# Questions regarding spaying and behavior change



## AthenaClimbs (Aug 19, 2011)

Hello,
We are probably going to spay our girl around 9-11 months (after her first cycle). I'm been hearing that I shouldn't spay my girl because it will make her more aggressive since she won't be able to distinguish other dogs, get confused and will act out on both males and females. I thought this was such rubbish but thought I'd find out anyway.

Is spaying my girl going to cause her to play/treat other dogs differently.

Also, I hear they gain a lot of weight after they're spayed and have to go on a completely different diet.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

I have not noticed one bit of behavior change in my females after spaying. Well, except for one, who used to attack my other dog when she was in heat--she stopped doing that after she was spayed.

Bitches gain weight after spaying because their owners feed them too much. Spaying decreases the metabolic rate, which means it takes fewer calories to keep the engine running. No need to change the diet, just feed a little bit less, and your dog will maintain a healthy weight.


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## shannonrae (Sep 9, 2010)

There was a "study" done on dog reactivity in spayed vs. intact females. I found it in a veterinary med. journal. At this time I cannot remember any specifics about the article (if you are interested PM me and I will try to dig it up for you when I have more time). The findings of the study were that spayed female dogs could potentially be more dog reacitve than intact females. 
I have never noticed this to be the case with any of my females. I think also that the study had many variables (as most do).


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## Snarly (Sep 7, 2011)

I have had only 3 spayed female GSD's before, none had any behaviour changes. Nova is my current one and there was no change, except weight gain. She can ONLY eat a maximum of 2 1/2 cups a day without getting fat. Where before she pretty much ate what she wanted.


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## AthenaClimbs (Aug 19, 2011)

I guess that's sort of my next question.

Have you noticed your GSD more reactive to other dogs since they got nuetuered or spayed?


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## Snarly (Sep 7, 2011)

Yes, actually I have. Nova used to ignore other female dogs but she now tries to mount them when I am not looking. She got in a dog fight not long ago because of it. She chewed the dogs neck up pretty horrible. Her first fight ever. I felt horrible and got bit by the other dog while breaking them up .


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## RocketDog (Sep 25, 2011)

Snarly said:


> *Yes, actually I have. Nova used to ignore other female dogs but she now tries to mount them when I am not looking*. She got in a dog fight not long ago because of it. She chewed the dogs neck up pretty horrible. Her first fight ever. I felt horrible and got bit by the other dog while breaking them up .





Snarly said:


> I have had only 3 spayed female GSD's before,* none had any behaviour changes. Nova is my current one and there was no change, *except weight gain. She can ONLY eat a maximum of 2 1/2 cups a day without getting fat. Where before she pretty much ate what she wanted.


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## Snarly (Sep 7, 2011)

None before her had behaviour changes. My bad:headbang: . I don't know if the mounting is due to spaying but thought I'd add it in there. That was after my previous post. I have a bad habit of typing something, posting it and then thinking of other things I should have included :blush:



RocketDog said:


>


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## N Smith (Aug 25, 2011)

From what I have seen (with clients) is that spaying an already reactive female has (in most cases, not all though) made the females more reactive. If she is fine before, she will most likely be fine after. 

As for the weight gain, just watch her like you normally would. If she puts any weight on, you lessen her food intake, if not, she keeps eating like normal.


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

Nope. Molly was spayed and was the exact same dog before and after the spay. She is not more aggressive, not dominate. She is just a sweet, spoiled, athletic, energetic, diva.


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## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

I haven't noticed any behavioral changes after a spay or neuter. The dog you get after the surgery is the same dog you had before the surgery, as far as behavior goes. Tanner was reactive to other dogs before and he was reactive afterward. Jackson was at worst neutral to other dogs before, and exactly the same after. Fenna wanted to kill every other dog she came across before she was spayed and she was the same afterward the spay (at age 9 years). Kiki was a dominant female before, and didn't appreciate other adult females in her home and she was the same after being spayed at age 4.
Sheilah


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## Draugr (Jul 8, 2011)

I think if there are any changes, they would be pretty much impossible to distinguish, at least on an individual basis, from the normal behavioral changes that go along with the dog maturing.

And regardless of what those changes might be, if they exist, I'm also pretty sure you're going to have the same dog for the most part, after the hormones go away. The "big things" that make your dog who he or she is, are very unlikely to change (I would way "will not change" but I hate using absolutes in an issue this complex).

The only thing I have ever found with females that seems to indicate a behavioral change is that a small number can become more DA or even HA against family members. But I stress, that was a SMALL percentage, and only a certain "degree" of behavior change. IIRC, too, the dogs were already somewhat DA/HA before spaying, the spay and change in hormones just made it worse - to a small degree.

There are so many different factors that go into behavior that I am hesitant, even when presented a paper such as that, to consider it significant.

In your case, I would not worry about behavioral changes.

Jake (my dog's best friend) did show some behavioral changes after he was castrated (this was at 15-16 months, IIRC). Nothing major, just small things, and really only someone who was around him a ton would have noticed. He is still the same dog though. Any changes you might, and I stress _might_, experience, are not going to leave you wondering if your dog has multiple personalities. We're talking about very minor and subtle changes - and ones that are probably indistinguishable to the individual owner and dog from the normal process of mental maturation.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

I've now had FOUR spayed bitches, 2 done around 6 months, the other 2 done after 18 months.

NONE of them showed any change in behavior that I could correlate to the surgery. In fact my GloryB has always been a bit soft and about 3 months after I think she gained more confidence and maturity.......but that may just have been her age and nothing to do with the surgery at all.


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## jetscarbie (Feb 29, 2008)

I think my female changed a little after her spay. She was 3 (surgery not to long ago)

She actually became a little more affectionate. She didn't really like to cuddle beforehand...but now she loves it. She also seems like she is way more playful. Basically, she's in a good mood most of the time now. Almost like a puppy.

I did notice that she started to gain a little weight pretty fast after the surgery. Had to drop her food down some.

She wasn't aggressive before and she's not now.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

shannonrae said:


> There was a "study" done on dog reactivity in spayed vs. intact females. I found it in a veterinary med. journal. At this time I cannot remember any specifics about the article (if you are interested PM me and I will try to dig it up for you when I have more time). The findings of the study were that spayed female dogs could potentially be more dog reacitve than intact females.
> I have never noticed this to be the case with any of my females. I think also that the study had many variables (as most do).


My trainer also said this but it was because the hormones are no longer balanced. During a heat, naturally they might be more aggressive...what female isn't?

But overall, with their hormones missing, they could be more reactive. 

Is it possible to do a hysterectomy and still leave the ovaries like they do on a woman?


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

My female (Sheltie mix) is the same, she didn't care to play as a puppy and still doesn't. She doesn't care for other dogs (as much as people) and never did, but tolerates them fine and is the least reactive of our dogs, in fact, she's the "neutral tester" when bringing in potentially aggressive dogs, because of her low reactivity.

She has weighed 38-40lb. her whole life and is considered a "3" on a body scoring scale, with 5 being obese and 1 being emaciated. 
She is now 9yr. of age and was spayed at 5-6mos. prior to her 1st heat.

You have to measure intake no matter if a dog is altered or not, do not "free feed" (where the bowl is always full) and exercise the dog properly.


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