Spaying=Aggression???

Linds-- what were the extreme changes your female went through after you has her spayed?

Something you could also look into would be a partial spay (hysterectomy instead of an ovariohysterectomy).

Tempie was probably one of the most tolerant dogs in the world. Shortly after her spay at 3 years old, I noticed some changes. She's not flat out dog aggressive. I wouldn't even call her reactive. But she is less tolerant than she was.

And as far as weight gain, I had to cut her portions in half at first. But she did balance out a little later and now eats about 3/4 of what she used to.

Keep in mind your puppy is still young, and between 6months and about 18 months puppies can go through some major personality changes. Some behavior traits can get better on their own, others will get worse.

You'll want to be careful when your dog is at this age to make sure she has a lot of fun experiences with strangers so that her fearfulness does not increase. This is also a good time to work on separation anxiety; dogs this age tend to be more independent, so if your dog has SA now, that could definately get worse as she ages.

So anyway, whether you spay her or not you'll probably see some personality changes. Better to deal with them sooner rather than later!

I held out on Tallulah until she was just shy of two years old. No real personality change, other than maturity, and definitely no weight gain.

I so wish vets would just do a simple tubal or vasectomy. Leave the hormones alone.

I've had 5 females now, 4 spayed and one not. I've not noticed any difference between them at all.

I've been around a lot of dogs over the years, and from my experience dogs are aggressive (to people) for two main reasons (barring health issues):

1. Improper handling/poor socialization/combination of the two
or
2. They were born nuts.

The vast majority of dogs, either altered or unaltered are not dangerous or truly aggressive to people at all. As to the other question of the OP, I can't really say whether I've noticed any behavioral changes in dogs after they were altered, because I might know them for a week or two before FOHA takes them to be altered, and I also know them in a kennel environment, so these aren't really ideal circumstances for gauging behavioral differences.

Daisy was spayed at 6 months, and Benji was neutered fairly soon after we obtained him, and Rocky was already neutered when my mom got him from CL, so I don't even have reference from personal dogs, I'm afraid.

Thank you guys for all of the helpful info! I think I am leaning towards having my pup spayed. I honestly don't want to deal with the bleeding and the possible pregnancy as well as the possible health risks...
I'm trying to make the best possible decision for her welfare but it seems that some people judge you no matter what decision you make

People will judge, it sucks but that's the way it is with these kinds of things I don't think any well thought out, well researched choice (spay at 6 months, wait to de-sex, leave intact, etc.) is wrong. Do what's best FOR YOU (some people seem to forget people have limits and wants, too) and your dog.

Personally, I haven't yet. Spy is 5 years old and I am just thinking about it now But if I had a female I would probably spay earlier, sometime around 12-18 months.

There will always be someone to judge anything you do. Just do what you feel comfortable with, and don't let other people make you feel bad! She's your dog

Any pics of her?

That's very true.....
I've always owned male dogs and always had the neutering operation done without question. Now I see with all of the literature on the Internet that there are risks to that too! Surprised me. A person just take what their vet says as the gods honest truth and doesn't question it. Well now I question EVERYTHING lol!