Neutering - what age?

[bombolone]

As far as I can tell, there are very strong opinions either way on whether or not to neuter puppy at the 'standard' age of 6 months. All vets seem to recommend but more real life people seem to say wait until older.

What are the real issues and what should I consider when making this decision? As I don't know much about the medical side it is hard to ignore the advice of the vets without good information.

Thanks for any thoughts. Have 5 month puppy and wondering whether I need to start considering... Just checked local vet website that recommends doing this at FIVE months!

 

[Peegee]

My female Cockapoo was done at five months, following vets advice. She was absolutely fine and is now 11 months. The vet discussed the pros and cons and I then took their considered advice.. There are lots of different opinions on this but as far as I'm concerned, I treat the vet much as I would the doctor for myself, they are the experts.

 

[AdamYates]

We had our male whippet done at 6 months on the advice of the vet - he had the operation at the start of the month and was allowed back to normal madness 10 days later!

 

[gypsysmum2]

Medically there is no reason not to neuter at 6 months. Although there is anecdotal evidence that it affects the growth of cartilage, ligaments etc.

From a behaviour aspect, however, there is strong evidence that it can have a negative effect. Dogs derive a lot of their confidence from testosterone. If you remove the organs that produce it you are going to see an impact on a dog's confidence. This can make some dogs become anxious and, therefore, defensive. One of the top behaviourists in the country Prof Peter Neville recommends waiting as long as you can and to try to wait until the dog is 18 months of age. Some dogs may not need neutering, from a behaviour point of view, at all. They may go through a "randy adolescent" stage but calm down as an adult.

I would make the decision based on your dog's personality. If he is happy and content then wait as long as possible. If he is running off after bitches and generally being a right P in the A you might like to reconsider. Remember it is an irreversible operation!

There is, I understand, a hormone implant that can take away the testosterone to see if it has a negative effect on a dog's confidence. If it does then neutering could be delayed or abandoned altogether. I have no personal experience of it but a Vet Nurse acquaintance used it on her dog before making the final decision.

 

[Kate75]

Just wanted to say I know how you feel! We've just been through the whole decision making process with Holly (GSD 8 months).

We were also told by our vets to do it from 5 months onwards and so I did what most of us do now and googled it! Like you I found a mass of conflicting advice on female spaying which really didn't help us with our decision. One of the things I did learn though was that with males the most common theme seemed to be to wait as long as possible mainly for the reasons Gypsysmum mentions. So had she been a boy I probably would have waited.

In the end we had Holly spayed about a month ago and all went well. Like Peegee I decided to listen to our Vets much as you would your doctor. Our vets are part of one of the biggest vet university and research facilities in the country so i know they have all the up to date info and research.

 

[bombolone]

ok this is very helpful, thank you. So here is a question. If your dog (male) is in 'randy adolescent' mode - what do you do/how do you handle it when he is trying to hump every female in the park (we live near very heavily dog-populated park!!)?

 

[gypsysmum2]

You try your very best to distract him! Use high value treats and exciting games with toys. Do lots of training at home and in areas away from other dog walkers. This will, hopefully, tire him out slightly so that you get some peace at home. Keep him as busy as you can with learning new tricks and visiting new places etc.

If you know anyone with a spayed bitch, that will not tolerate his behaviour, then walk them together. She should be allowed to give him a good telling off if he over steps the "doggy manners" mark. Older bitches are good companions for bumptious young dogs as mostly they keep them in order without hurting them. Other, male, dogs may get quite violent with him, as they may see him as competition for any available bitches, so avoid them if you can. Mostly the other dogs will teach him some manners. Do try not to be too embarrassed about his behaviour. Buy all the other dogs some treats to apologise on his behalf

 

[bombolone]

Great advice gypsysmum2. As ever! Thank you so much... Good suggestion re older spayed bitch, makes total sense. Will watch for other male dogs. Thank you.