Are you a proud new ‘dog parent’? If so, congratulations! You now have a devoted friend for life (his, not yours–unfortunately, a dog’s lifespan is much shorter than a human’s). You are eager to give your new CBF (canine best friend) the absolute best care possible to ensure his good health and happiness. So…one of the first issues to be resolved is spaying or neutering your new pal. Did your pup pick you at the shelter? (This may sound a bit backward, but yours truly is firmly convinced that dogs pick their new parents, not the other way around.) If your pup came from a shelter, chances are that he or she has been neutered (male) or spayed (female). *A side note: I could never understand why these procedures are commonly referred to as ‘fixing’ the dog. Fix what? Inquiring minds want to know.

Animal shelters usually spay or neuter pets before adopting them out since there is such a tremendous overpopulation of homeless pets in this country who were the progeny of intact parents. So unless there was a valid reason for not spaying or neutering your new dog when he/she was at the shelter, that issue has already been resolved. If you obtained your pet from a breeder or a pet shop (more on pet shops at a later date), he or she may still be intact.

Unless your new dog is a registered purebred from champion stock and you have plans to show or breed, then you should spay or neuter as soon as your pup is old enough; however, the age at which he/she should be spayed or neutered is kind of a gray area. Shelters will perform the surgery when the pup is as young as 7 weeks in order to ensure that additional unwanted animals are not created, but new studies indicate that 7 weeks may be too young and may lead to health problems later in life. It also depends on the type of dog. Smaller breeds mature faster than large breeds, so a small- or medium- breed dog should ideally be spayed or neutered before reaching puberty, which is around 6 months of age, but could be as early as 12 to 16 weeks of age. Large- and giant-breed dogs should be spayed or neutered by 12 to 14 months of age (or before the second heat in females). The reason for delaying the procedure in larger-breed dogs is, because they mature more slowly than smaller-breed dogs, removing the organs that provide hormones too soon may lead to problems with bone and organ growth and development later in life.

If you’re worried about your precious pup being in pain post-surgery (or that something may go horribly wrong during the operation), don’t worry. The surgeries are relatively simple–removal of the uterus and ovaries in females, and removal of the testes in males. (Did I just hear a collective gasp from all the men reading this?) Your little darling will be completely anesthetized during the operation, and will have no recollection of any past amorous encounters pre-surgery. He or she will, however, want to lick the incision, which is not a good idea. Therefore, your pet will be fitted with an Elizabethan collar (that thing that looks like a lampshade) which he or she definitely will NOT like, but it will do the job. The incision will stay dry and should heal nicely.

Any post-surgery discomfort (aside from being thoroughly disgusted at having to wear a stupid lampshade) can be handled with pain medicine which your veterinarian will prescribe. (FYI–there is a new version of the Elizabethan collar which is much more comfortable than the traditional plastic one. This new one is made of made of flexible dense foam covered with soft vinyl. One of the best features of this collar is that it can be folded back for eating and drinking. Your dog still won’t like it, but it may be a little less uncomfortable.) The vet will give instructions on caring for the incision, and the stitches usually are removed about 10 days after surgery. Leftover scarring is minimal and will be covered by the dog’s fur once it grows back in.

So what are the benefits of having your dog spayed or neutered besides eliminating any additions to pet overpopulation? For starters, if your dog is a male, the urge to scent-mark his territory will be greatly reduced (or may disappear altogether). Since many male dogs scent-mark indoors as well as outdoors, your furniture and carpets may last a bit longer and certainly will smell much fresher. He’ll also lose his desire to leave the yard in pursuit of a female in heat. It’s a sad statistic that 75% of dogs found dead on U.S. roads and highways are non-neutered males.

Removing the desire (and ability) to reproduce will help keep your boy safe and in your yard. Many intact males exhibit unpleasant aggressive behaviors towards humans and other dogs, such as mounting. (If you’re not a girl dog, his mounting has nothing to do with wanting to make puppies and has everything to do with territorialism and dominance–literally being the ‘top dog’.) Removing the source of the behavior (testosterone) will also cut down on the behavior. Your neighbors and household visitors will thank you for having a well-behaved dog–and here’s another sad statistic: 70% of dogs surrendered to shelters due to behavioral issues are intact males. Need I say more? If your dog is a female, spaying eliminates the desire to find a hot boy dog as well as the messiness and odor that accompanies a female’s heat cycle (yes, female dogs have periods). Another bonus is that spaying a female eliminates the possibility of certain reproductive cancers and, if done before the second heat cycle, reduces the possibility of mammary cancer by as much as 90%.

Some pet parents are afraid that if their dog is spayed or neutered, he or she will become fat and lazy. This is not necessarily true. Proper diet and exercise will keep your dog as fit and active as he or she was prior to surgery. Yours truly has a 9-year-old neutered male Golden Retriever (Cosmo) and an 18-month-old spayed female Border Collie mix (Tara). Even though Goldens have a tendency to put on weight easily, Cosmo’s weight of 63.8 lbs. is on the low end for a dog his size and Tara’s weight of 38 lbs. is also low. Both dogs are fed a very high-quality diet and participate in daily exercise (long walks or doggie daycare), plus they wrestle in the back yard every day. Cosmo was neutered before the age of 3 months and Tara was spayed at approximately 9 months. (She was an 8-month-old stray when I found her and had already had a litter of pups, so she got pregnant with her first heat–but if I had found her before she got ‘in the family way’, she would’ve been spayed earlier.) So far, there have been absolutely no health or behavioral problems with either dog.

If you truly love your dog and you’re a responsible pet parent, please spay or neuter your dog. It just makes sense.