Female dogs in Season / Neutering Male dogs

[LurkNoFurther]

My Beagle is 11 months old, recall is a problem with Beagles so I have been working hard on this. I have started letting him off the Lead but still keep a long lead attached to his harness, so if he doesn’t return when called I can retrieve him.

He is getting very good at keeping me in sight and returning when called, until Yesterday!

Out of nowhere, he ran across the field so fast, I couldn’t see where he went and would not return when called. I eventually found/caught up with him and he was with another man and his 2 dogs. when I apologised, saying this was out of character from him, the man explained his Bitch was in season.

I was surprised as I (wrongly) assumed that Bitches in Season wouldn’t be taken to a park frequented by dogs? Is this a regular occurrence?

I neutered my previous Male dog (as the ‘done’ thing) but the Beagle breeder was actually quite against it for health reasons.

In your experience do Bitches in season regularly get taken to parks and should I bite the bullet and just Neuter when he is old enough? He shows no dominant behaviour nor does he hump furniture.

I remember recovery was not great with my previous dog and was hoping to avoid it. He is still young and his training should become more concrete and less unpredictable…Is this likely to be a regular occurrence?

The comparison was about how social norms change over time, not about women and dogs equating to the same thing.

Pointing out that we used to hide pregnant women as a pragmatic thing highlights how outdated practices get defended as “perfectly natural” right up until they aren’t anymore.

Aa I said, the practice of hiding away a bitch in heat where it probably isnt getting the exercise she needs for weeks on end is becoming outdated.

With this, owners of male dogs will probably encounter more in heat bitches than they did 20 years ago when we locked them away and deprived them of proper exercise (at a time when they probably need it the most)

Bitch Owners arent deliberately taking their dogs to the places but they are not spending weeks tying themselves in knots avoiding them either.

I understand the suggestion of quieter times, but in winter those times often coincide with darkness. That isn’t just a simple inconvenience for an owner to just get over it...., it affects safety, visibility, recall, the digs sight, and the ability to let a dog move naturally. When that results in shorter or fewer walks over weeks, the practical outcome is restriction, even if that isn’t the intention.

The owners of bitches can do what they want as far as I’m concerned. Apart from I wouldn’t blame my dog if he found a bitch on heat while on a free run and mated with her (pre castration which I would do at 1 year old). The owner of the bitch gets to decide how much risk they are willing to take. Personally I would still walk a bitch daily but I wouldn’t risk free runs unless the area was reliably free from other dogs.

The fear of pregnancy & the stress of the season is one reason I tend to chose male puppies though I love both sexes equally. And as I said above, owning male dogs brings its own challenges.

My vet is very reluctant to neuter male dogs because the latest research shows a link to higher risk of certain cancers . For that reason I won't be having my male dog neutered when his chemical implant expires in March - Uunless Ddog then goes on to display problematic behaviour that cant be addressed via further training.

Neutering and spaying is seen as dangerous and cruel now. Many vets will not do it without medical indication. More so on male dogs and young females.

Neutering & spaying can be a contentious issue, as we see on this thread.

I’ve never known a UK vet have a problem with doing it, as long as done at the correct time (not too young). If you look on the websites of UK vets, they mostly (all?) have a section on their Castration/Spaying service.

It isn’t without potential negatives. But so are unplanned puppies a very negative thing. And there are health issues associated with not neutering as well as with neutering.

It’s a personal decision for every dog owner and will depend on lots of factors including breed, dog personality & family lifestyle. If in doubt, I suggest talking to your own vet about it as they will know your dog and other relevant details.

I had my dog neutered because his recall went to pot. I lost him twice and he had run for miles. After he was done I was able to train it back again using a book called Total Recall.

Agree - I was on the fence but it was pyometra that scared me into spaying mine.

I'm still not sure if I did the right thing but it's done now 🤷🏼‍♀️

I just didn't feel the need. There are health implications for both keeping entire and neutering so that cancels itself out. He's naturally a very chilled and obedient dog, he's indifferent to other dogs on a walk. He's 5 and hasn't met a girl he truly fancied yet, so I doubt we get much trouble in that department.

The only downside to him is his greed and if I don't watch what he eats, he'll put on the pounds. Neutering will probably make weight control even worse for him.

I think it’s the owner’s responsibility to keep their dog under control. I neuter my bitches when they get to 2 years old and when in season I stick to lead walking in low dog traffic areas. But I’ve lost count of unneutered out of control male dogs who come over and hassle us, usually with an ineffective owner shouting and calling with absolutely no notice from the dog.

IMO unneutered male dogs are permanently “in season” and therefore should be on a lead at all times of the owner can’t keep them under control.

I’d love to have a definitive answer on whether to neuter. When I had bitches in season, I just kept them on lead and never had a problem. This is my first boy dog, I assumed he would be neutered but both breeder and vet were anti, so he hasn’t been.

It took him three years before he even cocked his leg to wee, so doesn’t seem very masculine. He has never shown interest in girl dogs and only recently interested in dogs at all.

I always walk him off lead - fields or woods. So he’s more interested in his ball than anyone else.

I think ultimately, owners should be responsible for their own dogs and providing their dog has good recall or is kept on lead then so be it.

I spay because of pyo - but not until they're physically and socially mature, so at about 3 (breed notoriously slow to mature).

Until then, when in season I walk in quiet places, avoid other people, and have a long line clipped on (and often in my hand), especially during the few days of standing heat (peak fertility). I'm cautious with long lines though, they can cause nasty injuries, so if I can see a long way and it's empty, I'll let her off.

And then watch like a hawk for pyo for several months afterwards.

I've done this through maybe 8-10 seasons and never had a problem. I'd have to do things differently if I lived in a more urban environment.

My boy is neutered (and 15) but he still loses all his sense and control around a girl who is in season.

That’s just not true. It’s a balance of risk and benefit.

i had various reasons and scheduled our spay in carefully. The most compelling was that our girl was a result of an unwanted and unplanned litter. She and her little mates are difficult dogs who have only survived as long as they have as the were lucky to find understanding and experienced owners with very low expectations. There was no way on this earth I was risking her having a litter. Not if it spoils her coat, not if it makes her more susceptible to weight gain, hell not even if it gives her a weak bladder or reduces her life expectancy. Her bloodline must not and will not be continued and that’s the bottom line. There is only one way to guarantee that. She was neutered at 18 months.

Sensible advice, Thank you