Do Huskies Calm Down After Sterilization? The Surprising Truth!

June 1, 2024

Neutering will not solve all of the behavior problems, and most of the solved behaviors after the surgery are for the male dogs, behaviors like urinating everywhere. The answer is a solid training program with your dog. You can hire a professional, or you can comfortably do it yourself. Dr. Karen Becker, while researching symptoms in hundreds of dogs that she sterilized she found that the operation expands the risks of dogs contracting diseases.

Desexing or sterilization

  • Spaying is for female dogs
  • Neutering or castration is for males
  • There is a little bit of controversy about desex dogs, so below in the article, I will present information to simplify your decision. Also, some alternatives to desex.

    You probably heard that most people have their husky desex at the age between 6 to 1-year range. Some people choose to desex their dogs when younger, and others prefer to wait until they are fully grown because it can give all the hormones require to avoid problems related to their growth.

    When you think about desexing, you need to consider the size of the dog breed. Husky is in the category of large breed dogs. Most veterinary say that large dog breeds need to be desexed by the age of 1 year and a half because large dogs are more likely to develop some types of cancer.

    The pros of sterilization

    • You do not need to worry about unwanted mating.
    • You will not be able to take your husky everywhere, but neutered dogs are allowed in more places.
    • The Atlantic Coast Veterinary Conference showed in their study that benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) was in dogs over seven years old. The BPH does not have clinical signs but can bring to some male dogs pain and blood while ejaculating, blood in the urethra, tenesmus, or hematuria. Physically occur enlarged prostate gland, which could be irregular and slightly disturbing. Once desexed, dogs will not have BPH.
    • An adenoma is a non-cancer tumor common in intact males, also found in spayed females dogs. It can be slightly disturbing and have aesthetics issues.
    • Commonly, 23-24% of intact females dogs will have experienced Pyometra by ten years of age.

    The cons of sterilization

    • After the sterilization, they tend to gain a little weight because they do not have so much testosterone to burn calories. It usually will happen in 6 to 8 months because it is the time for the testosterone to leave the dog system.
    • Sterilization will not solve all the behavior problems.
    • It is more common to find tumors in male dogs than in females.

    Scientific research of the cons of sterilization

    Dr. Karen Becker discusses scientific evidence related to the health risks of spaying and neutering dogs. She sterilized thousands of pets when they were still very young. Five years later, many dogs started developing endocrine issues. As the dogs were vaccinated and eating well, she was getting very concerned about this health problem.

    During her research, she discovers that up to 90% of ferret death occurred because they were desexed very young, at three weeks of age. They develop hormone deficiency which results in a small number of sex hormones. She thought that the same could be happening with the dogs she desexed.

    Photo by Kateryna Babaieva on Pexels.com

    In 2006 was at all-time high dogs diagnosed by her with hypothyroidism. Even after treating the disease, they still did not seem to be completely healthy. So she contacted Dr. Jack Oliver, who says that adrenal disease was occurring at epidemic proportions in the United States dog population and was probably related to sex hormone imbalance.

    Before the research, Dr. Becker recommended during many years to desex their pets at or before six months of age. After discovering the health issues, she said:

    The suggestions I did, were not based on what was physiologically best for my patients but what I felt was morally best for the owners. I cried in my exam rooms from 2006 to 2010 more than I have in my adult life.
    Dr. Becker

    Dr. Becker, after noticed the situation, started to recommend to her clients to leave their pets intact. In cases where it is a medical necessity, it is indispensable to perform the surgery. Also, those who do not have responsibility with their dog letting him go outside without any supervision should consider desexing because overpopulation is a problem in the United States. On the other hand, if you are a very responsible dog owner, you can choose what is best for your friend.

    She believes that there is a purpose for each organ that a dog is born with, and removing any organ will inevitably develop health consequences. Dogs that are neutered at a very young age have bigger chances of creating health and behavior problems. A good example is a large breed, that when neutered before one year and a half, has a higher tendency to acquire different types of cancer.

    Desexing your Husky will eliminate two medical conditions Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) and Pyometra. But there is a lot of information that says maintaining some natural sex hormones, especially in the first years of dog life, may be beneficial. The risk of BPH and Pyometra in the first year of life is minimum.

    Photo by Kateryna Babaieva on Pexels.com

    A study by Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation discovered a connection between how long female rottweilers live when desexed. The research compared long live rottweilers, with thirteen years or more, with others who lived about nine years old. They discovered that females live longer than males when removing the ovaries before five years of age. The females were four times more likely to reach a longer life when they kept the ovaries for at least six years old compare to rottweilers desexed younger.

    Now whether or not veterinarians were testing and identifying the epidemic was a whole another story.
    Dr. Becker

    Another rottweilers study published ten years ago showed that one in four-lifetime is the risk of developing bone cancer in males and females desexed before one year of age. Desex rottweilers were significantly more likely to acquire the disease than intact dogs.

    AKC Canine Health Foundation reported that neutering or spaying dogs cause problems to health, increasing the risk of certain joint disorders and cancer.

    A British veterinarian said that most of her requests to spaying dogs come from citizens of the United States and Canada living in London. It is unusual for a British pet owner to make this type of request. The veterinarian always asks the owner before doing the surgery about the purpose of the surgery. Because if the dog is always on a leash under supervision without the danger of getting any unwanted mating, the British owners usually do not consider this option to improve behaviors.

    Dr. Danny Cox mentions studies going back decades that show how intact and not neutered dogs at an early age lived several years longer with fewer problems that we see from the ones neuter at an early age.

    According to theNational Center for Biotechnology Information, prostate cancer was found often in neutered dogs whether than intact dogs on many occasions.

    If you choose not to desex, keep in mind a few things

    • When people see that your Husky is an intact male, they will judge you as irresponsible. Ask when you are going to desex him.
    • You will not be able to take your husky everywhere.
    • Always supervise, and keep the Husky on a leash. The irrepressible owners cause the current dog overpopulation in the United States.

    What are the desex alternatives available?

    Zinc Neutering

    This option is non-surgical neutering for male dogs. They work via intratesticular injection. It was approved by the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and released in 2003.

    When first released, zinc neutering was used only in male dogs between 3 and 10 months old. Now is also approved for dogs of 3 to 4 years. Better results of zinc neutering compared to traditional neutering have already been confirmed.

    Vasectomy

    It is a surgical option different from zinc because this one involves cuts. Dogs under nine months of age (particularly giant breeds) cold be underdeveloped and required more time to develop and be ready for the surgery.

    In this surgery, the dog keeps the testicular tissue intact and retains all his sex hormones, which are very important to his growth.

    Ovary sparing (OSS)

    Ovary sparing spay OSS has already been confirmed in research to be superior to the traditional spay, where the OSS preserves the disposition of sex hormones, so the hormones are maintained.

    In this situation, the female will be able to heat cycle. Attract the male dogs but will not be fertile. Intact dogs usually have a 23-24% chance of acquiring Pyometra. The OSS will solve the problem.

    Tubal ligation (TL)

    The tubal ligation maintains the organs, preserving the ovaries and uterus, the sex hormones remain undisturbed, but in this case, the dog can get Pyometra. But scientist research of 2017 supposes that the ovaries are influenced not only in reproduction but also in the proper cognitive functioning of female dogs' brains. Another study by Arizona State in 2012 found the same results. That's why tubal ligation is a more attractive option for your friend.

    Note

    • According to Dr. Danny, these alternatives are even more important to large and giant breed dogs.

    How to train my dog to have good behaviors?

    Dr. Becker rescued Lenny, an intact dog he used to pee in every corner of every piece of furniture. To resolve the bad behavior, she used a belly band, a little diaper to reinforce good behavior, going outside the house and not doing inside. In one month, the problem was almost gone. It is just one example of how to reinforce good behavior.

    The best way to get your husky to calm down is by training. Many times trainers have proved that bad behavior dogs can be well trained. You can develop your dog's hidden intelligence" to eliminate bad behavior and Create the obedient, well-behaved pet of your dreams… Here is a link for a Free Ebook so you can start training your dog right away. It is called "The Airplane Game" and will dramatically improve your husky ability to pay attention to you.

    Does any of the following sound familiar?:

    • Your dog does not listen to you
    • Your dog barks uncontrollably
    • Your Dog is pulling on the leash
    • Your Dog is aggressive
    • You need to train a new Puppy
    • Your Dog is Jumping up

    There are unique training systems for dogs. I recommend you to check braintraining4dogs and start to enjoy even more the companion of your best friend. The process can be easier than you think.

    Stay in Touch

    Thank you! Your submission has been received!

    Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form