogie

Moderator
Location
Manchester UK
Guide dogs neuter all their dogs apart from breeding stock.

I understand it for the females, a blind person couldn’t stay in for three weeks while their bitch had a season. I’m not so sure about the males. Spencer will be about nine months old when he has his purses emptied.
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So, yes, an inconvenience not being allowed during the puppy years. But those years didn’t last that long to be that much of an inconvenience.
It's a huge inconvenience to me, in that there are no longer any kennels (that I would be prepared to use) that will allow Merlin free range during a stay, unless he were chemically chipped first. So we don't go on holiday anywhere where we cannot take the dogs, unless we can find a house sitter...
 
I'm sure a large part of it is the "inconvenience" of having a bitch in season
Yes I don't doubt it.
In the days I'm talking about, not long after the dinosaurs walked this earth, it was common place for dogs to be allowed to wander freely, especially in the countryside. It was not unusual for a dog to take up residence for days outside the home of a bitch on heat. Yet it was the bitches that got spayed, sexist if you ask me!

Anyway that was then, this is now, Guess it doesn't help @alschwahn -- apologies.
 
Spaying bitches is not just to stop them having puppies! It stops them getting pyometra (pus in the uterus), this can come on when they are old (and before) but when old and full of 'poison' and very ill, they have to be spayed to save their lives, better to be spayed when young and healthy. Also it reduces the risk of mammary tumours.

PS the best thing for me was when I was spayed :happy:
 
It stops them getting pyometra (pus in the uterus), this can come on when they are old (and before) but when old and full of 'poison' and very ill, they have to be spayed to save their lives, better to be spayed when young and healthy
Yes, I agree with all this, it's just that when I was young bitches were spayed to prevent unwanted pregnancies, we have moved on with our knowledge since then, I know.

A big driver in having Cass spayed when I did was preventing phantom pregnancy, I could not bear to see her go through that again.
 
It was our choice to spay Nelly because she is so small that an unwanted pregnancy could be catastrophic but mainly to avoid possibility of pyometra in later years .
We had Sam castrated but looking back , it was bowing to pressure from the Vet ( who thankfully left the practice years ago ) she was old school . I have no intention of castrating Reuben , unless it is unavoidable for some reason or other x
 
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