As far as spaying goes, that's not normally something we see in female dogs. In males, it is a territorial marker; something that they have ingrained from way back when. So, by neutering them, you are going to lessen the chances of that happening. If you wait to neuter them later on in life, it is already an ingrained behavior that they are now going to do. Getting them neutered early on does decrease the chances of that happening.

It’s not recommended. Again, regarding the overpopulation problem, we don't really need more unwanted puppies. If you choose to have your dog get pregnant and have a litter of puppies, be responsible. Make sure that you do have secure financially stable homes for those puppies to go into. But as far as the dog needing to have a litter goes, it's not going to benefit her health or her behavior. Dogs aren't born with that maternal instinct where they have to have puppies. If they never have puppies, they can still be just as content with life.

It really can help to decrease the overpopulation problem that we are dealing with. Shelters are absolutely full of animals right now, both dogs and cats, whether they are mixed breed or purebred. We are seeing many shelters being overrun and dogs being euthanized, simply because they can't find a home. By spaying your dog, you are helping to decrease that overpopulation problem. You're also helping to reduce problems regarding your own dog's health later on down the road, especially concerning pyometra, which is an infected uterus, and even some types of mammary tumors that can occur as well. As far as neutering goes, the same token. You are preventing the issue of overpopulation. Males do contribute to that problem as well, even though they're not the ones having the puppies. But we can see some prostate issues with them later on that can be prevented by neutering them.

They don't have to be. If you don't do it, there are some implications that can come along with it, regarding some responsibility on your part, and also some health issues that can occur later on down the road.

Slow and steady. Work with your veterinarian and talk about a diet plan for your dog. Also work on an exercise routine that includes short walks that keep getting longer and longer and more frequent, until you get to the point where they can do a bit more aggressive types of exercise, such as running and jumping, because you don't want to hurt their joints by having too much poundage on them.

When they're a puppy, they're going to be more active and want to be bouncing around, but then kind of crash after a little while. They have those bursts of energy. As an adult dog or young adult dog, they're going to be more active, requiring more energy release. As they get into their senior years, they're going to start slowing down again, but it's up to you to encourage them to keep being active.

You're going to have them feeling better, looking better and extending their life by quite a while by keeping them active throughout the years.