Spaying or Neutering

Because I know many of you will be contemplating this issue, here is some information regarding spaying and neutering. I do have a lengthy article if you'd like me to send it to you.

On the positive side, neutering male dogs
• eliminates the small risk (probably <1%) of dying from testicular cancer
• reduces the risk of non-cancerous prostate disorders
• reduces the risk of perianal fistulas
• may possibly reduce the risk of diabetes (data inconclusive)

On the negative side, neutering male dogs
• if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a common cancer in medium/large and larger breeds with a poor prognosis.
• increases the risk of cardiac hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 1.6
• triples the risk of hypothyroidism
• increases the risk of progressive geriatric cognitive impairment
• triples the risk of obesity, a common health problem in dogs with many associated health problems
• quadruples the small risk (<0.6%) of prostate cancer
• doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract cancers
• increases the risk of orthopedic disorders
• increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations

For female dogs, the situation is more complex. The number of health benefits associated with spaying may exceed the associated health problems in some (not all) cases. On balance, whether spaying improves the odds of overall good health or degrades them probably depends on the age of the female dog and the relative risk of various diseases in the different breeds.

On the positive side, spaying female dogs
• if done before 2.5 years of age, greatly reduces the risk of mammary tumors, the most common
malignant tumors in female dogs
• nearly eliminates the risk of pyometra, which otherwise would affect about 23% of intact female dogs; pyometra kills about 1% of intact female dogs
• reduces the risk of perianal fistulas
• removes the very small risk ( 0.5%) from uterine, cervical, and ovarian tumors

On the negative side, spaying female dogs
• if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a common cancer in larger breeds with a poor prognosis
• increases the risk of splenic hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 2.2 and cardiac hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 5; this is a common cancer and major cause of death in some breeds
• triples the risk of hypothyroidism
• increases the risk of obesity by a factor of 1.6-2, a common health problem in dogs with many
associated health problems
• causes urinary “spay incontinence” in 4-20% of female dogs
• increases the risk of persistent or recurring urinary tract infections by a factor of 3-4
• increases the risk of recessed vulva, vaginal dermatitis, and vaginitis, especially for female dogs
spayed before puberty
• doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract tumors
• increases the risk of orthopedic disorders
• increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations

One thing is clear – much of the spay/neuter information that is available to the public is unbalanced and contains claims that are exaggerated or unsupported by evidence.

Gus is wonderful and we are enjoying his companionship very much. He was off to 5 weeks of board and train which he did very well. Since then we have been going to group classes and he is doing a good job of training me. ha but really he is doing good. He is very smart. we have been working mostly on leash and he is learning more and more off leash now. He does have a stubborn streak but we have found ways around that. We had our first snow a few weeks back and that was quite funny. went to bed and it was dry and woke up to about 8 inches on the ground. Watching his reaction and investigations was hilarious. He loves playing in the stuff. I have kenneled him in the bedroom every night since he got here but in the last month or so i have let him sleep loose next to the bed at night... he does very well with that. He has his 'place' in the living room that he is learning to go to when told. and kinda doing ok with that but getting better every day. we take our daily walk and go to the park for some ball fetching and he is learning 'drop' pretty well. His favorite toy though is a tree limb of all things.

I weighed him the other day and he is at 79lbs and right at 26 inches at the shoulder. So he is getting to be a big boy. it is amazing how fast he is growing.

Thanks so much for the note! I'm amazed at how BIG he and some of his littermates are already! Be sure to keep him on the lean side --- you'll want to be able to very easily feel his ribs. With young dogs growing so fast you need to be aware that they can develop joint problems ~ keeping them on the thin side will help reduce that possibility.

Solo's very favorite thing is his big horse jollyball...but his second favorite is also a tree limb. He will fetch and run with them, sometimes TOWARD me...yikes!!! Where did you send him for board and train? Somewhere local? I used to offer that service but it was difficult to have the owners understand how to maintain the training ~ do you have an ongoing training program with them? I'm curious how it works in your area.

Our little guy goes with us everywhere and we make a point to have him around people and different situations. We were a little nervous about him at first but he seams to be adapting. He is very protective and occasionally takes a defensive posture with strangers when in a one on one environment. He hasn't tried to bite anyone but shows the defensive pose and gets between the stranger and us, not a bad thing for us city dwellers.. He does back off when he's told. We need to work with him a little more to get him more comfortable.

He's actually good in crowds and enjoys letting people pet him. It is true that he's more assertive than our last Bouvier, but he's more observant (and demanding) than our last one. He learns commands very quickly and likes new challenges. You were right in your description, this one isn't satisfied by just sitting on the porch.
You have a good breeding program. When we were looking for a dog, we got some leads from the Bouvier Rescue group in Texas and they gave us some leads in Houston (as well as your Kennel).

I'm glad to hear you're keeping him out and about ~ I don't enjoy defensive behavior ~ I'm sure I could encourage it since it's part of the heritage of these lines, but don't choose to. The best thing you can do is ignore it and be normal/friendly toward the person the pup is suspicious toward. It sounds like you're doing just that..and you're right, it'll generally be in a one on one situation. With a pup what I would likely do is first of all tell the pup "no." - not in an anxious or loud voice, just a matter of fact "no." Then, as soon as he responds appropriately, give him a little caress and say 'good.' in the same general (but pleasant) tone. I wouldn't force him to accept the person he's anxious about ~ in fact, I'd 'ignore' the situation as much as possible and go about your normal business.

With my pup Gail at puppy class, she did not like the other people coming up to her in a forward manner and petting her on the head...she would back away from them. If they left her alone, she would approach them on her own and solicit petting and treats. She's fairly over that period now and solicits treats from a lot of strangers but if the person acts tentative in any way, it brings forward the suspicion in her nature. Keep in mind that all these puppies will be going through various fear stages from now through probably 18-24 months. If you think your dog is going through a fear period, you will want to be sure to manage his life during that time for his/your sake. You do have some good resources in Texas (Dave Kroyer in Hutto, TX comes to mind) that I'd encourage you to take advantage of.

Thanks again and please stay in touch~

Thanks, we are doing as you suggested here with him currently. I think we can get him past this without too much of an issue. We don't force him to do things that he's uncomfortable with and do a lot of positive reinforcement. In crowds, he's always introducing himself and I'm sure we can get him over this bump.

He did very well in his puppy classes and his social skills are really pretty good. She is looking at some obedience training and is interviewing a few of them. My wife was invited by a non-profit group in Fort Worth to teach him how to do search work (Guess he got scouted at puppy class.) I can't see her allowing him to do this but you never know. We appreciate your help and guidance. He's a great dog.

and From Texas!

Our little guy is doing very well and is exactly the way you described that he would be. When you look at him, you kind of forget that he's still just a puppy. Our last Bouvier was 4 months old so we missed some of the "activities" that puppyhood presents. He's actually a very good little boy but we aren't not saying he's a perfect little angel.......

We enjoy your website and reference it for pointers. If you would like some short adventures we would be glad to send some to you. When you look at him compared to other Bouviers, you see the quality that he is. He fit's in well with our life style and we appreciate you allowing him to come live with us.

BART

He is really doing well and always wants to be working. Starting to calm down some and loves to be under command.

Still wants to mouth everything, loves the cattle and I have been keeping him out of trouble.

Wants to lay on the porch and just watch the world go by. His favorite activity is to get infront of someone walking jump at there feet and if they move make a tight loop and come back to the feet.

Hope your well and stop by

Otis

Otis and his shining eyes!

OTIS:

I thought of you w/the weather forecast this past week. We had a few flakes but nothing stuck. Bet you are glad to have things wind down. Sounds like Otis’ Mom is a celebrity! Congratulations! Otis had been doing really good but this past week has been testing us again w/jumping and, I guess, playful biting, although a bit rough. We make him settle but if it continues he gets a time out which usually works. Working on a long line so he can get some running in, he loves it! He went to a grooming school recently and came back SO beautiful, looked like velvet. They all loved him. I had him to the vet for a lump on the top of his head (doesn’t seem to be serious but we are watching) and she says he is just a teenager, pushing limits. He starts another set of classes this week so we are looking forward to that. I think we need some geese for him to herd!

All is well in Colorado Bhima is weighing in at around 70+lbs and active. He loves to play in the snow! My son took a pic and video of him hope you enjoy.

Zoey

Zoey has been such an amazing puppy. She has responded quickly to training and listens fairly well to commands. We are now working on getting her to listen to the commands on the first time with distractions instead of investigating the distraction and then listening. Zoey also loves swimming, playing fetch, and just being around people and other dogs. She is a very social dog which I am very happy with. We often take her to the park and let her off her leash and she does an amazing job. Even with distractions, squirrels, people, and other dogs, she will always stay close to us while still running around and playing.


Zoey has been doing pretty well at night too. We shut the bedroom door and she will sleep next to the bed or in her kennel with the door open all night. There are two issues that we are currently working on with Zoey. She tends to jump a lot when she gets excited (like most puppies do) but as a 50-55lb dog she brings a lot of power behind her jumping. Over the last few weeks she has definitely improved with the jumping however. The second issue is that she tends to pee or piddle every time I get home from work or she gets overly excited. It often happens after I take her out to pee to ensure she doesn't have a full bladder. It's very confusing and frustrating for me since she hasn't had an actual accident over two months. I've been told it will go away over time as she gets older and her bladder grows, but I feel like at 55lbs her bladder should be large enough to control the piddling. These two issues aren't huge problems, but I would definitely like to see them go away in the near future.


Next week we are taking her to the vet to get spade. Unfortunately her hernia never closed up but luckily it didn't continue to grow. The vet said they would be able close it up while she is under for the surgery. We were hoping to wait a little longer to get her spade but didn't want to push our luck with the hernia.


Overall, Zoey has been such an amazing puppy. She has a great personality and loves everyone and every dog she meets. The two pictures I attached were taken within the last 2-3 weeks. She just got done swimming in the second picture as you can see with her extremely curly hair :).


Thanks again for everything!

Yes, she sure seems to have a touseled coat - it'll change as she matures and her adult coat comes in. Have you been taking her to training classes? You should not have her jumping on you at this age...have her 'sit' as a greeting behavior and that should help both the submissive urinating and the jumping.

I don't recommend spaying at this age; we generally wait until Bouviers are around 14 months old and their growth plates have closed before spaying them. The hernia shouldn't be an issue regardless but of course you need to do what you are comfortable with and your vet recommends.

I"m delighted to hear that she is a social dog, that is one of the things we have been breeding toward with our performance lines.

Take care and thanks for the note - let me know if you need more help with the jumping.