hi weve got a 6 month old border collie bitch. ahes adorable and a raelly god girl we want to get her spayed. i know they are a high energy dog and that is one thing we love about her we want to get her spayed. i am 5 months pregnant and am struggling a little with her would haveing her spayed calm her down a little. any advice welcone?
hi, at five months its more likely to be youthful exuberence than hormones im afraid. I'd suggest doing regular 5 or 10 minute sessions of training to help keep her brain occupied. xx
I`m pro-spay so thumbs up on that score anyway but as the others have rightly said, the best way to `calm` a BC [ for lack of a better way to put it ], is good consistant brain work
Agree with the rest. Am also pro spaying here as well. Cassie was done before her first season but to be honest it didn't make a lot of difference to her energy levels. We've found we can't tire her out physically but what really wears her out is mental stimulation. That can be anything from altering where we walk her or the route we take to get there. New smells and new sights really do it! Toys that make her think as well such as kongs and treat balls also. 10 minutes training here and there practicing sits/stays/downs etc also do a lot to settle her down. Hope this helps
If you are not going to breed her than you should get her spayed as this will prevent further complications that could come about such as phanthom pregnancies, tumors and such. All though spaying is exalent thing to think about doing(very responsible) it wont do anything to her energy levels. I would proberbly wait till she was slightly older to get her spayed. At my surgery we dont spay or neuter untill they are at least 6 months and sometimes older with the smaller breeds. With meg we play games with her. We will get a treat (usually a really smelly one) and put it under a plastic cup. She then has to work out for hersef how to get it. You could also try doing agility with her?? xxxx
Many surgeries these days do the younger pre-season spay - recovery is much easier on them ;-) She is far too young for agility yet, she needs to be at least 12 months for that - hence brain games being the best thing to try for now ;-)
Now you mention it me and one of my collegees was talking about it earlier and he was saying that his pup who was registered at a different surgery was up and about in no time and that it was actually quicker healing proccess than his other dogs that were done later.;-) [/QUOTE]She is far too young for agility yet, she needs to be at least 12 months for that - hence brain games being the best thing to try for now ;-)[/QUOTE] I thought you could start little things young, like not jumping and that but stepping over things?
Spaying wont calm her down! But it may make her easier for you to keep a eye on when her first season co-incidences with your baby being born!!!!! Though i dont like spaying bitches too early after 18months (my own personal choice) i think in this case it might be a good idea! My bitch nellie was always abit sharp, i had her spayed at around 3 & her temperment improved 100%, (hell i know what im like myself with hormones!!)
Very much so - I had one done at five months and compared to my older girl who was done after a season, [ I was told she was already spayed when I got her - they fibbed ], the difference in recovery was immense - I usually only adopt adults but if I do have another youngster again then she will have pre-season spay, the difference in recovery really was amazing Yes, there are some things which can be started young, like working on directions, poles and planks on the ground, you are right there but they are quite physical still, [ for the handler as well ], and pups mum might not be quite so agile herself at the moment while she`s in whelp - kidding with the terminology by the way, my agility club secretary is pregnant at the moment but I say she is in pup, its just my way
LOL We have been talking about lowering the age to 4 months as they usually have their first season around 6 months so at four months we can deffently catch them before their first season.
There are different schools of thought on it but mine going by what I`ve researched and discussed with vets is that five months is optimum because its pre-season, but also at five months all hormones for adulthood are already in place at around that age, [ contrary to common thought keeping them entire longer makes absolutely no difference to becoming the same adult they would have been if spayed younger ;-) ], but either way it won`t calm a BC pup if course, she says trying to stay on topic for the OP ;-) [ though will protect her from killer diseases of course and would ensure no unplanned litters, gawd knows BCs rescues are swamped enough as it is :-( ], so I`m sticking with whip her in for spay as soon as, and give her mind lots to do then perhaps when she`s old enough give her a try at agility or other fun activity to put all the brainwork from now to even more positive use later on
You could even try what we have done a couple of times. We built a little maze in the garden out of spare bits a wood and bricks and put either her fave toy in the middle or a treat.
Hi, I'd agree with above, do some training with her, that might calm her down. We have recently had our 16mnth collie spayed and there has been no change with her at all
Cassie was spayed at 5 months pre season and she was up and about really quickly. The op really didn't phase her at all. It was all we could do to keep her quiet so she could heal;-)
We had Fudge spayed before her first season. I think if you are 5 months pregnant I would do it asap rather than when little one is around. Training will use up some mental energy, it tires them out far more than any amount of physical activity. Wishing oyu all the best and looking forward to lots of pics.
