[CoolHandJean]

Now I understand why you can't neuter a male and show him.

But why can't you spay a female and show her? Would anyone realize it one way or the other?

Just something that made me think, and thought someone here could answer it.

[innocence621]

I've always wondered the same thing, because even if they see a scar, you could say it's from a c-section or something.

[PNWPBR]

I think more people do it than we know.

[myredruca]

I could be wrong, but I think what the judge does is feel the belly to look specifically for the "spay scar" whis is vertical inside the belly. At least this is what I was told when I was wondering how a judge would know if my dog was spayed.

[Miakoda]

Personally, I know someone who shows a spayed bitch. And no, it's not me.

[bahamutt99]

You could do it, if you could get away with it. But if anyone ever found out, I'm pretty sure there are repercussions, like possibly getting barred from the registry. I thought about trying it with Loki, but it wasn't worth the risk.

[CoolHandJean]

Well, I didn't mean pretending not to have a fixed female, but it does answer my "you can't really tell" question.

I mean why does the registry require that the female not be spayed? If it doesn't make a difference in appearance, what would it hurt?

[Dtwo]

Because the idea of showing in conformation is to qualify your breeding stock. If the dog is never going to be bred, why do you care if a conformation judge says it's ideal for the standard?

[CoolHandJean]

True. Makes sense.

[Loki]

Originally Posted by Dtwo Because the idea of showing in conformation is to qualify your breeding stock. If the dog is never going to be bred, why do you care if a conformation judge says it's ideal for the standard?

Good answer Dtwo! That makes sense. I've always wondered the same thing before now.

[bahamutt99]

Personally, I think you can tell sometimes. Female dogs who get spayed without ever having a heat cycle keep a puppy-like appearance to their privates. They don't get the bigger nips that girls typically get after their first cycle. Big difference between Loki and mega-cooch, err, Terra.

On the topic of not letting altered dogs compete, what Dtwo said. Altered dogs can do like 95% of the dog sports out there. I think it's eminently fair to reserve this one thing for the intact dogs. JMO.

[lukew101]

Also, if you want to show a fixed dog, you can do the fun shows.

[Patch O' Pits]

Originally Posted by Dtwo Because the idea of showing in conformation is to qualify your breeding stock. If the dog is never going to be bred, why do you care if a conformation judge says it's ideal for the standard?

Exactly!

[Jelet]

Originally Posted by PNWPBR I think more people do it than we know.

hahah. interesting.. sneaky peoples

[kadillacgrrl]

Originally Posted by bahamutt99 Personally, I think you can tell sometimes. Female dogs who get spayed without ever having a heat cycle keep a puppy-like appearance to their privates. They don't get the bigger nips that girls typically get after their first cycle. Big difference between Loki and mega-cooch, err, Terra. On the topic of not letting altered dogs compete, what Dtwo said. Altered dogs can do like 95% of the dog sports out there. I think it's eminently fair to reserve this one thing for the intact dogs. JMO.

Kitty has tiny nips and wasn't spayed til she was over 3. I got lucky. Betty has only had 1 litter and looks like a heifer!