# When to neuter



## Chaos911 (Oct 30, 2013)

Hoping to hear input on when to neuter. I haven't seen posts since 2011. Wondering what current philosophy is. Our breeder recommended no earlier than 18 months. This is our first V. But not first male dog. We have neutered based on our vets recommendation at 6 mos. Our V is primarily a companion house dog. May hunt occasionally. 
Our Blaze is just 9wks old and a gem of a pup! I'm wanting to hear pros and cons. Marking etc. 
thanks so much in advance.


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

We did Miles at 14 months but now that we are better and more experienced dog owners we are aiming for 18 months for Chase. Had we not decided to live in a populated community I likely would not have done it at all.


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/search?q=spay

Six articles I posted on spay and neuter. There is more recent data, but I think the Dr. Becker video that Organicthoughts posted is the most recent I have seen. 

18 months minimum for a healthy adult Vizsla. The physical and psychological studies show this. Hard to wait in this PETA and HSUS controlled animal rights country of ours. Unless you are letting your male roam the streets unattended then there is no reason really to hurry.

Happy trails and trials with your pup. Get out and hunt when he is old enough (not too early). He will love you more than you can guess.

Good book published recently about dog's health and longevity, that also is an enjoyable read is "Pukka's Promise".

RBD


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I didn't neuter my male till he was 3 years old, and to this day he has never marked in my house.


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## mlwindc (Feb 8, 2013)

Wilson is 14 months, unneutered. I don't plan on neutering him until he's much much older... to diminish prostate risk at a TBD time.

We actually had a neuter appointment scheduled for him at 11 months. We decided not to neuter because:
he's the friendliest dog known to man
he's never marked inside the house and shows no intention of doing it
doesn't hump anything
he proved that he has an excellent nose for hunting and we don't want to discourage that

he's primarily a house / companion dog and he's got the best disposition. At the end of the day, I didn't want to risk putting him under for a surgery that he doesn't need. I wouldn't do that to my husband, myself, or my child... why my dog?

We have gotten a lot of push back from other people who don't understand why we won't neuter him. It's annoying (esp since we depend on our dog walker who is a big proponent of neutering), but because we have none of the aggression/marking issues, it's hard for her to make a case for neuter. I also want to note that a lot of people claim that neuter will change those behaviors - I have also heard 1001 times over that neuter won't do anything if your dog is aggressive/marker, etc... once those traits are displayed. 

The biggest pro to not neutering your pup is that Wilson is also much more filled out than most other vizslas we see. Our friend has a pair of vizslas that were neutered before 1 and they are tall and lanky. We get lots of compliments on how healthy and manly Wilson is starting to look. He's really filling out and deepening in the chest. I'm thrilled that he's getting to grow and develop the way he was intended to. 

Finally, I find it really odd that we live in a society where people brag (yes BRAG) that their male dogs still pee like girls. Is that really a good thing?!?! Evidently, yes. This is a totally tangential comment, but that helped steer me towards the direction of not-neutering Wilson. Frankly, I got tired of hearing from everyone about how we SHOULD do it without any reasons as to WHY its beneficial or necessary. 

Good luck with whatever you decide. These are just my 2 cents!


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## mlwindc (Feb 8, 2013)

MilesMom said:


> We did Miles at 14 months but now that we are better and more experienced dog owners we are aiming for 18 months for Chase. Had we not decided to live in a populated community I likely would not have done it at all.


Amen MilesMom. We live in town and this has been a big issue for us. I really had to decide if this was a "battle" I wanted to fight or not. Luckily, our trainer was supportive and our walker is dealing with it (she's not entirely happy about it, but she's dealing). That said, we don't have a yard so we never leave Wilson out alone by himself.... our house is such that there's no way for him to "get out" without being under our direct control or supervision.


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## Vizsla Baby (Nov 4, 2011)

Our vet said to wait 2 years so that they have enough time with testosterone in their system to fully develop their muscles. She said this would help prevent hip & joint problems later in life because they will be stronger.

That said, don't wait too long, we have an old dachshund and we never neutered him (house dog). At age 10 he started having major prostate problems which would have been prevented by neutering him earlier. He's almost 14 now and we did work through the problems. But it was scary


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## Melissa_DT (Jan 9, 2013)

I have an intact 13 month old boy. I plan to wait a few more months to neuter as well. As Miles mom said, I also live in a populated city so it doesn't come with out some difficulties. Most daycares/boarding won't take intact males and of course there's always people who give me a really hard time about it. 

Interestingly I just discovered that my pet insurance has a section stating that if a pet is not neutered by 1 year of age they will not cover any prostate or hormonal related issues that arise for the rest of their lives.


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## giandaliajr (Nov 24, 2012)

Ideally never. Minimum 18 months. Or if there is some preexisting condition that would make him prone to cancer.


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## Ksana (Mar 30, 2013)

Unless there are problems, I am planning on NOT neutering my baby. I don't care what the vets or other people say; there is a scientific evidence to support the harm effects of neutering/ spaying. Furthermore, according to my contract, I am not to neuter my V. until he is two years old. I use this contract to keep the vets away. Or I simply tell people that I am planning on competing with him and thus need to keep him intact.


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## friendbeast (Aug 20, 2013)

The frustating thing for me is that all the training, daycare and boarding kennel options require neutering at 6 months. My guy is turning 6 months this week, and I may need to cave into the pressure.


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

friendbeast said:


> The frustating thing for me is that all the training, daycare and boarding kennel options require neutering at 6 months. My guy is turning 6 months this week, and I may need to cave into the pressure.


I'm not sure where you live, but around us we have private daycare/ training options where the dog does not have to be neutered. Chase is 7.5 months and about to get kicked out of his daycare so we will switch him to a private home daycare. Likely will switch Miles too so they are together.


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## friendbeast (Aug 20, 2013)

My options are pretty limited. I live in Johannesburg, South Africa. Unneutered dogs are pretty uncommon around here, and all the vets I've spoken to still believe in the six month mark.


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## WillowyndRanch (Apr 3, 2012)

Intellectual Property removed by Author.


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## MeandMy3 (Feb 27, 2013)

I only have female dogs, so haven't had to deal with the marking or male aggression at all. With that said, we fixed one of our female labs at 6 months, we got her from a friend and 3 out of the nine pups in the litter were blind. We wanted to stop that from happening, so spayed her at 6 months. This was before we knew any better. We did some research on our 2nd lab and will not spay her unless health issues later in life require it. She is healthy and happy. The mess is minimal when she is in season. We have a great kennel that will accept in tact dogs. Each dog has it's own secure run, so the dogs are not in danger - in our out of season. Our 2nd lab is much friendlier than our first lab - obviously different lines, but I do believe some of it has to do with the fact that our older lab is spayed. I doubt we will have our Vizsla spayed either, unless health issues arise. 

We have a six-year-old schnauzer house guest and he was fixed at 8 months. He recently started marking so neutering him early did not prevent that.


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

WillowyndRanch said:


> friendbeast said:
> 
> 
> > The frustating thing for me is that all the training, daycare and boarding kennel options require neutering at 6 months. My guy is turning 6 months this week, and I may need to cave into the pressure.
> ...


I agree that daycare is not ideal. I come home every day for the dogs to run mid afternoon, but sometimes I have meetings and I can't stand the idea of them being home alone all day. I imagine others on the forum also have these circumstances sometimes. We use daycare because the dogs can be off lead. We are yet to find a dog walker that can handle two young Vizslas. We are looking, but until then, daycare a few times a month is better in my opinion than the dogs alone all day.


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## mlwindc (Feb 8, 2013)

MilesMom said:


> WillowyndRanch said:
> 
> 
> > friendbeast said:
> ...


If it makes anyone feel better, I totally understand the urban daycare problem. We live in Old Town Alexandria, less than 5 miles from DC... totally populated area with tons of people, dogs, etc.

We never brought Wilson to any of the daycare places because they all said dogs have to be neutered by 6 months. Up until he was 6 months old, we used a walker who would walk him for 30-40 minutes on lead during the day. We made up for the short daytime walks with plenty of time at a nearby field with neighbors dogs, etc and long walks with us as well. 

When Wilson turned 6 months old, our old walker retired and we found a woman who basically does puppy playdates. She picks Wilson up every day, loads him in the car, and take him to a dogpark or to her house to play with other tried and true pups. He's gone anywhere from 2-4 hours a day, playing with dogs and having a great time. She has never had an aggressive issue with him or any other dogs. When we go out of town, we board Wilson with her, or with our trainer. Worst case scenario, we will drive Wilson to my in-laws in Ohio (6 hours away!) to board him. 

It's not an idea situation, but if you open your eyes and LOOK, there will be other options.


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

mlwindc, that sounds awesome! We are on the lookout for something similar for our boys! We found some on dogvacay.com in the area but I am holding out for a recommendation.


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## friendbeast (Aug 20, 2013)

Some areas have more options than others. I've spent a lot of time looking for a walkers I would trust, and I haven't found one yet. Most weeks I don't need a walker/daycare, but it really helps having the flexibility. I am looking for options, and have been looking from before we even got our boy. I'm not saying I'm going to give up and just neuter him, I'm going to try to make it work. I just really wish the trainers and services would change their policies.


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## Sail (Jun 18, 2013)

OUCH!!! :'(

Such a simple procedure.. is it any wonder why most vets are so proficient at it?


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## mlwindc (Feb 8, 2013)

MilesMom said:


> mlwindc, that sounds awesome! We are on the lookout for something similar for our boys! We found some on dogvacay.com in the area but I am holding out for a recommendation.


We do love her.. we found her via word of mouth from a neighbor who has a pup who she treats like her baby. Our walker has 3 goldens of her own, so she loves big dogs. She's not totally on board with the no-neuter, but she hasn't had any problems with Wilson. In the meantime, he gets lots of exercise and is super happy and free to be out, so everyone stays sane.


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## Sail (Jun 18, 2013)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/12431819/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/3506104/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/12433723/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/9691849/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/10225598/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/15577502/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/14765797/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/2045340/


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## friendbeast (Aug 20, 2013)

Does anyone have experience or thoughts with/on dog vasectomy? It seems like it could be a good option.


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## giandaliajr (Nov 24, 2012)

Males also tend to look a lot more female when they are neutered young. I remember reading it before I got my V and after seeing numerous Vs in the city I have seen it first hand. The intact males are undoubtably male looking but almost every neutered male I have seen is a toss up. I learned pretty quick to look before I say "how old is she?". 

Friendbeast: I don't think a vasectomy would change behavior, only prevent him from knocking someone up. It seems like that public pressure to neuter is mainly to alter behavior. Public pressure to spay females is to prevent unwanted litters.


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## friendbeast (Aug 20, 2013)

My thinking is that non-castration sterilisation would eliminate the the one motivation for neutering I actually agree with. 
At the moment (6 months) Fenrir does not have an agressive bony in his body. I'm hoping I could deal with behaviour, but I would not want to be responsible for puppies. The opportunites for off leash running I have are in areas where we will encounter other dogs. I would hate to have to keep him on leas for the next 6 months to a year!


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## Watson (Sep 17, 2012)

We live in an urban area and although we feel the "pressure" to neuter, we haven't yet. Almost no one we encounter understands it, and so I simply say we're letting him grow, and leave it at that. 

I also know Watson has better manners than most of the altered dogs we've run into, and so I just let that speak for itself.


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## giandaliajr (Nov 24, 2012)

Hopefully I don't get hammered on this but I think it's the responsibility of the female's owner to make sure she is not running around off leash in public places when in heat. I don't think getting a female pregnant should be any consideration.

Behaviorally, I suppose some intact dogs might be aggressive/physically dominate, but in my pup it's the other dogs that have a problem with him. I would say about 25% of the neutered male dogs we come across don't like Berleley, and I'm guessing it's because he is intact and automatically asserts a chemical dominance, which they don't like. Although it's rare to encounter intact dogs in the city, I can't think of a single instance when an intact dog didn't like him. He loves everyone and he is always surprised when a dog barks or jumps at him. He actually always backs away of he gets lunged at. Even then he doesn't assert any physical dominance. 

Interestingly, after an encounter with a neutered dog that barked or lunged, he pees on the next pole or tree he finds (but doesn't after a normal encounter). Seems to me that he is asserting an instinctual passive dominance.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

friendbeast said:


> My thinking is that non-castration sterilisation would eliminate the the one motivation for neutering I actually agree with.
> At the moment (6 months) Fenrir does not have an agressive bony in his body. I'm hoping I could deal with behaviour, but I would not want to be responsible for puppies. The opportunites for off leash running I have are in areas where we will encounter other dogs. I would hate to have to keep him on leas for the next 6 months to a year!


Even neutered males will attempted to breed a willing female.
A female in heat only has a few days out of the cycle that she will stand for a male.
There is no reason to keep your male leashed just because he is intact.
Owners of females in heat keep them away from other dogs at the critical time.
My advice is quit stressing and enjoy your pup.


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## WillowyndRanch (Apr 3, 2012)

Intellectual Property removed by Author.


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