Golden Retriever Puppies
To Spay or Not to Spay?

People often ask me whether they should spay (or neuter) their Golden Retriever puppies. To all those not actively wanting to breed their Golden Retrievers, my emphatic answer is Yes--Spay (or Neuter)! It is not cruel to your pet to do so -- in fact, it is just the opposite. There are so many reasons why, but I will list just a few below:

• 1. First of all, it cannot be over-emphasized how important it is to control the pet population. Too many of our faithful companions undergo horrible fates -- and that does not have to be so. All too often, people carelessly do not sterilize their Golden Retriever puppies and then do not have the desire or ability to deal with the consequences. This is all at a very high cost to our dear Goldens. Please don't let this happen!
• 2. Many dogs are unsuitable for breeding. Breeding such dogs result in passing on undesirable genetic traits to their offspring! This results in more problems in our beloved Golden Retriever breed.
• 3. Aggression and marking may be reduced in male dogs due to neutering. The risk of some medical diseases in dogs can also be reduced by this procedure.
• 4. Failing to spay or neuter your Golden Retriever puppies means that you may be responsible for a litter in the near future. They may look darn cute, but whelping and raising 10 of those darlings from bith is a lot harder than one would imagine. Breeding dogs comes with a lot more responsibility and hard work than most people realize.

When to get your puppy sterilized is a matter of some controversy. Some suggest doing this early, at around 5-9 months. They argue that this prevents certain diseases (such as breast and uterine cancers in females), and reduces aggression and marking (in males). Also, in females you do not have to manage a heat cycle These can be fairly messy, as well as dramatic -- with every male dog in the neighborhood in hot pursuit!

Others argue that for proper development of the dog, they should have surgery only after their first heat or at least after 1 year (for males). They feel this is better developmentally ( appearance and maturity) for the dogs.

The one definite right answer is that dogs that are not to be bred should be sterilized. As usual, consult with your vet and make an informed decision regarding the timing of the procedure.

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