The pros and cons of neutering your dog

What actually happens when you neuter your dog is this:

Your dog has no sex.

Your organs are removed to make male or female hormones.

A male dog loses his testicles and a female dog may lose both her ovaries and uterus or just her uterus.

If she keeps her ovaries, she will still produce the hormones, but she won’t be able to have puppies.

Here’s the catch:

An animal’s behavior is influenced by its hormones, which means that the typical behavior of a male dog changes when he no longer receives his dose of testosterone.

Behavioral changes in females are usually less pronounced and go unnoticed.

So what should you expect to happen after neutering?

1. Your male dog

During the operation, your vet removes your dog’s testicles. Testosterone production stops immediately, but since there is still some testosterone circulating in your dog’s body, you won’t notice the change right away.

This also means that he can still mate with a bitch for a while.

Pro

• After a few weeks, you notice that he is now less interested in the bitches, no longer bothering to sniff around their backs. He also doesn’t wander off to meet female dogs that are in season.
• It may stop marking its territory, which means it’s not as territorial as it used to be.
• Usually her behavior towards other males changes, she doesn’t feel the need to impress them as much as before nor does she feel the need to establish her dominance over them.
• It is for this reason that many veterinarians advise owners of aggressive dogs to neuter them as a first step.

Fraud

• Other males no longer recognize him as a male partner, this may have to do with the simple fact that he doesn’t smell like a male dog due to his lack of testosterone.
• Because of this, other males start to smell him a lot and will hump him whenever possible. This can put your dog under great stress, especially since the dominant males will really try. They will not bite it, but rather treat it as if it were a female in heat.
• This can be very upsetting for both you and your dog.
• If you want your dog to display typical male dog behavior patterns, it would not be a good idea to have him neutered.
• Depending on how you feed him, he may gain weight, since his activity level and metabolism rate also depend on his hormonal status.

2. Your bitch

Pro

• It will no longer come in season, which means you don’t have to care for it twice a year.
• There will be no more men showing up at your front door.
• There will be no more blood stains on your carpet.
• Your dog will no longer have false pregnancies and will not develop those dangerous uterine infections that can cause serious harm.
• Many bitches seem much more lively and cheerful after being paid.

Fraud

• Recovery from surgery may take some time.
• Sometimes the bladder muscle is injured during the operation, which can cause you to leak small drops of urine.
• Her metabolism rate may drop and she may gain weight.
• His fur can change in such a way that he has softer and more fluffy hair. This may not look as good as his original fur.
• Some researchers point to the danger of it being less puppy friendly, but I’ve never actually experienced this happening.

In female dogs, the pros of neutering seem to outweigh the cons because neutering actually protects your dog from a very serious health hazard, namely pyometra.

In a male dog there is no such danger to health and neutering it comes at the cost of being severely harassed by other males.

If, on the other hand, your dog is a bully and you feel you can’t handle his behavior, neutering him can make things easier for you and other dog owners.

But you should be aware that the brain is sexed long before birth and if your dog has really gotten into the habit of being aggressive towards others, neutering alone may not make him less likely to fight.

For me, neutering your dog is still a matter of personal taste. Many people are happy to put up with a female dog in heat twice a year, while others are not, just as many people wish they had a full male rather than an unsexed one.

If you ask your heart, you will surely find out what is best for you and your dog.