As we specialise in group dog walks with both male and female dogs, un-neutered dogs can cause an issue.  If you decide to keep your dog entire, do consider the implications it can have on group walks if you are using a group dog walking company.​

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Male dogs

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Every dog is different so it would be unfair of us to suggest that all un-neutered dogs act the same way. This is why we use a "Stages System".

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Deciding when to neuter your male dog can often seem like a bit of a minefield, especially when there are so many contradicting views and so much information available about the subject online. Here at TLC Dog Walking, our summary on the matter is fairly simple- it all depends on the individual dog.

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The Blue Cross have some excellent information on what is involved in neutering

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While it is music to our ears when we hear a dog has been neutered, we don’t have a blanket policy for dogs to be neutered by a certain age, as it just doesn’t make sense. The best time to neuter depends on a whole multitude of things and as such, we will always make recommendations and decisions based only on that individual dog, the behaviour they are demonstrating, and what we think is best for them.

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To give a starting point, unless you have a large breed dog, many puppies will be fine to be neutered from 7-8 months old and this is when many choose to book their dogs in with the vets (It’s not generally recommended to neuter any younger than 6 months).  Research has shown that it is recommended waiting until they have full skeletal growth.  So the larger the breed, the longer this will take.

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As the testosterone levels in male dogs starts to rise, we generally start to see a change in behaviour as their true personality gets swamped by hormones. This starts to show itself by dogs humping, guarding, becoming fixated on other dogs, becoming stressed and vocal and ultimately becoming ‘spikey’ and aggressive with other dogs. None of this is suited to a harmonious social environment such as our group walks, and importantly- none of this is nice for that dog either.

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This change in behaviour almost always happens when out with us first, as this is the place where they are around other dogs that they feel most comfortable and settled. Often, we will let owners know and it will come as a surprise because they haven’t seen it themselves in the local park or with their friends’ dogs etc. This is totally normal, but does sometimes make it difficult to explain to owners that the problem is on the horizon and now is the time to act before it gets worse and spills into those lovely neighbourhood walks.

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At TLC Dog Walking, we are determined to provide the safest, friendliest and most sociable environment for all our dogs to be in. As such, we welcome unneutered dogs under the following conditions:

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• they are not excessively humping

• they are not displaying dominant behaviour

• they are not causing dominant behaviours from other dogs due to their intact status

• they are not creating an unsafe play environment

• their presence is not reducing the overall peacefulness of the group​

 

All dogs are constantly monitored when they are out with us, but as male dogs reach 7-8 months of age, we keep an extra careful eye on them to watch out for the behaviours listed above. If/ when these do start to show, we’ll let you know through the following stages:

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• Stage 1: Their behaviour is naturally starting to shift and we are starting to see infrequent examples of the list above during their time with us. Now is the time to start thinking about neutering- if your small breed pup is over 7 months, your medium breed pup is over 10 months, your large breed pup is over 14 months or your giant breed pup is over 18 months, we would recommend to get them booked in for neutering.

• Stage 2: Their behaviour has progressed and we are now seeing these issues more frequently and it is preventing them from fully enjoying and flourishing when out with us- but is still manageable in the short term. Once a dog reaches this stage, they need to be booked in for neutering as soon as possible to be able to continue coming out with TLC Dog Walking.  Unfortunately some larger breeds get to this point before they are at their fully grown mark.

• Stage 3: The issues we have been seeing are now consistent and their behaviour is now disruptive and poses a risk to other dogs or their walkers. They are no longer able to safely go on a social group walk. If they don’t get neutered, we unfortunately can no longer offer them a place on a TLC Dog Walking walk.  We would recommend using a dog walker that offers solo dog walking.

 

It’s important to keep in mind that behaviour changes can progress quickly and dogs can go from stage 1 to stage 3 in a very short space of time. Stage 1 is always the most sensible time to take action to make sure that negative hormonal behaviour traits don’t become learned behaviour- something that will cause a bigger and longer-term problem for your dog as it is less likely to change even after neutering.

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Remember that when speaking to your vet about neutering, it’s really important to explain to them that they regularly have group walks with their dog walker and that they are displaying these behaviours, and that the advice to neuter is based on this rather than a blanket policy, or one based on age.

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If you have reservations about neutering your dog, please speak to us about them and we can offer advice and our opinion based on the care we have provided to social dogs over a 16 year period. Whist the vast majority of owners choose to surgically neuter their dogs, if you want to test the water beforehand to see what effects it has- chemically neutering is a great alternative (We have seen a few dogs have this and their behaviour has improved tremendously). This is an implant that lasts either 6 months or a year that provides the same result as surgically neutering your dog, but means that it can be left to expire if it doesn’t have the desired effect on behaviour within social environments. If you do go for the chemical option, you must make sure that you keep up with this each time they come to expire, or have them fully neutered in place of the implant, for your dog to be able to keep coming out with TLC Dog Walking.

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Bitches in season.

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With female dogs, the general recommendation from vets is to have your pup spayed after a year old, either before they come into season, or after their first season- whichever you personally prefer. Un-spayed female dogs are very welcome at TLC Dog Walking, apart from when they are in season. During this time, they need to be kept out of group play to prevent any unwanted pregnancies and also to prevent the boys going wild! If you choose not to spay your female dog, this is absolutely fine- you’ll just need to factor in that they may not be able to be walked by us during each season and these days will need to be cancelled as soon as possible. A season will usually last 2-4 weeks from start to finish.  If we turn up and find your girl is in season, unless she is under 12 months old, the dog walker will take her out to relieve herself and return her to her home.  The full walk payment will still be payable.  If we do have time and space, we will put them on a solo walk of the same cost, however, there is not always space, and if there is, it is often on the off peak times.

While it is music to our ears when we hear a dog has been spayed, we don’t have a blanket policy for dogs to be neutered by a certain age, as it just doesn’t make sense. The best time to spay depends on a whole multitude of things and as such, we will always make recommendations and decisions based only on that individual dog, the behaviour they are demonstrating, and what we think is best for them.

 

Many females get agitated when they come into season and are not their usual happy self.  Other dogs, both male and female become interested in them, and this can be upsetting for all the dogs.  For this reason, we try to avoid walking any bitch in season with any other dog and it is generally at either side of the peak dog walking period to avoid as many dogs as possible.

 

We ask clients to give us as much notice as possible if they find their bitch is in heat as it can totally change our walks for the day and make us late for other dogs when we turn up to a bitch in season.

 

We keep all bitches in season on a lead.

 

Although we take great care over all our dogs, males do make a beeline for any bitch in season.  For this reason, we do recommend that all bitches are spayed as soon as possible.  We accept no responsibility for any bitch getting pregnant while out with us. 

 

When do bitches come into season?

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This can vary as to the size and breed.  It is general to say that un-neutered females come into season every six months. However, small breeds can cycle three times a year and the very large breeds may only cycle every 12-18 months.

When a young bitch comes into season for the first time it can often be a 'silent' season. This basically means it may not be obvious at all and may not be evident that she is even bleeding. It can sometimes take over a year for a bitch to develop a regular cycle. Looking after an entire bitch in season is more involved than caring for a neutered bitch.

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How do I know when my bitch is in season?

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The season begins with the first signs of a discharge from the vulva which will be blood tinged. The vulva will be swollen and she will be spending more time licking this area to keep it clean.  It will remain swollen until the end of her season.

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A bitch in heat is going through the oestrus cycle and when she is in this phase she will be extremely attractive to male dogs and will give off scents, including pheromones in her urine. Her season will last around three weeks on average and she will be able to conceive during this time. The most fertile time of the three weeks is around days ten to fifteen.

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The bitch will be attractive to male dogs from the beginning of her season but she may not allow mounting until a week to ten days into the cycle.

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Are there any behavioural changes?

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There may be slight mood changes that the owner picks up on with the bitch becoming needy or grumpy and out of sorts.

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These types of behavioural changes are also seen in pseudo- pregnancies (false pregnancy). A pseudo -pregnancy may occur regardless as to whether the bitch was mated. They tend to happen four to nine weeks after the end of a season. The bitch will display nesting behaviour and will often carry her toys around as if they were puppies, putting them in her bed.

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For the bitch and owner alike, it can be a stressful time as the bitch will also be producing milk. A false pregnancy will generally resolve on its own after two to three weeks. However, when a bitch has suffered with this condition once it is likely it will happen again, so neutering is recommended.

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Should she have a litter before she is neutered?

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There is no benefit to the bitch at all to make her go through a pregnancy.  There are plenty of unwanted dogs in rescue centres without adding to them!  Breeding should only be done by experienced breeders with dogs that are best of breed, top nature, perfect health, have all the breed appropriate health tests and the lineage is known to ensure the strength and nature of the breed.  Many bitched require an emergency caesarean.

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A bitch is usually spayed from six months old. If she has had a season, she would be spayed three months from the end of her season. This is safer for the operation as all the blood vessels to the reproductive organs will have shrunk back down to their normal size reducing the risk of haemorrhage during surgery.

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If there is no intention to breed then spaying is part of being a responsible pet owner.  A bitch in season is not a happy dog.  Having a pregnant bitch that is about to have puppies is hard work.  If you have puppies, you have high risks for the female, and what would you do if you rehomed all the dogs, then at a year, some of the owners wanted you to take them back with behavioural issues?

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Out and about with a bitch in season

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When walking a bitch in season it is best to do it when no other male dogs are around, or it could become a challenge for both sets of owners. Keeping her on the lead always is essential; it is not worth the risk. If the bitch is accidentally mated by a dog DO NOT try and separate them. If the dog has tied with her, you will injure both the dog and bitch.

The bitch should seek veterinary attention for a course of mis-mating injections to halt the development of the pregnancy.  Bitches can have a personality change when in season and may be grumpy and most other dogs, male and female will have an extra interest in her, so we find it is best not to walk with any other dogs at all.

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Age restrictions on breeding

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A bitch will not go through the menopause as she gets older, so if she is pregnant at seven years old it would be the equivalent of a fifty-year old woman falling pregnant and it would be a risky pregnancy for the bitch.