When Should My Dog Be Neutered
All dogs are not physiologically the same. Different breeds and sizes of dogs have different optimal ages for castration. According to a recent study, veterinarians and pet owners should work together to discuss the optimal age of neutering, instead of following a blanket age recommendation. Every dog owner should consult with their veterinarian about the health impacts of castration for their individual dog.
Historically, veterinarians have recommended neutering dogs before puberty. This not only minimizes the risk of unplanned litters, but also may offer behavioral benefits. Puberty and adolescence are the time when animals transition from youth to sexual maturity. In most breeds and sizes of dog, this period spans from 6 months to 2 years of age. Hormone surges during puberty can and do influence the behavior of any individual. Ask the parent of any teenager! If youre considering waiting until social or structural maturity before neutering, be sure to talk to your veterinarian in-depth about what to expect with respect to your dogs needs for exercise, training, appropriate and safe confinement, and appropriate social environments.
How Much Does It Cost To Neuter A German Shepherd
Depending on where the procedure is performed, the cost of neutering a German Shepherd can range anywhere between $35 $300. The cost of neutering your dog will also depend on a number of different factors. These include:
- Where you live
- The age of your dog
- The breed of your dog
- The health of your dog
- Whether your dog is obese
- The complexity of the surgery
- Whether your dog has diabetes
- Whether pain medication is included
- Where the procedure is performed
- If pre-anesthetic blood work is performed to check liver/kidney function
Generally speaking, the cost of neutering your GSD will cost more if the procedure is performed at your veterinarians office. However, you do have a number of other low-cost options available to you. You can contact your local shelter, Humane Society, or ASPCA for lower-cost options.
Keeping Your German Shepherds Aggression In Control
It is often worrying for dog owners if they notice their German Shepherds aggression. Aggression in your German Shepherd can be categorized into many different types, however, in most cases, it is caused by the fear of something.
Resource guarding, as the term suggests, refers to a dog displaying aggressive behavior during times in which he fears of losing a valuable resource such as food or even the attention of their owner. Many inexperienced dog owner may not notice this, but your German Shepherd learns resource guarding as a puppy whenever an owner backs away from a resource based on a growl or a guarding behavior. Whenever this happens, your dog learns that the behavior works, so he would just do it every time he needs to guard a resource. To learn more about how German Shepherds learn, read more about positive reinforcement training.
In addition, aggression in your German Shepherd is often based in the lack of socialization. Since your dog does not know how to behave around other dogs, he becomes intimidated and as a result, uses attack as a form of defence. This leads most dog training experts to believe that signs of aggression in your dog shows that your dog does not know what to do during that moment, rather than wanting to fight. As such, it is very important to socialize your dog as early as possible. The Animal Humane Society has a comprehensive article on how to socialize your dog.
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How To Stop Your Dogs Food Aggression
If your dog is displaying some of these signs, you can feel assured that this defensive behavior can be managed or even prevented.
First things first, consider spaying or neutering your dog. Hormones can be the cause of aggression, and spaying or neutering may help reduce these tendencies.
Another treatment option is training: many dogs that have food aggression can be put through a training sequence, laid out in seven stages, focusing on desensitization and counterconditioning to put your dog more at ease with eating near people. Try these seven steps to help put a stop to your dogs food aggression:;
Interested In Training Your German Shepherd The Right Way
If you havent trained your German Shepherd properly, then this is the perfect time to start. Whatever bad behavior your shepherd has, whether its barking at night or other bad behaviors, using the right training program is the key to having an obedient and happy pup.
The training program I love and highly recommend is Brain Training For Dogs.
With Brain Training For Dogs youll save yourself a ton of time and effort. Instead of banging your head against the wall trying to figure out why your dog wont listen, youll follow a path that has been tried, tested, and most importantly, thats given proven results. Not to mention the fact, youll be able to fit the course around your schedule, not fit your schedule around a trainer or obedience class.
So instead of worrying about whether theyre going to be well-behaved or not, youll only have to worry about how much fun youll have with them!
And in most cases its still going to be:
- Cheaper than hiring a professional.
- Cheaper than replacing everything they might break.
- And definitely cheaper than a lawsuit against you, if they decide to bite someone.
Just imagine how great it will feel to finally be able to trust your German Shepherd completely and never worry whether theyll be naughty or not. Instead, youll have the peace of mind that you have a well-behaved pup, and the boundaries you set for them, will always be there, EVEN IF YOURE NOT.;
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German Shepherd Breed Overview
The German shepherd as a breed originated in Germany. No surprises there. But, believe it or not, their name was changed soon after the war. Before the war this breed was commonly called the Alsatian in Great Britain and parts of Europe.
There are still parts of Europe that refer to the German shepherd as the Alsatian; however, most of the world has converted back to calling them German shepherds.
Pretty interesting, right?
As for life expectancy, German shepherds normally live for around 9-13 years.
The color of a German shepherd can range considerably from gray to black to tan, and even a silvery color.
The males grow to be approximately 24 inches at the shoulder and the females tend to be a little shorter, measuring around 22 inches at the shoulder.
As for weight, males average around 80 pounds and the females are a bit lighter at around 60 pounds. There is no denying that these are big dogs!
Now, as I mentioned earlier, German shepherds are known for their physical strength and intelligence. As working dogs, they were bred to be confident and powerfultwo traits which often scare people away from wanting anything to do with the breed.
Its this combination that makes them quite incredible beasts. They have strong muscles. Theyre obviously large, and yet, in their minds, theyre also very confident, watchful, and alert.
If you have a puppy, I encourage you to check out my Puppy Coach training program.
So Can We Replace The Testosterone
In theory, yes. However, there arent any licensed products in the UK, and you could be storing up problems for yourself. As weve seen, testosterone has complex and subtle effects on the brain, it isnt anything like as straightforward as many people think .
The best way to get on top of any behavioural issue, in an entire or neutered dog, isnt to mess with their hormones, but to seek a referral to a properly qualified canine behaviourist. If youve got a problem, talk to your vet who will be able to arrange a referral for you!
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Benefits Of Neutering A Dog
And of course its not merely aggression that is reduced through neutering, but also a whole range of other behaviors that neutering can help correct, as well as enhance the health and longevity of your dog.
First of all, if you have a male dog, he will lose the tendency to roam and get into fights with other animals every time he detects a female in heat. Remember that a male dog can detect a female in heat even if she is miles away, and then he will try to escape his home in order to get to her. Neutering your dog will completely remove this tendency.
Your dog will also lose his desire to urine mark his territory, to a great extent. And as for aggression, the statistics speak for themselves:
- your dog will be 60% less aggressive towards other dogs
- dominant behavior with the dogs own family will be reduced up to 70-80%
- your dog will also be 70% less likely to display other irritating behaviors, such as mounting people
So does neutering and spaying help with aggression? It certainly does.
The best resource of information for your spay/neuter questions is of course your veterinarian. They can help inform you about your dogs specific needs regarding the procedure and answer any pressing questions you might have.
Well leave you a great discussion between Dr. Becker and Dr. Valente regarding the benefits of spaying/neutering your dog.
Neutering Your Male Dog Pros And Cons
By Michele Welton, Dog Trainer, Breed Selection Consultant, Author of 15 Dog Books
Puppies are adorable! But there are already too many puppies who desperately need homes. If you decide to not neuter your dog, please prevent him from breeding.
Have you been told that neutering is a must for your male dog? Absolutely necessary? All positives…. no negatives?
Also that neutering should be done as early as possible, certainly by 6 months old?
It sounds so definitive.
But current research on neutering shows that the issue is not so simple. There are a number of risks associated with neutering male dogs that pet owners are not being told about.
First, let’s look at the positives the advantages of neutering your male dog.
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So What Does Testosterone Do
In behavioural terms, testosterone has two main functions.
Firstly, it is the main trigger for a dogs sex drive so any behaviour driven by the need to breed will be at least partly influenced by testosterone levels. This would include roaming in search of bitches in heat, humping and masturbation , and, interestingly, urine marking. All of these behaviours are reduced by castration.
The second is that testosterone does appear to increase the expression of aggressive behaviour. This might be an evolutionary hang-over from having to fight for mates, but whatever the reason, the threshold for initiating an aggressive act becomes lower the higher the dogs testosterone level is.
So, an entire dog is more likely to respond to annoyance or frustration by snapping than a neutered one is. The exact mechanism isnt clear, but testosterone is also a major factor in determining a dogs levels of self-confidence, so he may be more likely to start a fight because hes more likely to believe that he can win it!
Does Neutering A Dog Help With Aggression
JJ BakerBehaviorThis post contains affiliate links, which earns us a commission if you click through and make a purchase . To learn more visit our disclaimer page.
Its a common question among dog owners if neutering a dog actually helps in reducing and even eliminating aggression displays and behavior problems in dogs.
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Cons Of Neutering Your Dog
While there are many benefits of dog neutering, it still comes with a few cons.
Here are some of them:
It Can Change Your Dogs Coat Texture
Neutering initiates hormonal changes in dogs. Therefore, it can cause change to the physical characteristics of your dog.
These characteristics include the dogs coat growth patterns. Neutered dogs coats may be sensitive to cold and hot temperatures.
It Can Lead to Urinary Inconsistency
Although this is not very common, it happens to some neutered dogs. It happens when you neuter your dog while it is still young and their bladder is not yet fully developed.
As your dog ages, the bladder muscle will be getting weaker and thus causing urine leakage.
To avoid this, ensure you neuter your dog after they are older than six months.
Affects Your Dogs Maturation Process
Neutering dogs, while they are still young, will affect their maturation in later days.
While many dogs may benefit from neutering, some dogs will have adverse effects.
Make sure you discuss with your veterinarian before going forward to neuter your dog.
Terminates the Breeding Process
You may neuter your dog while it is young and learn later that it was the right breed. However, you will not be able to reproduce younger ones from it.
The neutering process is permanent and cannot be reversed. The breeding process is taken away from your dog completely.
Neutering Doesnt Guarantee Complete Behavior Change
Spaying Is A Quick Fix For All Behavior Problems
Some people think that spaying a dog will get rid of all her behavior problems. Although it often reduces undesirable behaviors caused by the heat cycle, theres no guarantee that your dogs behavior will change after spay surgery.;
The effects of spaying largely depend on your dogs individual personality, physiology, and history. Although spaying can remedy hormonal behavior problems, its not a quick fix that will instantly transform your dog into an angelic companion. If you want her to learn polite manners, you still need to teach her basic obedience skills.;
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Why Dog Shock Collars Are A Totally Unnecessary Training Tool
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Spay Surgery In Gilbert Az
The benefits of spaying your female dog far outweigh the potential drawbacks. However, knowing whether surgery is right for your dog requires a visit with an experienced vet. At Anasazi Animal Clinic in Gilbert, AZ, we provide a variety of affordable surgical services. To discuss spay surgery for your dog, call 480-426-8364 to schedule an appointment.;
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Cryptorchidism In Male Dogs
Most male dogs are born with two testicles that descend from their stomachs, through the inguinal canal, and into the dogs scrotal sacs. The testicles should be visible and dropped in a male puppy by two months of age, but this descent can sometimes take up to six months. When one or both testicles fail to descend from the abdomen into the scrotal sacs, a male can have an increase in health risks, including testicular cancer and infertility.
This condition of the testicles failure to descend, known as cryptorchidism, occurs in around 1-3% of male dogs and is typically caused by an inherited trait. Dogs with cryptorchidism should have their neutering scheduled sooner than later to reduce the chances of complications, like the testicles getting twisted in the spermatic cord. Your vet may perform an ultrasound to determine the exact location of the testicle before surgery. Neutering dogs with cryptorchidism is essential to ensure they dont continue to pass down the trait to other puppies.;
Can I Use A Discount Spay And Neuter Clinic
Most communities offer discounted spay and neuter clinics to help pet owners afford this important procedure. You can easily search for a list of low-cost spay and neuter clinics near you on the North Shore Animal League America website.
Most dog owners become nervous when they hear the term discount pertaining to something like surgery for their furry family member. In most instances, these spay and neuter clinics are sponsored or held at local ASPCA shelters and Humane Societies. These agencies provide this discount as a service to the community and reduce pet overpopulation resulting from unspayed and unneutered animals.
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Changes In Dog Behavior After Spay Surgery
Dogs become sexually mature between six and twelve months of age. At this time, female dogs produce a surge of the hormone estrogen and begin their reproductive cycle, which leads to estrus, or heat. When in heat, a female dog will be receptive to breeding with males. Most dogs experience two heat cycles per year.
Spaying your dog will not affect her working abilities, friendliness, playfulness or personality. However, female dogs may experience changes in behaviors associated with the heat cycle after spaying. You may see a reduction in the following behaviors after you spay your dog: