Bitches in heat, to neuter or not?

[shonajoy]

Indie is nearly five months old, and I've been debating whether or not to neuter him with my husband(husband is already neutered *giggle*). I've read all the threads here about it, and am not convinced that it's a good thing for us, he behaves well(ish) and so far hasn't mounted anyone! I'm also concerned about his coat changing too. I don't have a complelling reason either way yet, so as a result I'm leaning towards not neutering.

 Anyway, we'll consider it further, but the question I was wanting to ask was, is it common practice to keep bitches in, when they are in heat? This is my worry if we are in the park and he takes off after one! Also, in case of an unexpected pregnancy, which I want to avoid at all costs.                    

[Gilly]

I think most sensible people will either walk their dog on a quieter route or keep their bitch in the confines of the garden for the whole season ( the latter being my preference  :wink: )
I had an entire dog for 15 years and had absolutely no problem with him at all. I suppose it is your own personal preference But i think most people tend to leave dogs entire nowadays unless there is some other underlying reason not to  
Other members who own dogs will be able to advise you better  :wink:

Gilly                    

[PennyB]

I think most sensible people will either walk their dog on a quieter route or keep their bitch in the confines of the garden for the whole season ( the latter being my preference  :wink: )
I had an entire dog for 15 years and had absolutely no problem with him at all. I suppose it is your own personal preference But i think most people tend to leave dogs entire nowadays unless there is some other underlying reason not to    
Other members who own dogs will be able to advise you better  :wink:  

Gilly

Sadly though not everyone is sensible which is why we get so many unwanted puppies. Some dogs will travel very far after a bitch on heat—Ruby was right at the end of her season (finished bleeding) and a couple of dogs were a real pain sitting on my doorstep, and they didn't even live near me (one kept coming back even after her season becuase the smell obviously lingered).                    

[Dessie]

Speaking as an owner of three entire dogs I don't have any problems with mine chasing girls in season quite the opposite Sebastian is a pain if there is a neutred male around  :wink:   I have only come across three bitches in season during my walks, if needed I've just put my boys back on their leads.  I must say that anybody that free runs an in season bitch around when I'm out with my boys does got told that she should be on a lead or kept at home.                    

[PennyB]

I live not far from an estate where some owners couldn't care less if their dogs were in heat or not so it is an issue where I live.                    

[Jane S]

We always had entire male dogs when I was growing up & none of them ever mated a bitch accidentally - those were the days when you saw more "latchkey" dogs & bitches then you do today. We now have a stud dog who is perfectly safe off the lead - he does not wander and will come when he's called (in fact he's more responsive than most of the girls ) It is up to you whether you have Indie neutered Shona - there are pros & cons either way and obviously it may depend on where you live to some extent too (as in Penny's case).                    

[padfoot]

I don't really have a choice with Toby considering Millie is entire. I didn't want to put her through the op to then cope with a pup arriving while she was recovering so Toby is booked in for Thurdsay. Millie finished a season about a month ago so I knew it would be safe in the short term and Toby doesn't appear sexually mature yet, but we've kept them seperate when we've been out or at bedtime just to be extra-safe. He isn't showing any signs of sexual behaviour at all, not sure if that's normal for seven months?
I think we will get Millie spayed too over the coming months, it seems the most hassle-free approach. Her seasons are very regular so we might get it done in a couple of months as the vet said about half way in between seasons was the best time to spay.
Sshhh don't tell Toby about Thursday though  
Kelly x                    

[shonajoy]

We always had entire male dogs when I was growing up & none of them ever mated a bitch accidentally - those were the days when you saw more \"latchkey\" dogs & bitches then you do today. We now have a stud dog who is perfectly safe off the lead - he does not wander and will come when he's called (in fact he's more responsive than most of the girls ) It is up to you whether you have Indie neutered Shona - there are pros & cons either way and obviously it may depend on where you live to some extent too (as in Penny's case).

Jane, we live in a very suburban area - bungalows everywhere. We have been here 5 years and I've never seen a dog roaming free, well once I did but I knew the dog and took him home, he'd escaped.

I'm thinking no at the moment, after all your replies. Everyone here knows each other too, and the other day I got a phone call from another spaniel owner in the area - she knew one of my friends, and heard I'd got one! So, everyone seems to know each other well. I'll speak with her and ask about what she did.
Thanks

Shona                    

[Mike]

It's an interesting question. I've got two entire bitches who are both confined to my house and garden while in season - thats my personal choice, but I have no problem with other people who continue to take theirs out while in season if they do so responsibily. I'm just wondering though - if someone does take their bitch out who is then accidentally mated as a result, even though it 'should' be entirely the responsibility of the owner of the bitch (generally, though I guess it would depend on individual circumstances), would they have any form of legal right to claim (financially) against the dog involved? It wouldnt surprise me to hear the answer is yes...  :?                    

[shonajoy]

It's an interesting question. I've got two entire bitches who are both confined to my house and garden while in season - thats my personal choice, but I have no problem with other people who continue to take theirs out while in season if they do so responsibily. I'm just wondering though - if someone does take their bitch out who is then accidentally mated as a result, even though it 'should' be entirely the responsibility of the owner of the bitch (generally, though I guess it would depend on individual circumstances), would they have any form of legal right to claim (financially) against the dog involved? It wouldnt surprise me to hear the answer is yes...  :?

Yes I'd like to know the answer to that too. If though, the bitch were in a public place when mating happened, it would be more 50/50 split? I don't know. Either way, for a pregnancy to happen, both participants have to be un neutered, meaning 50/50 responsibility I would have thought.
I don't know. Obviously if Indie escaped and impregnanted a bitch in her home/garden, then that would be a different matter.

Shona                    

[*Jay*]

Well, if Dallas caught a bitch, I would be more than happy to pay for the injections required as i want to play no part in bringing unwanted puppies into the world......even though I would blame the bitches owner entirely. Its all very well saying yes, I'll walk my bitch when shes in season but its not very fair on entire dogs. I don't think all the training in the world will overcome their hormones so the only option would be to keep him on lead at all times which in my opinion isn't very practical.                    

[Jane S]

The chances of a male pet Cocker with no experience of the opposite sex meeting up with a bitch in season & immediately mating her before either owner is able to separate them are very, very low (although not impossible of course!) Experienced stud dogs can mate bitches quickly but novice Cocker boys very often do not have a clue what they are doing & can need more than a little guidance :wink: So if you take the theoretical scenario of a bitch in season wandering off the lead in the local park encountering a pet Cocker dog who has never seen a bitch in season before, firstly the dog would have to be a fantastically quick learner to do anything about the opportunity before his owner puts him back on the lead & secondly the bitch would have to be just at the right point of her season for puppies to result. Even experienced breeders have problems getting dogs to mate bitches sometimes not to mention getting bitches in whelp  - it aint always that easy