dog spaying

[teasmaid1]

Anyone had a labrador who was very energetic and lively and had it spayed? Did it make a difference? We have a 1 1/2 yr old choc lab who is perfect apart from jumping on everything and everyone who enters the house.

[jules77]

All dogs are different, and spaying does not necessarily calm a dog down, and with labradors you run the risk of it gaining excess weight.

A friend of mine has labs and has had a few litters, all much the same, and would jump around like nutters if she allowed them to. If you are giving it lots of exercise and mental stimulation, it will make life easier.

[lankeela]

This is not what spaying is for, and even male castration will not calm down a boisterous dog, they only prevent breeding and in the case of males, some wandering and scent marking
behaviours.

Choc Labs are notorious for being nutty, mainly because very few are ever bred to work, and I believe they have one of the highest percentage of insurance claims per breed.

[amonty1144]

In these circumstances, spaying would not be the answer. You will need to embark on a training programme to get the behaviour you desire. It will be a long road but worth it in the end. the first thing to teach is to sit and wait, for progressively longer periods of time and then you can get the dog to sit when people visit. The dog should only get a fuss when they do what you want. As labs are big heavy dogs, it is in your own interest to train them as they can knock people off their feet.

[ganesh]

Just to sympathise -my flat-coated retreiver is jumpy and boisterous and I excercise her over an hour every day come rain or shine and I have tried to train her but she loves everone and every dog and I can't change her nature. She is very well-behaved and obedient at home for the most part but such a lively dog that she is difficult to control on walks at times. And she has been spayed-it made no difference.

[jakep]

We have two choc labs, now aged 7 and 8. The first 3 years were the worst!!
Seriously the best piece of advice that I was ever given was to relax myself. We attended classes with both of them but now realise that we were a bit strung up all along with their 'energy'. Be firm but relaxed - it really does work. Our two girls have been a delight for years.

[windchime62]

unforunately i agree with the others my goldden labrador jade
is 8 yrs old now i had her spayed when she was six mths
old , she bounds about sometimes like she is still a puppy, and all the weight she gained can knock older poeple over if she's in one of her bouncy moods. i think its a labrador trait,they love water too and mine loves rolling in fox and cow patts
windchime62