The Truth:

Whoa! Teenaged boys must have started this one. Sex does nothing for a dog except make puppies. People who believe this allow their young females to mate during the first heat cycle. What you’ve got then is a teenaged mom. Many dogs cannot handle motherhood at such a young age any more than human teenagers can. Greg McGrath, a veterinarian at Cedar Lake Pet Hospital in Biloxi, Ms., takes exception to the validity of this myth. “There are no known health benefits derived from allowing dogs to breed. There are definite health benefits to spaying and neutering. Spaying females before their first heat lowers their chance of developing mammary tumors at a later age. Neutering males can prevent testicular tumors, prostate problems, and rectal tumors that are stimulated by testosterone.” In both males and females, maturity develops with age, not sex. Yes, teenagers, this goes for you too.