Did your dog calm down after being spayed?

GABride2010

Hi everyone. I'm Kelly, and DH and I have two labs: Baylee and Benelli (Elli). DH and I had Elli spayed this past Tuesday (she is 3.5 years old), and she is healing very well. She is a very hyper dog, and we have heard from some people that female dogs will calm down after they get spayed. We have also heard this is not true. She has been hyper ever since we got her at 6 weeks old, and we are fine with her energy level either way. I am wondering what your personal experiences have been. Did your dog's energy level increase or decrease in the months or years following being spayed? Thanks!

chrisnjay05212010

I had a female black lab growing up who had a high energy level.  I dont recall her really settling down til she was about 8 or 9!

I have a male cane corso now- i didnt really notice a change in his energy but then again he has never been a high energy dog.

GABride2010

Elli is a black lab too! I had heard that the black labs were supposed to be the in-between temperament between the mellow yellows and the spastic chocolates. There is an exception to every rule I guess We love her just the same!

aggiebug

At her age I would be surprised if it changed her temperament too much, but her calorie requirements very likely will change, so watch her weight.

Practically all American labs are puppies until at least the age of 6 sometimes until about 15  English labs are more likely to be the mellow ones. 

GABride2010

Thanks @aggiebug. We will definitely keep a close eye on her weight. She is slim and muscular, and she loses weight quickly. Even just not being able to feed her for the surgery caused a small, but noticeable difference in her. We have been feeding her extra food these last few days to get her back to where she was. We will see if this trend continues now that she is spayed! 

formerlyGDaisy09

we have not noticed a difference...we spayed at 10 months, pup is now 17 months, so still an adlolescent...any behavior change we've noticed I think is more due to age than hormones. ours is also a sassy-Dal, so we expect high energy.  

their hormones hang out for a while after surgery, so if there is a difference you may not see it for a few months.  hope your pup heals well. 

GABride2010

Thanks @Gdaisy09‌! I had to take her back to the vet this morning. She is having a suture reaction, so hopefully this will heal soon so she can run, play, and swim again!

formerlyGDaisy09

GABride2010 said:

Thanks @Gdaisy09‌! I had to take her back to the vet this morning. She is having a suture reaction, so hopefully this will heal soon so she can run, play, and swim again!

we put our girl in one of H's t-shirts while she healed...much better than the cone, it was just enough of a deterrant to keep her from licking her incision. 

GABride2010

We used the shirt trick on our yellow lab Baylee when she got spayed, but Elli would likely chew up the shirt. Thankfully Elli had only a suture reaction and nothing worse. I had to massage and drain her incision site for a few days, but it is healed now, and it looks great!

catrb89

We have an Aussie Shepherd mix and she definitely didn't calm down. The first 3 days she was sedated from pain meds, but shortly after she was jumping around and ripped out 2 of her staples. It's a breed thing, from what I understand. Aussies don't seem to chill until they're 3, although at 1.5, she's finally starting to chill and be slightly more obedient! Best of luck!