EARLY DESEXING and DESEXED MALE DOGS
EARLY DESEXING
Traditionally dogs have been desexed at about 6 months of age, just before they reach sexual maturity. It was thought that desexing earlier than this might affect the development of the urinary tract and lead to urinary obstruction in males and "immature vulva" in females. Controlled experiments in the United States have shown that this is not the case and now large numbers of puppies are being desexed at 6-12 weeks of age, both in the US and Australia with no ill effects being reported.
Studies have shown that there are differences in behaviour and development between dogs desexed before and after puberty but that the timing of pre-pubertal desexinq does not have an effect on development (ie there is no repeatable difference between pups desexed at 6 weeks and at 6 months).
There are a number of reasons why I only sell my pups desexed:
- Being crossbreds, Labradoodles will not "breed true" - you cannot breed a Labradoodle from Labradoodles - only from a Poodle X Labrador.
- I do not want to contribute to the huge number of unplanned and unwanted puppies which end up being disposed of in animal shelters.
- I (and many other people) believe that children's pets should be desexed because they then make better and safer family members.
- I can do the operation myself and people who buy my pups benefit from a reducton in overall cost.
DESEXED MALE DOGS
Most people when buying a family pet have a strong preference for female puppies. This is not at all surprising.
If you wear tattoos and own a Pit Bull Terrier you may expect and enjoy a bit of macho behaviour in your dog. However most people don't want a pet that cocks its leg on every post, marches up stiff legged and bristling to sniff the scent glands of every dog it meets, bolts the minute a bitch within a five mile radius comes into season, and most importantly runs any risk at all of biting anyone.
Male dogs desexed at an early age will show little or none of this behaviour. Although most do learn to lift their leg to urinate they will do this to relieve themselves - not to scent mark their territory, which is the function of this distasteful male dog habit. While they may show interest in females in season this interest is not strong and doesn't lead them to wander.
Desexed males are not prone to fighting or to dominance aggression and do not figure in the statistics on dog attacks on people, nor do they smell as "doggy" as entire male dogs do.
Many studies have shown that lots of men strongly resist the idea of owning a desexed male. If you are reading this and find yourself among this group it is important to think through why you are buying a pet. Are you looking for an animal that reflects your personal self image or do you want a children's pet? This is a serious question and I do not mean to appear judgemental - you must feel comfortable with the breed and sex of the dog you choose - it is a decision you will probably have to live with for 14 years.
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In summary desexed male dogs are similar to females in their behaviour and make safe, loveable and loyal family pets. Because females are more sought after you may have to wait a while to get a female Labradoodle.
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