YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community - Thought that you might enjoy this.

I received this, this morning I just wanted to share it with all of you.

One way of being a good and responsible Yorkie owner is to consider spaying or
neutering your pet.

There seems to be many doggie owners out there wondering whether they should
spaying or neuter their dog or not.

This is a very important question which needs to be addressed by all owners.

I have put some FREE useful information together for you to take a look at.

This way you will have the facts at hand if you are considering this or simply
are interested in knowing a bit about spaying or neutering.

Why spay: There are several good reasons to spay your female doggie. Here they
are:

For the sake of your Doggie’s health: If left un-spayed, she may well develop
mammary gland cancer, but if you spay her before she goes into heat the first
time at age five or six months, she stands a much lower chance of developing
breast tumors.

Uterine cancer minimized: She also has a vastly reduced chance of developing
uterine cancer or pyometra, in which the uterine area is vastly inflamed. It is
a
common occurrence among older, unsprayed females and is often fatal.

No heat cycles: Female dogs tend to be better pets if they lose the ability of
experiencing estrus (heat cycles) every six-to-nine months. Since heat cycles
result in hormonal changes leading to personality changes, your female can
become
aggressive.

Pregnancies leading to overpopulation: In addition, if your female dog goes into
heat and gets pregnant accidentally, as a pet owner you will be adding to the
vast and uncontrollable pet overpopulation problem.

Why neuter: Neutering your male dog is loaded with benefits. Here they are:

Healthier pets: This eliminates the possibility of your dog developing
testicular
cancer—the second most common form of canine cancer. Male unaltered dogs above
five years of age are known to suffer from enlarged prostates.

Make better pets: Neutered dogs make for better pets.

Well-adjusted to their environment: If unaltered, your male dog could be
difficult to housebreak. But if you do have him neutered, he will also lose the
desire to roam away from home or to fight with other dogs.

He will also cease the familiar habit of winding his legs on to the leg of your
guests and embarrass you.

He may also lose some of the zeal to mark territory by urinating on it, exert
their superiority over the family by biting or humping, etc. He may mark
territory either inside your house or outside.

By neutering him, this habit of marking territory will cease to a fair degree,
though it takes a maximum of 45 days after the surgery for the testosterone to
pass through his body.

They make better housemates: Altered dogs make for better housemates. Neutered
males won’t have the tendency to lift their leg on such objects as couch and
table legs to mark their territory.

In addition, they also won’t "get intimate" with your houseguests legs during a
family dinner, or an evening of socializing with friends.

Basics of spaying/neutering: Vets usually recommend spaying your female dog at
age six or seven months, while males can be neutered when they are about seven
to
10 months old (some experienced vets will do the surgery on pups as young as 10
weeks old).

Will there be a change in your Doggie’s personality or activity level: Since all
doggies are different, there is no one response to this question.

While spaying or neutering does not cause an overall personality change, it does
help reduce your pet’s irritability and moodiness by reducing its hormones as a
result of the surgery.

Dogs, after alteration, often become more affectionate companions too.

So why not pop down to your local vet and have a chat to him/her today and
discuss this important issue further.

If you are an ethical and established breeder, you probably should seriously
consider have all your pet quality puppies spayed or neutered so that the “breed
standard” is maintained and the breed improved.

Well, must go. Hope you found this short article helpful.

All the best with your doggie endeavors..