# Spay or Neuter?



## sittingbull (Feb 1, 2008)

Does anyone have any ideas or opinions as to whether or not spaying my GSP will effect her hunting drive?


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

You will hear both ways. I think it depends on the dog. If she is a crazy high energy dog it may help. If you have a good enclosure then it wouldnt hurt to let her have a few litters of pups and then do it. Just dont let the neighborhood mutt get to her.


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## vdogs (Sep 22, 2007)

It will not affect her hunting drive at all. Best to allow her to mature completely (physically and mentally) first. 

Rick


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

Spaying or neutering does nothing to hurt a dog's hunting drive. It just eliminates their reproductive ability, which is a major annoyance in the field when a female comes into heat during hunting season. I'm with GSPman in that I'd let the dog mature a bit before doing the deed.


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

Only YOU can prevent hunting drive. Spay or Neuter, YES! But let the dog get some size and age to him or her. Good advice!


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## sittingbull (Feb 1, 2008)

Thanks for your help guys. I guess maybe I'll hold off for a while.


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## redleg (Dec 5, 2007)

Neutered my 5 year old GSP he still hunted well but got fat and that killed him.


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## Trooper (Oct 18, 2007)

Fixing a dog doesn't make him fat, too much food does. (There's a lesson in there about me personally, I'm afraid. Take that however you want.)

In my lowly opinion a fixed dog has _more_ hunting drive. Why? They're not distracted by the urge to procreate, so there's less peeing, fighting, running off, and GSP/poodle pups to be rid of. Think about it- if your sex drive was gone, what else would _you _do but hunt?

Let 'em grow up and then snip-snip.


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

Trooper said:


> Fixing a dog doesn't make him fat, too much food does. (There's a lesson in there about me personally, I'm afraid. Take that however you want.)
> 
> In my lowly opinion a fixed dog has _more_ hunting drive. Why? They're not distracted by the urge to procreate, so there's less peeing, fighting, running off, and GSP/poodle pups to be rid of. Think about it- if your sex drive was gone, what else would _you _do but hunt?
> 
> Let 'em grow up and then snip-snip.


That and fish. Haha Thats funny man.


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

There are arguments on both the early (prior to 1 year old) and late neuter side of the house.

For males, the main argument for early neuter is that certain behaviors that can pose a danger to the animal never develop. Aggressiveness and wandering/roaming are some of the key points. Males neutered early are much less likely to escape and be killed by cars, neighbors, etc. Leg hiking and mounting are also usually decreased. Early neuter does not cause growth problems in males, although like Tex said holding off until later usually results in some additional muscle mass or a slightly more stocky build. Testosterone aids in closing growth plates in bones, so early neuter males usually grow slightly taller with a little leaner build.

Early neuter has only been widely practiced for 2 generations of dogs (18 years or so). Conventional wisdom was to wait until the animal had matured. It's now widely recommended by veterinarians for the above reasons, but I'm still with Tex and suggest waiting. The reason is that some studies show a pretty significant risk of cancer being associated with early neuter, and because growth plates don't close as fast in early neuter males, Crutiate Ligament Disease is also more common especially in athletic breeds.

The same higher cancer rates have been seen in early spay females. I think it's best to wait until after the first heat cycle, when these risks seem to decrease.


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## Packfish (Oct 30, 2007)

Ok- so what is later? Looking for a year range . I have great pup coming up- just a tinch over 6 months and he is on birds now in the pasture. He is going to be long legged as it is, well compared to my lab. I am going to have him cut but I certainly do not want to do it early. I originally was looking at just over 2 years but don't want to make a mistake on this one.


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

For a male anytime after they appear to have reached physical maturity. Weight is a good indicator, once the dog has been close to the same weight several months running and you think he is at his adult size. For most breeds this will happen between 12 and 18 months.

For females a few months after the first heat cycle is when I prefer.


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