Desexing Females

[poodlefan]

Personally, I don't understand why anyone would use a desexed female for performance/sport in the first place.

How about just for pure and simple enjoyment of the dog and the teamwork. Not every dog sports person is or has aspirations to be a breeder. Not every top performance bitch is purebred or comes from a "working" breed either.

Besides seasons are bloody inconvenient if you're seriously campaigning a dog - bitches have no sense of timing. Unlike the show ring, an in season bitch cannot compete in dog sports.

Edited May 27, 2010 by poodlefan

[pie]

(The agility clubs I go to are careful about not jumping full height or doing full height obstacles or weavers with dogs under 12 months)

You can't even commence training at our club unless your dog is 14 month old and has passed a basic soundness check.

At my main club we have a puppy class with very low equipment and wobble boards etc.

I like the soundness check idea though.

[BJean]

find it quite disturbing that we remove their hormones so young (while understanding why we do it)

Puppies 8-12 weeks bounce back quicker after being desexed than a older 18 month old. You pick the pup up from the vet early afternoon, by dinner time you wouldn't even know that they were desexed, you just need to contain them to a crate so they don't rip their stitches out... Puppies generally don't need pain killers where the older ones do.

If you were going to get the dog desexed as it was a pet and wasn't going to be bred from why would you wait for them to have a season or 2 prior to this happening, can someone explain this please?

What nickojoy has told you is the exact truth. I can guarantee it as I have seen the same results.

It appears as though some people are concerned about growth plates etc, (rightly so) but I believe that young dogs should not have this type of exertion

placed upon them.

I am not interested in how quick the pup 'bounces back', but rather the pup's long term health.

One of the first treatments for incontinence in bitches is estrogen.

Until it is known exactly how hormones impact the growth, immune system and mental development of a dog, I will not early desex, or desex before the first season.

[Diva]

I have just realised that nobody has said what happens when a bitch comes in season.

I have always been told that once a bitch comes in season, that's the end of it, no more growth will take place.

I'm not at all sure that's true, at least as far as growth plate closure goes. Do you have a reference?

Edited May 27, 2010 by Diva

[pie]

Personally, I don't understand why anyone would use a desexed female for performance/sport in the first place.

How about just for pure and simple enjoyment of the dog and the teamwork. Not every dog sports person is or has aspirations to be a breeder.

Besides seasons are bloody inconvenient if you're seriously campaigning a dog - bitches have no sense of timing.

Exactly! I do agility as a hobby for me and my dog, not for some dog sports breeding program.

[BJean]

I have just realised that nobody has said what happens when a bitch comes in season.

I have always been told that once a bitch comes in season, that's the end of it, no more growth will take place.

A hormone is released into the system and no more growth occurs.I suppose that's why you hear so may of us breeders saying I wish she would come in season, as the bitch is deciding to have another growth spurt.

So that's it, once your bitch is in season that's the end of growth and only maturity takes place.

This is false.

(If the above was true, how does it account for growth in pups that are desexed early )

Bitches continue to grow in height and breadth well beyond their first season.

[OSoSwift]

My Dobe was desexed as soon as she finished showing as her season were long, she was a moody cow and had phantoms of up to 15 weeks. I just didn't bother training her when she was like that.

Once she was desexed we could train every day of the year - brilliant!

My bitch was bought for Obedience and showing ( the showing definately was second on the agenda though) not for breeding. As soon as her showing days were finished 'snip, snip"

[W Sibs]

Personally, I don't understand why anyone would use a desexed female for performance/sport in the first place. A sporting female IMHO should be trained in work/sport as a proofing foundation that the line is work/sport capable and then used for the breeding of a proven and titled bitch. To concentrate on the training of a desexed performance/sporting/working dog is a real shame in the sense that if the dog turns out well, it cannot be reproduced or contribute to improved gene pools.

Because it would be fun thing to do for an average dog owner to do with their dog... also it's a great way to bond with the dog. It's a different way to exercising the dog and it will keep their mind alert.

Some people simply have no interesting in breeding, whatsoever. I know I'm not.

[Tassie]

Personally, I don't understand why anyone would use a desexed female for performance/sport in the first place.

How about just for pure and simple enjoyment of the dog and the teamwork. Not every dog sports person is or has aspirations to be a breeder. Not every top performance bitch is purebred or comes from a "working" breed either.

Besides seasons are bloody inconvenient if you're seriously campaigning a dog - bitches have no sense of timing. Unlike the show ring, an in season bitch cannot compete in dog sports.

poodlefan - on both counts

[oakway]

I have just realised that nobody has said what happens when a bitch comes in season.

I have always been told that once a bitch comes in season, that's the end of it, no more growth will take place.

A hormone is released into the system and no more growth occurs.I suppose that's why you hear so may of us breeders saying I wish she would come in season, as the bitch is deciding to have another growth spurt.

So that's it, once your bitch is in season that's the end of growth and only maturity takes place.

This is false.

(If the above was true, how does it account for growth in pups that are desexed early )

Bitches continue to grow in height and breadth well beyond their first season.

Mybe a vet might like to come in and explain what happens then.

[OSoSwift]

Personally, I don't understand why anyone would use a desexed female for performance/sport in the first place. A sporting female IMHO should be trained in work/sport as a proofing foundation that the line is work/sport capable and then used for the breeding of a proven and titled bitch. To concentrate on the training of a desexed performance/sporting/working dog is a real shame in the sense that if the dog turns out well, it cannot be reproduced or contribute to improved gene pools.

Because my dog was bought for herself, not a breeding machine to pump out puppies, or recover her "cost" - as so many people do.

I bought her for her and the things we could do togther. If she was good at what she did and people wanted one like her, then I suggest they try to get one from the same lines, or the same bitch or dog as my bitch. YOu are more like to get the same from a repeat mating than from one of her babies. Many mnay people are not into breeding, or have the time and resources to breed.

[pie]

My Dobe was desexed as soon as she finished showing as her season were long, she was a moody cow and had phantoms of up to 15 weeks. I just didn't bother training her when she was like that.

Once she was desexed we could train every day of the year - brilliant!

Ahhhh can't wait for that!!

[oakway]

Personally, I don't understand why anyone would use a desexed female for performance/sport in the first place. A sporting female IMHO should be trained in work/sport as a proofing foundation that the line is work/sport capable and then used for the breeding of a proven and titled bitch. To concentrate on the training of a desexed performance/sporting/working dog is a real shame in the sense that if the dog turns out well, it cannot be reproduced or contribute to improved gene pools.

Because there is no guarantee that that the bitch will re produce herself anyway.

If it was a guarantee, all our best bitch would be our best producers.

[oakway]

I am off Topic totally,

I am off to chop wood for the last time.

Reverse cycle air conditioning after tomorrow.

[ridgiemum]

I have a female ridgeback (pet) desexed at 6 months & I had a previous ridgeback female (also desexed at 6 months - a pet too) & have had no problems. Both are about the same height (pretty normal compared to their litter mates).

[Serket]

I have just realised that nobody has said what happens when a bitch comes in season.

I have always been told that once a bitch comes in season, that's the end of it, no more growth will take place.

A hormone is released into the system and no more growth occurs.

I suppose that's why you hear so may of us breeders saying I wish she would come in season, as the bitch is deciding to have another growth spurt.

So that's it, once your bitch is in season that's the end of growth and only maturity takes place.

My bitch has certainly grown between 6 and 11 months!

Even now that she has reached what appears to be her final height, she's not finished growing in terms of growth plates, so even at her 2nd season she's not done.

[Wazzat Xolo]

Personally, I don't understand why anyone would use a desexed female for performance/sport in the first place. A sporting female IMHO should be trained in work/sport as a proofing foundation that the line is work/sport capable and then used for the breeding of a proven and titled bitch. To concentrate on the training of a desexed performance/sporting/working dog is a real shame in the sense that if the dog turns out well, it cannot be reproduced or contribute to improved gene pools.

Because my dog was bought for herself, not a breeding machine to pump out puppies, or recover her "cost" - as so many people do.

I bought her for her and the things we could do togther. If she was good at what she did and people wanted one like her, then I suggest they try to get one from the same lines, or the same bitch or dog as my bitch. YOu are more like to get the same from a repeat mating than from one of her babies. Many mnay people are not into breeding, or have the time and resources to breed.

Ooh Ohh tell me where I can get a dog that will recover its cost! I bet anyone on DOL has never recvered their cost! lol

Dogs are a never ending hand in pocket expense! lol

Well mine always have been! ;)

[TerraNik]

Besides seasons are bloody inconvenient if you're seriously campaigning a dog - bitches have no sense of timing. Unlike the show ring, an in season bitch cannot compete in dog sports.

Yep.. you're so right there!

[Wazzat Xolo]

Besides seasons are bloody inconvenient if you're seriously campaigning a dog - bitches have no sense of timing. Unlike the show ring, an in season bitch cannot compete in dog sports.

Yep.. you're so right there!

Can someone tell me why a bitch can compete in the showring when its in season? I would have thought this was unfair to fellow competers?

[RallyValley]

Because they don't vet the dogs before people go into the ring so they just do it.