Healthy Dogs

Spaying or Neutering Your Dog FAQ

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A: Well, you really should keep your dog confined. But neutering certainly does decrease the instinct to roam. That’s because unneutered dogs are constantly seeking to match up with unspayed females. It also will decrease your dog’s urge to escape your home or escape your fence. But in this day and age, there’s no reason to allow a dog to freely roam the streets. It’s dangerous.

Q: My dog leaves marks all over my house. If I neuter him, will that stop?

A: Neutering a dog will decrease and could eliminate that kind of marking, which is a territorial behavior. That’s what they’re doing; they’re marking their territory to ward off other male dogs that could come into it and get their female. So neutering may eliminate the problem. But there also could be other health issues or behavioral issues involved at this point. So it’s a really good argument for neutering early, before the animal reaches sexual maturity and the marking behavior has become habit.

Q: Will spaying or neutering my dog prevent future illnesses?

A: Yes, absolutely. In females, it greatly decreases mammarian cancer and completely eliminates uterine cancers and diseases. In males, it eliminates testicular cancers or diseases and can lower the risk of prostate cancer. Generally, spayed and neutered pets live longer, happier lives.