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ForumsGerman Shepherd Dog > spaying of working dogs (13 replies)
spaying of working dogs by MyCheckShepherd on 11 August 2011 - 10:51 |
| Views? Anyone done it and wished they hadnt? Drives affected? |
MyCheckShepherd by melba on 11 August 2011 - 12:12 |
| The few females I have placed with PDs for Narc detection were spayed after having worked with their handlers for one year. Their drives were unaffected, though one developed reoccurring hot spots after the spay. I'm working with her handler to pinpoint any environmental cause, but none found yet. Other then that, they have not become fat and lazy and are, in fact, still the crazy bitches they were before the spay. Would I spay my own? Not a chance.. I'm not messing with mother nature but I understand the difficulties of having an intact bitch as part of a K9 unit populated by other male dogs. Melissa |
melba by von sprengkraft on 11 August 2011 - 15:55 |
| Check this info out.... |
von sprengkraft by Jenni78 on 11 August 2011 - 17:51 |
| A friend and I are in the process of trying to find a home for a narc dog who was spayed and now won't work at all. She isn't fat or lazy, but she just won't work anymore. |
Jenni78 by von sprengkraft on 12 August 2011 - 00:45 |
| Hormones feed the body and mind. If it was such a medical miracle...extending life and improving health in general, it would be done for humans... Instead...we have people trying to get their hormones balanced with hormone replacement. I have whole dogs for their entire lives....unless neutering is absolutely necessary. |
by Jenni78 on 12 August 2011 - 00:53 |
| That's something so basic, I've never understood why people don't get that people are literally basketcases both physically and mentally when hormones are out of whack, yet we routinely do this to our animals with nary a blink. HUH??? How can anyone not think it affects them negatively? |
by DenWolf on 12 August 2011 - 04:12 |
| That's why they call it ALTERING. It ALTERS or changes the dog's physiology...permanently. "spay", "neuter", "fix", "geld".. Happy words for the humans... My very first dog was a shepherd mix.. I trained her forjust about everything... then one day got tricked into "getting her fixed". She was never the same.. I SO regretted it... The best way I can describe what happened to her.. was... she got DULL. Some dogs deal with it better than others.. and work in spite of the surgery.. not because of it. I understand why they push all the "altering" off on the pet people.. but I still think its treating the symptom and not the cause. It's done for the convenience of people.. not for the benefit of animals. |
DenWolf by troublelinx on 12 August 2011 - 04:19 |
| I am sure it depends on the dog, however I believe that at a certain age (depending on the dog) where the behavior or veiw of the world or people, is "set". |
troublelinx by troublelinx on 12 August 2011 - 04:35 |
| Personally I would not mess with the surgery unless their is a really good reason. I am comtemplating fixing my pit bull just so that I dont get an accidental litter of mutt puppies. I seriously doubt that at his age of 5 years it would slow him down. |
by MyCheckShepherd on 12 August 2011 - 04:43 |
| If it were up to me then I probably wouldn't, it's not something I'd chose to do , she's a working Police k9 and I need her to hve that spark, that edge that maybe some of the bitches seem to lose when they get spayed. (Not all of them I'm sure !!! befoe I get bombarded ). The argument from some is that having it done at the right age can help prevent various basic illnesses and diseases including forms of cancer which in turn can prolong life expectancy.....(see the above link) So..... |
by von sprengkraft on 12 August 2011 - 14:40 |
| @ Jenni...it is so basic. It is best to never let book learning overtake our common sense. Understanding anatomy and physiology of the body....be it human, canine, equine, feline, etc.......is the foundation of keeping ourselves and our animals healthy. By understanding the purpose and function of the systems, we empower ourselves and have the information to make the best decisions in the health care of ourselves and our animals. There was a vet and his wife training @ a SchH group. The wife asked me when I was going to have my young male "fixed". I responded, he wasn't broke and didn't need fixing. She was apalled! I asked her when she was having her husband fixed, for if it was so necessary, why not do it to humans. She never broached the subject with me again! |
by Donnerstorm on 12 August 2011 - 18:03 |
Most of the femle K9s that work in Patrol work or SAR are spayed. I haven't seen it affect the drives or willingness to work, or the sharpness of the dog. The issue with her not being spayed is the heat cycle. If she is going to be used in SAR, or in a k9 unit where they typically work their k9's together it is pretty hard to get an intact male to concentrate on anything with a bitch in heat right next to him. Depending on the bitch some get "emotional" when in heat and won't work consistently. Could just be the ones I have experience with but typically the females get spayed. |
Donnerstorm by Jenni78 on 12 August 2011 - 19:36 |
I'm sure many males get distracted (more than humans?) and many females get emotional (more than humans?) . However, for mine, I choose to tell my males to "leave it," exercise some common sense, and my females just act normal and always have. Capri was koered in heat (I feel for the other handlers of the males, lol). I think often it's just an excuse for poor control when someone says a dog "won't" or "can't" do something because they're in heat. A lot has to do with genetic temperament as well. Still...I will not alter my animals for the convenience of myself or others around me. Performance aspects aside...there are just too many health risks. |
by isachev on 12 August 2011 - 20:49 |
| No doubt having 2 GSD's in heat at the same time is a challenge, and I'm sure it will get worse as they grow. However with proper guidance and control, I don't see an issue. I agree with Jen, It's about the GSD, not me. I'll put up with a little hell to keep these pups as is! Wouldn't change a thing. Pete |
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