i've got a new lab pup, and she just finished up with her third series of shots, and the wife is saying have her spayed. but i really dont want to make a mistake by doing it. i dont really care about having puppies in the future but i've heard letting her have a litter is good for her, makes her a better dog. whats ya'lls thoughts thanks.

Most knowledgeable vets would suggest letting her reach adult size and bone growth until having her spade. At least let the growth plates fully develop.

As far as breeding making her a better dog, don't count on that. Performance is not a function of having pups. I have two females one was bred after receiving several titles. In addition, I had seven deposits for pups months before she was bred. Which means buyers were determined to have pups out of her. She had more than proved her value to the breed. I made no money on the pups (broke even). She's now ten and spayed. That's Taffey in my signature.

The other is a daughter out of her by an FC/AFC stud. She has her AKC Senior Hunter title , an HRC Seasoned title and is an excellent upland/duck dog. She'll be running Master and Finished soon. There are plenty of well bred litters out there and having puppies is not a money making process. She was spayed (when mature). That's Daisy in my Avatar.

It's not that big of a deal and sure simplifies life., no heat cycles to deal with and no missed hunting seasons.

Agreed.. I know most people like to wait until there second cycle. I had a lab about 6 years ago that my dad decided to breed on the first cycle. Poor girl caught hell giving birth. 4 of 7 pups came out dead.

As for as making it a better dog... I know it will calm done a hyper dog a bit. I have a lab that i bought for $20 on the side of the road one day. The mother had papers the dad didnt. I said the hell with it and bought a puppy. She turned out to be not a big dog but shes an athlete. Seriously i have a 4 foot hurricane fence around my back yard and she simply clears it with little effort. She will not grab a duck full body though. lol A wing or foot only. Most definitly the best $20 ever spent.