Does Spaying change the females personality?

[Skidgee]

Hi, I have scheduled to have my 8 month old DS to be spayed and I love her strong personality etc., my concern is will her personality change? She definitely appears to be the alpha my male DS is a cute goober LOL and not dominate like my girl

[Karin]

I've had an Aussie and GSD spayed females and no change in personality.

[Ben_jamin]

I have a female boxer that is spayed and I never saw any real change in her personality. Part of that could be that I had her spayed at about the same age as your dog. I think personalities are still in development at that point so it’s hard to really know if it had a major impact on that. What I can say is that comparing my fixed dogs to other dogs of the same breed (and even a couple from the same litter) is that they seem to develop a bit differently if neutered/spayed before they’re done growing. Both my GSD and Boxer seem to be a bit more long in the legs and wiry of muscle.

I have been researching this quite a bit lately as I have a female DS pup coming in a couple of weeks (so excited!) and I want to make sure that I do what’s right for her health and development. The consensus seems to be that there is no consensus. Most vets that I’ve talked to have recommended spay/neuter at 6 to 8 months for males and after the first heat cycle for females. On the other hand I’ve heard some very strong arguments and read a few research papers that point out that these can change hormone outputs that, while not necessary for survival, very beneficial throughout life.

Another option that seems to be becoming more and more available is tubal ligation. While it’s not a perfect option, neither are spay or leaving intact, it does present a third option. If there’s a vet doing the procedure in your area at least. The benefits seem to be that it’s a much more minimally invasive surgery that leaves hormone outputs at a more natural level, since all organs are kept intact, but pregnancies are no longer possible. The downsides are that the odds of getting cancer are not changed, the chance for pyometra is still there, and you still have to deal with a female in heat twice (or more) a year.

In the end I think it’s a tough decision with pros and cons on both sides of the coin. None of the options are perfect but each has it’s own high points that may be better for different dogs and owners.

Having said that, I like to think about if the tables were reversed. If for some reason I was owned by my dogs, I would like to think that they wouldn't rip out my internal organs because it made life a bit more convenient for them and I feel a bit ashamed that I made the decision, for prior dogs, without all of the information that I have now.

Hope some of this might help. To those with more knowledge and experience than myself, please correct me if any of the above is wrong, I’m still trying to learn about a lot of this.

[LyonsFamily]

You can go with a uterus only spay. That would be my choice if I ever spayed a female again. Every female I've spayed has gained weight and had a coat change for the worse. Removing just the uterus leaves the ovaries and hormones in place, yet prevents pyo. My friend had it done to her female malinois last year and couldn't be happier with the results. They still hormonally have a "heat," but there's no blood spotting and no reproducing.

[Skidgee]

Thank you all for your comments! I will request that my Vet only remove the uterus and leave Shady's ovaries. I like the idea of tubal ligation but will need to find out if there is a vet that does that around here!

Hugs and Thanks

Marie

[LyonsFamily]

Not all vets will do alternative spays. If you are on facebook, there's a great group about it. My friend, Emily, with the malinois I mentioned earlier is an admin. They also talk about vasectomies which might be a good option for your male. https://www.facebook.com/groups/457912764294115/ Emily is a great wealth of info. I met her through malinois rescue. She's a trainer and competes in obedience and is working her malinois in PSA now.

[Skidgee]

Thanks

Marie