What's Fine and Dandy's take on spay and neuter?
If you get to the point of filling out an application for one of our pups, don't be surprised to encounter our policy that all our dogs must be spayed or neutered. Since all our girls have the merle gene, we do not support taking their pups and breeding them. There's a lot to know when breeding a merle, bi, or tri in the shepherd family. Base knowledge of genetics is needed to breed these dogs successfully, and to do so without that expertise could result in multiple health complications in any puppies. Therefore, we require you to sign a contract saying you will have your Fine and Dandy pup spayed or neutered at a safe time as determined by you and your vet.
The typical "spay" is what's called an ovariohysterectomy, or surgical sterilization. The ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus are removed from the female, which means she can't reproduce, she doesn't have a heat cycle, and her breeding instinct-related behavior goes away.
The typical "neuter" is called an orchiectomy, in which the male's testes are removed. This means he can't produce, his breeding behaviors are mitigated, and some health risks could be reduced.
Spaying or neutering early, no questions asked, is what's commonly pushed today. And that is fine more often than not, but this is something we should approach with more consideration than we typically do. Spaying or neutering at a younger age works out fine for most, but there are some unforeseen side effects of doing so before your dog is full-grown that aren't often talked about, like:
Increased risk of bone cancer
Increased risk of hip dysplasia
Increased risk of UTIs and prostate cancer
The bottom line is, you will be contractually obligated to spay or neuter your Fine and Dandy Aussiedoodle at some point after taking them home, so keeping them unaltered is not an option. Still, as for the time you'll do it, it's best to consult your veterinarian. There are pros and cons all around. Once you have your puppy, take him or her to your vet and make an informed decision.
