COLUMN: The benefits to neutering your dogs
'You should always consult with your vet about the appropriate time to neuter your dogs' – local dog trainer.
• Nadine Whittal, dog trainer writes:
I know that a lot of people, particularly men, take grave offence at the idea of neutering a dog. However, there are a lot of benefits to neutering your dogs. Not the least of which is that it cannot have puppies.
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There are more than enough dogs in the world. We do not need to unnecessarily add to the population. Of course, this does not apply if you are a reputable dog breeder but most of us are just your average dog owners.
On that note, some advice when adopting a dog from a dog breeder. Make sure that the breeder you are working with is reputable. What this means is that the breeder is very particular about who he or she sells to, they do all the necessary health checks on their puppies and they have a return clause in their contract with you. This way, if you cannot continue to look after the dogs for whatever reason, the dog returns to the breeder rather than become a burden on the welfare system.
Having said that, breeding when done properly is complicated, stressful and expensive. It’s a specialty and unless you want to cover all of the above bases, you should avoid breeding with your dog.
Beyond that, neutering your dog can help to avoid a lot of the behavioural problems that hormones tend to help along. Animals, like humans, go through a stage where they experience an influx of hormones (puberty). Those of you who are parents know teenagers are terrifying – the hormones completely addle their senses and they become moody, difficult and combative. Similarly male dogs who experience an influx of testosterone have been known to develop aggression issues.
You should always consult with your vet about the appropriate time to neuter your dogs. Generally, six months is a decent age to neuter but with some of the bigger breeds, it is advisable to wait a bit longer. If you neuter too early, you could negatively affect the growth and overall health of your dog.
That being said, I have yet to meet any vet who is against neutering.
Most vets would encourage neutering if only to prevent the burden of additional, unintentional puppies on the welfare system.
