Balogh Orsolya, Borruat Natalie, Andrea Meier Angela, Hartnack Sonja, Reichler Iris M
Clinic of Reproductive Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Section of Veterinary Epidemiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Reprod Domest Anim. 2018 Oct;53(5):1184-1190. doi: 10.1111/rda.13225. Epub 2018 Jul 5.
Benefits and risks of spaying on the behaviour of female dogs are controversially discussed. Increased aggressiveness and male urinary behaviour were postulated to be the consequence of masculinization after spaying in some female dogs. To investigate if spaying or its timing relative to the onset of puberty may have a masculinization effect, urinary behaviour, that is, frequency of urination, urinary posture and ground scratching after urination were recorded in 58 female Labrador Retrievers during 15 min of a daily walk with their owners. General behaviour of the dogs during the walks was assessed using an owner questionnaire. Data were analysed for age, reproductive status, lifetime of ovary exposure and/or time interval since spaying. Urinary behaviour of intact females (n = 12) and dogs spayed before (n = 17) or after (n = 29) puberty was similar and not influenced by age, lifetime of ovary exposure and/or time interval since spaying. Owners of spayed dogs described more frequent or more intense fear reaction in their animals in response to loud noises, unfamiliar objects approaching on or near the sidewalk, or if they were approached by unknown dogs barking, growling or jumping. In conclusion, we found no evidence of a masculinization effect after spaying on urinary behaviour in female Labrador Retrievers. In contrast to popular belief, gonadectomy did not inevitably result in a behaviourally more stable dog. Extrapolation of our findings from female Labrador Retrievers to other breeds should be performed with caution, as the effect of spaying on behaviour may differ among dog breeds.
关于绝育对母犬行为的利弊存在争议。一些母犬绝育后出现的雄性化被认为会导致攻击性增强和出现雄性排尿行为。为了研究绝育或其相对于青春期开始的时间是否可能产生雄性化效应，在58只雌性拉布拉多猎犬与主人每日散步的15分钟内，记录了它们的排尿行为，即排尿频率、排尿姿势和排尿后抓地行为。通过主人问卷评估犬在散步期间的一般行为。对年龄、生殖状态、卵巢暴露时间和/或绝育后的时间间隔进行数据分析。未绝育母犬（n = 12）以及在青春期前（n = 17）或青春期后（n = 29）绝育的犬的排尿行为相似，且不受年龄、卵巢暴露时间和/或绝育后的时间间隔影响。绝育犬的主人描述，他们的动物在听到巨响、人行道上或附近有不熟悉的物体靠近，或者被陌生犬吠叫、咆哮或跳跃接近时，会表现出更频繁或更强烈的恐惧反应。总之，我们没有发现绝育对雌性拉布拉多猎犬排尿行为有雄性化效应的证据。与普遍看法相反，去势并不必然导致犬的行为更稳定。将我们从雌性拉布拉多猎犬得出的研究结果外推至其他品种时应谨慎，因为绝育对行为的影响可能因犬种而异。
