Owners of unaltered pets.....How do you prevent pregnancy?

Question

I am shocked by the number of people in this section who own unaltered dogs, and do nothing to prevent pregnancy. My dogs are all altered, but I know some people own intact animals and sucessfully prevent unwanted litters. What do you do to keep your intact animals from breeding?

Answer 1

Those of us that show dogs have to deal with this problem constantly. Show dogs cannot be altered. I have owned intact females for years and never had an accidental breeding. If you choose to own a female and keep her intact, it is vital that you be aware of when she is expected to come in season and that you protect her when she is in season. It all comes down to careful management.

My dogs are all house dogs so I am able to keep a close eye on their status. My dogs all have their own crate in the house and their playtime outside, when in season, is heavily supervised. Since males can and will go over/under/through any fence to get at a female in heat, I am always observing to make sure that no neighborhood dogs gain access to my girls. Females in season spend more time in the house and to combat the dripping, I purchase panties in an appropriate size, cut a hole for the tail and use panty liners. My girls take to wearing their pants without a problem. I have heard that some commercially sold panties for this purpose will prevent a male from breeding a female, but I wouldn't trust it. Nothing beats good supervision and crating when you cannot observe them.

Answer 2

Well since females can only get pregnant when in heat, keep your eye on her if she's around males for those few days every six months. It's really not hard. As a Yorkshire Terrier Breeder, I've owned lots of dogs, and still do. I have never had one single dog spayed or neutered, and have never had any unwanted pregnancies or diseases. It's all hype. If you take care of your dog, they'll be fine. There's more things that can go wrong with an altered animal than an intact one, and many of those things are more likely to happen if the animal is altered. Irresponsible dog owners are one thing, but fixing your dog isn't the answer. Giving your teenage daughter a hysterectomy to prevent prgnancy just because you're not a good parent and let her take boys into her room is not acceptable, nor is fixing your dog without a better reason.

Answer 3

I don't have intact dogs in my home, but I did have a female, many years ago, that was intact until the age of 3. I didn't have a fenced yard, but was vigilent about keeping her under a very watchful eye when she was in season. I never had a problem and always had the situation under my full control. The funny thing is that it really wasn't all that difficult to prevent an unwanted mating. That's why I get so frustrated when some come on here saying "I think my dog is pregnant" because I know it wasn't that difficult to prevent and they really are showing me, with a comment like that, that they are some of the most irresponsible owners ever.

Answer 4

I have only owned one unaltered dog in my adult life. She had too many medical problems and at her age the vet did not suggest it. Since all of my other dogs are fixed, it was not a problem inside the house. However, when I took her for walks, she was always on a leash. I never left her unattended outside. We also avoided the dog parks. I am not sure how others can do it with multiple unaltered animals. Good question!

Answer 5

Actually it can be quite a job, depending on how the rooms of your home and the surrounding land is set up.
I have to say that from my own experiences, it's a lot of hard work to keep an intact male and a ***** in season apart. Not to mention the fact that the male goes totally berserk, and is not quite himself for a few days. It's much easier to house-break a new puppy. I find it amazing that so many people actually have a difficult time with that. Try living with intact dogs when mating season comes around! Oye!

Answer 6

I'm not the typical pet owner, so my answer may not be what you're looking for, but I've managed to keep a kennel of 20+ dogs for years without unwanted litters, so...

My girls tend to go into season together -- they get kennelled together at the end of the "dorm". They run together, while the intact boys stay in their kennels. Yes, the boys scream, and they dig (they eventually hit the chain link under the gravel in the kennel, and have to stop) and they chew on the fence, and they would climb or use the dog houses to vault out of the kennels if they could (chain link roofs). But they stay put.

The girls may get less time out in the yard, especially if I can't keep an eye on them.

Back "in the day", when I didn't have a kennel setup, intact girls went outside only on a leash with me during their heat cycles. They were never outside the house without me. Doesn't seem very difficult...but apparently it is.

Answer 7

One could do well to take a hint from the way the hounds are kept at the kennels of most of the major foxhunts in this country. Males and females are housed separately at most hunt kennels to prevent indiscriminate breeding, because prized hunting hounds are never altered unless they have a disease which makes them unsuitable for breeding. Likewise, males and females ( who are called doghounds and b*tches in the hunting field) are hunted only with members of their own gender. The same thing happens with the beagle packs- these animals are trained to hunt rabbits and small game, and they are treated exactly the same way.

I hope this answers your question.

Answer 8

Hey Rachel, Good question!

We are slowly getting our crew fixed, but let me tell you what we do. I have 3 male and 2 female labs. Out of the three males, 2 are neutered. Which leaves pregnancy prevention to us.

Heres what we do...

First of all, I know each of my b*i*t*c*h*e*s heat cycles and every intricate little detail that tells me that they are starting, including what our male(s) do. Yes even the neutered ones understand what's going on.

THen from that moment on, I keep them seperated, and by seperated, I mean the baby gate is up and the females are on one side and the males are on the other, never unsupervised. They go outside seperately too, and if it is nice out, they go into the kennel for a couple of hours of play, but I keep the kennel seperated with the fence that is between them locked. They are never unsupervised, even when they are seperated, and I am a big believer in crates, it is the way to keep them safe and out of trouble when I have to be away from home for a while and can't take them with me.

It really isn't terribly hard, you just need to know your dog, never leave them unsupervised, and keep 'em spereated.

Once again Rachel, great question!

Answer 9

My neighbors gate their rat terrier female into the laundry room when she's in heat--they have an un neutered min pin. They would make some cute puppies, but I am glad they haven't yet.

All my pets are fixed with the exception of a miniture cat. I am making an appt for him presently

Answer 10

I am so glad you choose to alter your dogs! You have helped the population of unwanted pets. Thank you!

The best answer is to keep them away from other dogs. Even neutered males get in fights over female dogs in heat (When dogs are ready to breed, usually 4 or more days ,like just before you have your period, if you didn't know.)

Altering your dog doesn't change your dogs personality. If at all, they will be nicer and more laid back. Plus they don't eat as much. It lowers your dog's risk of breast cancer, and lots of other diseases and conditions.

The best thing for your furry friend?
Alter them!