Is there any such thing as birth control for dogs?

Gary
Clovis, CA

There are two commonly employed means of birth control in dogs. One works consistently. The other one fails quite regularly.

Surgical sterilization (spaying and neutering) is the gold standard. This is the easiest and best choice if you don’t want puppies.

Evidence suggests that abstinence-based sex education is not effective in humans. It turns out abstinence-based birth control methods aren’t especially effective in dogs, either. Some folks try to isolate their females when they are in heat, but if you use this method you should be aware that dogs, like teenagers, have a knack for escaping and enjoying trysts. Canine trysts almost always end in pregnancy.

Hormonal (ie, “the pill”) and physical (such as condoms) methods of birth control aren’t available for dogs.

If you don’t want puppies, I recommend that you spay your dog.