Dogs grow up quickly. Before you know it, your adorable puppy has grown into a strong and healthy dog. It won’t be long before you have to deal with the matter of neutering.
Neutering is a beneficial procedure for your dog.
It can save them from testicular cancer. Your dog also has a better chance of avoiding certain illnesses because he was neutered.
Dogs are also less likely to wander around your neighborhood after getting neutered. That effectively reduces the chances of your pet being involved in an accident.
Neutering is also recommended because it helps prevent over-population. However, there are some notable caveats to that.
Learn more about what happens to your dog after neutering and their capacity to reproduce after reading through the rest of this article.
Can a Neutered Dog Still Get a Female Pregnant?
Over the years, many misconceptions have emerged regarding what happens to dogs after they are neutered.
For example, you may have heard that neutered dogs put on weight. While it is indeed possible for your dog to gain weight after neutering, that is far from inevitable. If you adjust his diet post-neutering, he can still stay at a healthy weight.
Another persistent myth suggests that neutering will get rid of your pet’s unwanted behaviors. There’s a chance that neutering could affect some of your dog’s habits, but others will persist. Don’t expect neutering to eliminate all the undesirable habits your pet displayed previously.
Now, here’s a big one. Neutering your pet means that he will not get a female dog pregnant under any circumstances.
That is not the case. Or at least that won’t be the case for a while.
Neutering your dog does not empty out his reproductive system. There may still be sperm present in their reproductive system and they could release that while mating. As long as the sperm is released, there is still a chance that the female dog your pet is mating with could wind up pregnant.
For that reason, pet owners are urged to watch their dogs closely after neutering. If you don’t want to worry about puppies, you should stop your neutered dog from engaging in any mating for a while.
How Long after Being Neutered Is a Dog Sterile?
We’ve established that neutered dogs can still get female dogs pregnant. But, how long can that happen?
Thankfully, you won’t have to wait that long.
Usually, dogs remain capable of impregnating their female counterparts for up to a month after they are neutered. In some rare cases, neutered dogs can still impregnate a female dog six weeks after the procedure.
Once enough time passes, the sperm remaining in your pet’s body will disappear. With their testicles gone, no new sperm will be produced as well. Your dog is now sterile.
You don’t have to worry as much about bringing your pet close to female dogs because pregnancy is no longer possible. It will be easier to travel with them or just go on leisurely walks.
Can a Neutered Male Dog Still Ejaculate?
Thus far, our focus in this article has been on how your dog will change post-neutering. As a pet owner, you should know that neutering your dog will not change them completely. Some actions that you might have assumed would go away after neutering will even remain.
Ejaculation is a prime example of that.
When a dog is neutered, they become sterile after a while. Upon hearing that dogs become sterile, some pet owners take that to mean that ejaculation is no longer possible.
Notably, your neutered dog can still ejaculate. The difference is that the liquid he releases does not contain the substance needed to impregnate a female dog. You still don’t have to be concerned over puppies.
Detailed below are other actions/behaviors that will not change after a dog is neutered.
Your Neutered Dog Can Still Get Erections
Neutering will not render your dog’s reproductive organs inactive. He can still get an erection after being exposed to stimuli.
Your Neutered Dog May Continue Humping
For dogs, humping is not always a sexually motivated habit. It may be an action that they have learned to perform in certain situations.
Neutering could change how often your pet humps other dogs, people, and objects around them, but that behavior may not go away completely. If that behavior is a habit for your dog, they will likely not stop doing it.
Your Neutered Dog May Continue Rubbing
Does your dog like to rub his face against objects or people? That’s a habit known as rubbing and many dogs develop it.
Some pet owners don’t like that habit and they hope neutering can eliminate it. To be clear, the rubbing will persist even after neutering if your dog already liked doing it.
Your Neutered Dog May Still Become Aggressive
Neutering is not going to change your dog’s personality. People assume that removing the testosterone will alter their dog’s personality, but that will not happen. If your pet had a tendency to become aggressive, he will remain the same way after the surgery.
The opposite may even happen to some dogs.
Because their hormones are imbalanced after neutering, they may be more prone to bouts of aggression. They may display their aggression with even less provocation.
You should keep your neutered dog away from others until his hormone levels are back to normal. That will prevent any bad encounters.
Your Neutered Dog Will Eat the Same Amount of Food
Talk to owners of neutered dogs and you will likely meet a few who will tell you that your pet will get fat after the procedure. That is indeed a possibility, but it’s not because your dog’s eating habits have changed.
Your pet will eat the same amount of food both pre and post-neutering. The difference is their body will handle food differently due to the hormonal changes.
Giving your pet the same amount of food could lead to them becoming overweight. Consult with the veterinarian and put together a meal plan that will stop your neutered dog from packing on the pounds.
Will a Neutered Male Dog Still Try to Get a Female Dog Pregnant?
The changes to your dog’s hormones don’t take effect immediately after neutering. As you wait for the effects of the procedure to kick in, you should keep a close eye on your pet.
During that time, they will still experience the urge to mate. If your pet spots a female dog in heat, you can expect him to show interest. He will still try to mate and impregnate the other dog.
The last thing you want is for your neutered pet to get a female dog pregnant. All it takes is being extra vigilant for a few more weeks. After that, you can relax knowing your dog is not capable of getting anyone pregnant anymore.