# Spaying and housebreaking/potty training



## amykhigdon (Jan 22, 2013)

Hi! I am going to have our pup spayed in a few weeks. She is not completely housebroken, but we are getting there (one day at a time). I have heard that spaying/neutering can have a positive effect on housebreaking, but I have also heard it could make dogs regress a little. I'm just wondering what you all have experienced...

So, when you had your puppy spayed or neutered, did it help or hinder housebreaking?


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

All my dogs past and present (currently have 6) have been altered with no impact on their housetraining skills.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

I've never had a spay or neuter done on a dog young enough to not be housebroke, but the surgery caused no regression.


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## MyLady Heidi (Jan 16, 2013)

My girls were spayed at 6 months of age and had been completely housebroken for at least 2 months prior to spaying. They have never had any accidents since they were 4 months old, even after spaying, they were only weirded out by the cones and once they were off and I made them t-shirts to cover the wounds they went potty outside with no problems. On the day after the spaying you would never even known they had anything done.

Good Luck!


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

amykhigdon said:


> Hi! I am going to have our pup spayed in a few weeks. She is not completely housebroken, but we are getting there (one day at a time). I have heard that spaying/neutering can have a positive effect on housebreaking, but I have also heard it could make dogs regress a little. I'm just wondering what you all have experienced...
> 
> So, when you had your puppy spayed or neutered, did it help or hinder housebreaking?


I would suggest you undertake one issue at a time. If the pup isn't housebroken yet, stay on that task until it is complete. Once the pup is fully housebroken you can start to consider spaying.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

To follow up too... I've heard that spaying/neutering can cause incontinence with some dogs.... so I would not use that surgery as a way of solving housebreaking problems.


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

Mina have always been fully housebroken before they were spayed. No accidents after spaying or before. They do need to potty more often for the first few days after spaying since the vet will given them IV fluids during the procedure and the dog feels increased pelvic pressure afterwards causing them to have the need to potty more often in my experience. My female have alway been consipated for a few days after spaying- It hurt to poop!


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## amykhigdon (Jan 22, 2013)

Megora said:


> To follow up too... I've heard that spaying/neutering can cause incontinence with some dogs.... so I would not use that surgery as a way of solving housebreaking problems.


 
Well, it is not my intent to use spaying as a solution to the problem. I was really just curious if it could help. I was kind of at my wits end when I posted this. 
Since this thread, Abby has gotten much better about housebreaking. She has had a couple of accidents here and there, but nothing major.


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