Dog Breeders

[whiteforest]

Thanks for that link - very informative!

 

[Willowy]

Many dog people have very definite opinions on when to spay/neuter. There have been some studies indicating that waiting until a dog attains full sexual maturity might be a good idea, especially for larger breeds.

Just remember that unaltered dogs aren't as big of a problem as unaltered cats are

. An unspayed cat is constantly in heat, always howling and looking for a tom, and it's almost a foregone conclusion that she WILL get pregnant. An unspayed dog will only be in heat for 3-4 weeks, and is easily contained during that time. So allowing one heat in a dog isn't really a big deal if they're responsible. Same with male dogs.....they aren't so obnoxious as tomcats, and most people don't let their dogs run loose, so it's not a problem in most cases to wait a year or 2.

If the breeder is an excellent breeder that does all health testing and all that, I wouldn't hesitate to buy form them. But, if your in-laws don't like the terms of the contract, they should find a different breeder. It's important to find a breeder you're comfortable with.