Either sex can be neutered. At the present time it is more common for bitches to be spayed or sterilized by an operation which removes the sex organs than to have the male castrated by the surgical removal of the testicles. This seems a strange preference among dog owners -and contrary to neutering operations performed on cats - because spaying involves incising the abdomen, a rather more serious and considerably more expensive operation than castration.
Owners often worry that the removal of sex organs will lead to a change in the animal's character; this is rarely the case, although the less desirable aspects of male behavior, libido and aggression, usually disappear, and the bitch naturally no longer comes into season. All neutered animals have a tendency to obesity; it is a common but erroneous belief that this is due to the neutering operation. In fact, neutered dogs of either sex become overweight through their owners' mistake in giving more food than can be converted into energy. After a neutering operation, food intake should be reduced and exercise increased.
The bitch can be spayed as a puppy, but most veterinary surgeons advise a delay until the bitch is physically and mentally mature, at three to four months after the first (or subsequent) estrous. The popular idea that allowing a bitch to have a litter before she is spayed 'is good for her' is not borne out by fact and merely increases the number of puppies which have to be found homes. The similar suggestion that a dog should be allowed to mate a bitch in order to 'cool him off' before castration is equally misplaced. Copulation is not essential for the well-being of the dog; the majority never experience it and do not appear to suffer any frustration as a result.
Owners often worry that the removal of sex organs will lead to a change in the animal's character; this is rarely the case, although the less desirable aspects of male behavior, libido and aggression, usually disappear, and the bitch naturally no longer comes into season. All neutered animals have a tendency to obesity; it is a common but erroneous belief that this is due to the neutering operation. In fact, neutered dogs of either sex become overweight through their owners' mistake in giving more food than can be converted into energy. After a neutering operation, food intake should be reduced and exercise increased.
The bitch can be spayed as a puppy, but most veterinary surgeons advise a delay until the bitch is physically and mentally mature, at three to four months after the first (or subsequent) estrous. The popular idea that allowing a bitch to have a litter before she is spayed 'is good for her' is not borne out by fact and merely increases the number of puppies which have to be found homes. The similar suggestion that a dog should be allowed to mate a bitch in order to 'cool him off' before castration is equally misplaced. Copulation is not essential for the well-being of the dog; the majority never experience it and do not appear to suffer any frustration as a result.
