In today’s modern society, it is politically and socially correct to alter any and all healthy pets for the belief of ending pet overpopulation. However, as more studies and statistics have made themselves known from the no kill movement and shelter reform, we are learning that altering all pets has had very little, if any, impact of the shelter pet population as a whole. Furthermore, other benefits are explained to pet owners of the surgical procedure including a calmer pet with fewer health concerns. Some are true, but others are simply as false as old wives tales. Spaying or neutering your dog is just as much of a personal decision as your own diet, and it is up to you to understand the benefits and risks associated with this life altering surgery before you place your pet under the knife.
Debunking Beliefs
It is believed that altering your pet can reduce any aggression, marking behavior in males, and reduce activity levels. While it is true that your pet may slightly reduce his activity level due to the dramatic loss of hormones in his body, the belief that aggression and marking behaviors are only for intact animals is flat out false. Marking is a deep, instinct driven behavior that even female dogs do, and their reproductive organs play very little part in it.
Aggression, on the other hand, seems to take another turn when it comes to altering a pet. Studies in the past have shown that altered males are more likely to instigate a dispute than intact males, and especially when an altered male meets an intact male. Altered dogs feel threatened by the hormone levels of the intact male, and sometimes are the first to attack or make any aggressive moves. Females, however, are more accepting of each other and other dogs when they are spayed. An intact female may be more territorial as she feels the need to protect her whelping area, even if she has never been bred.