Opinions on when to spay a female German Shepherd Dog

[Danita]

Okay, I was under the impression that you spay your female dogs at age 6 months.
However after talking to a trainer she recommended waiting after 1-3 heats. She said that dogs need the hormones in order to grow properly, otherwise there can be problems later with bones etc.
Has anyone heard of this?

 

[luvsgreys]

Hmmm. I worked for two different vet clinics when I was younger, and we recommended that female dogs be spayed any time after their first rabies vaccine. So anytime around 4-6 months like you thought. I guess I can understand the hormone idea, (I've never heard of that brought up at the vet clinics though) however, heats are so messy . Maybe ask your vet their professional opinion, and what their thoughts are on the hormone concept from your trainer.

 

[Tangle Elf]

It happens in really large breeds and is more common in males. I don't know how common it is, but I still think the risks of waiting outweigh the benefits. I wouldnt wait more than a year at the most.

 

[Ziggymon]

As a female German, I had to laugh at how the title of this thread appears on the "New Posts" page.

 

[BraveheartDogs]

I do not recommend waiting that long. There is no medical or behavioral benefit to doing so. The only people I know who recommend waiting is for dogs that are going to be doing something like agility. Even then, I wouldn't wait.

Okay, I was under the impression that you spay your female dogs at age 6 months.
However after talking to a trainer she recommended waiting after 1-3 heats. She said that dogs need the hormones in order to grow properly, otherwise there can be problems later with bones etc.
Has anyone heard of this?

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

Spay between six and twelve months is the standard. If the ••••• in question has any medical problems, that is the only reason to wait longer. Spaying does not get rid of all the hormones, it does decrease them in a large way, but the brain still mediates release of sex hormones and growth hormones in base amounts.

Only my uncle who raised fighting dogs waited until after a year to neuter or spay, saying fighting dogs needed the extra bone strength full maturity gave them. Early spaying does not seem to contribute to osteoporosis in dogs.

 

[kcbee]

This is a big debate right now, from research I did and speaking with people in the know, I decided it is not worth waiting and had my two females spayed around 5 months.

Here's some good information that's concise and easy to read ASPCA - Virtual Pet Behaviorist - How Will Spaying Change My Dog? and if you Google you'll find a whole lot more!

Taken from the article above: [h=3]Common Myths[/h][h=4]Don’t Spay Your Dog Until After Her First Heat[/h]There’s no behavioral or medical benefit to waiting to spay your dog until after her first heat cycle. In fact, each heat cycle your dog experiences increases her risk of developing serious medical conditions. To best prevent the development of unwanted behavior and medical problems, make plans to spay your dog before she reaches sexual maturity at six to 12 months of age.

 

[Danita]

THanks guys.
The way the trainer talked, I felt like it was a bad decision for them and I was hurting them

 

[KenDRAGON]

Honestly, the more heat cycles a female dog goes through WITHOUT getting pregnant the more likely she is to get Pyometra, which is a serious infection of the uterus that can be fatal if not treated immediately and still may require serious emergency surgery. So i recommend spaying ASAP or whenever your vet recommends.

 

[annie1]

i never heard of this and im from germany i was raised all my life with shepards we spayed them all female or male with 6 month of age ........

 

[Yoyo'sMom]

At my hospital we recommend spaying by 6 months. A female dog should have developed enough bone density by that point. Also, Kendra is right about Pyometra and it also increases the risk of mammary tumors.

 

[kastelling]

There are pros and cons to both, though the earlier spaying is definitely more common. Allowing the dog to go through even one heat can increase the chances of cancer down the road. But allowing the dog to go through at least one heat allows the dog's hormones and body to properly mature the way that nature intended. Some people say that (especially with larger dogs that still need to grow a lot at 6 mos old) that cutting off the hormone cycle might effect the joint growth possibly leading to joint issues down the road. This is especially important with service dogs, sport dogs, etc, but also something to think about with dogs prone to dysplasia. It seems like a very valid theory, but I don't know if any studies have been done. However, it can definitely change a dog's overall structure- male dogs tend to be taller and thinner, less muscular, if they have been fixed early. My thoughts on this have always been: who cares? Especially since my dogs are rescues or mutts and I have no idea what they should look like anyway!

I have always had my dogs fixed (spayed usually, most of my dogs have been female) BEFORE their first heat. My Bushi was spayed at the shelter I adopted her from, at 8 weeks, which is common for shelters!

 

[copswife30]

We had our shepherd spayed at 6 months