Spaying Your Female/Neutering Your Male:
At 6 months of age, hormones kick in
with male/female dogs that can cause unwanted behaviors and some health
issues (cancers). It is highly recommended
that pet/family/companion puppies be spayed/neutered before or by 6 months
of age. Females come 'in heat' unless they are
spayed and will leave a bloody discharge on carpets, upholstery,
their bedding, etc. Moodiness can be expected at this
time. The heat cycle lasts for 21 days and will occur every 6
- 9 months for the life of the dog unless she is spayed. During this three week heat cycle, males
from up to a mile away will be
attracted to your yard where she has been. Males have been known to dig under fences or jump them
to get to a female in heat on the other side. Females in heat will have a desire to roam
in search of a male to breed with if not kept securely confined indoors
for the entire 21 day heat cycle (except to take her potty ON LEASH then
bring her indoors immediately); they
have been known to bolt from an unfenced yard they had not attempted
to leave in the past. A female in heat should never be left in
a fenced yard alone without human supervision as she will try every way to
escape in search of a male, no matter what the breed! The old Wives'
Tale that allowing a female to have one heat cycle before being spayed
makes her a better pet is FALSE! With every heat cycle a female goes
through, her chance of developing cancers later in life is greatly
increased. Spaying a female (or neutering a male) before 6 months of
age also decreases the chance of aggressive tendencies in
temperament. Waiting until a dog is several years old to spay/neuter
will not change any already established temperamental
behaviors. NOTE:
Females WILL mark areas where they detect a new, unfamiliar scent indoors
or outside (another dog, a new baby, or strange person in the
home). This is more common in females who were NOT spayed by 6
months of age. They will squat to wet over the unfamiliar scent,
which may be carpets/rugs, clothing inside the home.
Males who are not neutered have a desire
to roam and will be attracted to any females in heat -- their sense
of smell can detect a female in heat up to a mile away. It may
be hard to keep an un-neutered male confined to a fenced yard due to
this strong urge to roam in search of a female in heat. They
will 'mark' territory where other dogs have been outside or will
mark inside your home if a new person or dog has visited your
home. Males/females who are not neutered/spayed have a greater
tendency toward aggressive behaviors with other dogs or humans
compared to males/females who were neutered/spayed as a puppy.
If males are neutered at 5 months of
age or younger, the attraction to females, desire to roam, and
territorial marking are prevented. Neutering removes the
hormones which cause these behaviors. Spaying or neutering at a
young age (by 6 months or before) greatly decreases the chance your
puppy will acquire uterine cancer, mammary cancer, or testicular
cancer later in life which, in turn, will increase the lifespan of
the dog.
NOTE:
Just because a male dog lifts
it's leg does not mean it is "marking". This is a
misconception. A male dog usually lifts it's leg because it's
owner has walked it on a leash up to objects (trees, posts, etc.)
for potty breaks all it's life. Some owners seem to feel a
male dog cannot go potty unless it is walked up to a tree, post,
fence, etc. This is not true. OR, the dog may have been
outside with another male dog and saw it lift it's leg to go potty
and copied the behavior (this is called 'social learning' when dogs
learn from other dogs). In this situation, the male dog WILL
lift his leg to get it out of the way so he can get close enough to
the object to go potty. If this pattern is repeated by the
owner every time he/she takes the dog out to go potty (or the dog
repeatedly watches other males do this), the dog develops a learned
habit of lifting his leg and begins to think he cannot go
potty without lifting his leg. A male dog (neutered or not)
can very easily urinate while standing on all four legs and
squatting. To teach your dog this, simply take him (as a
puppy) on a leash outside for every potty break. Walk him
around in a wide OPEN area with no trees, no lawn furniture, no
objects sitting on the lawn. Do not walk him next to
anything. He WILL squat to urinate. Repeat this potty
training routine ON LEASH consistently while the dog is a puppy and
he will squat to urinate. Most male dogs will not 'mark' if
neutered before 6 months of age. How do you know if a male dog
is marking or urinating? If a male dog is 'marking' (usually a
male that is NOT neutered), he will only release a few drops of
urine. Just enough to leave his scent on an area. If a
male is urinating (emptying his bladder), he will release much more
urine and it will be evident he is simply emptying his bladder, not
marking. Whether he lifts his leg up or squats does not
determine if he is marking or simply going
potty. |
Sire
Dam
small girl
boy
big girl
(puppies pictured at 3 1/2 weeks
old)
For more photos, see Wishing Well
Cockers webpage: