Who doesn’t love puppies? They’re so adorable and lovely that everyone falls in love with them at first sight. But, there are already many puppies that don’t have a forever home and so we like to encourage people to adopt and not shop. So, by neutering your dog, you’ll contribute in controlling the pet homelessness crisis.
Neutering or spaying your dog is one of the best health decisions that you’ll ever make for your dog. It is a veterinary process in which the testicles of your male dogs and ovaries and uterus of female dogs are removed so that they become incapable of parenting puppies. This process requires minimal hospitalisation and offer major health benefits while also improving the behaviour of your pet.
There are many behavioural as well as health benefits to neuter a dog. In this article, we have mentioned 10 most important reasons which show why neutering your dog is beneficial.
- Reduces Leg-Lifting and Marking Territory
Dogs and other pets have a bad habit of marking territory by peeing. You might have seen many street dogs lifting their leg when they pee; this is their way to mark their territory. The higher dogs spray their urine, the more impressive and attractive they become to other dogs.
But, some dogs become so obsessed with marking territory that they start towing you toward every tree and telephone pole whenever they have to pee, while some pets even start marking inside a house. Due to this, many people make their indoor dog an outdoor dog, as the smell of urine is not tolerable.
Neutering your dog will reduce the testosterone in it and prevent them from being obsessed with marking territory. Though there are chances that they will still lift their leg when peeing, but they’ll not be obsessed with it.
- Reduces Aggression and Dominance
It is often seen that pets have many kinds of behavioural problems, and the most common bad behaviour is aggression temper which is often seen in male dogs. It happens only with those pets that are unneutered.
Neutering your dog can reduce dominance and aggression in them, and can improve their overall behaviour. It basically happens due to reduction in testosterone, but you have to keep in mind that all testosterone is not removed by neutering.
If even after neutering, your dog has an aggressive behaviour; it can due to improper socialisation or training. Since neutering is the first step in curing aggression and dominance, but respect training your dog is a must.
- Unwanted Pregnancies
Female dogs’ gives off chemicals that can be scented from a mile away, so, it becomes very hard for male dogs to resist a female in heat. Intact male dogs can become very agitated, pacing and even escape their house to reach the female dog. And you would liable for it if your dog procreates with somebody’s prized female dog. So, it best to neuter your dog as it will put an end to all of it.
- Control Pet Overpopulation
Millions of unwanted pets are euthanized every year because they don’t have a home to live. Also, these stray pets create some real problems in many parts of a country. They can cause many problems, such as car accidents, damage the local fauna and frighten children, due to which every government wants their country to be free of stray animals.
This happens because many people don’t prefer to neuter or spay their pets which results in pet overpopulation. Neutering your dog will help in controlling the pet overpopulation, and it will also prevent the unnecessary deaths of stray animals. It will help in making a better world for pets.
- Prevents From Getting In Trouble
Only highly-trained dogs are taught how to cross the street safely. House dogs often don’t get trained to that extent which can result in major problems. Male dogs roam around here and there in search of a partner, which can create trouble for them, such as getting hit by a car while crossing the street.
Neutering your pet decreases their urge to roam and run away from home. It also decreases their chances of getting into dogfights or cat fights. At first, it might seem normal to you for your dog getting into dogfights, but it can be very dangerous and can lead to its death.
- Reduces The Risks of Prostate Disorder
Dogs can easily come in contact with a number of prostate diseases, especially male dogs including abscesses, enlargement and cysts. More than 70% of male dogs are found with enlarged prostate at the age of five. It causes difficulty in urination or bowel movements.
But, this problem can be fixed by neutering your dog, it will shrink the prostate rapidly and the problem will be resolved. However, prostate cysts and infections cannot be treated easily with neutering; you have to take your pet to a vet for such issues.
- Prevent From Perianal Fistula
It is tender skin infection which is often seen in intact male dogs. In Perianal fistula, some contaminated spots develop around a dog’s anus, which is not easily treatable. It can happen with any dog, but most commonly found in non-neutered Irish Setters, Leonbergers and German shepherds.
This disease often happens because of testosterone, but neutering your dog can treat this problem. Though there are many other skin diseases that can occur in your dog, so you have to check for them once in awhile. You can also keep your dog well-groomed so that you stay aware of symptoms if any skin disease occurs to your dog.
- Prevent From Spreading Bad Genetics
Neutering dogs also prevent them from spreading dreadful genes. Pets having genetic problems, such as hip dysplasia, heart conditions, and eye diseases should not be allowed to breed. It can cause hazardous diseases to their coming generation, so neutering such dogs at the right time can prevent such problems.
Now you know the benefits of neutering a dog, so it’s time to find out when to neuter your dog.
Time To Neuter Your Four-Legged Friend
The normal age to neuter your dog is between six to nine months, male dogs can be neutered any time after eight weeks as long as they’re healthy. However, some veterinarians recommend waiting until puberty hit your pet which often takes 6 months.
But, dogs that are neutered before puberty often grow a bit larger than those that are neutered after puberty. This happens because testosterone plays a vital role in bone growth, and neutering your dog before puberty reduces the testosterone. So, it’s best if you ask your vet what is the best time to neuter your dog.
