# When to get him neutered?



## CMPowers (Nov 22, 2010)

When should I get my puppy neutered? He is 6 months old and I have been told by the vet he needs his canine teeth pulled. They want to do both at the same time. However, I was told by the breeder to wait till he is a little older to neuter him? What have you guys heard?


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## Kobi (Oct 26, 2010)

I am facing the same issue, however based on everything I have heard on here and from my breeder, I'm planning on two separate procedures. I want to wait til he is at least 1 yr to neuter him. He is 5 months right now.


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## Crazy Kian (Aug 10, 2009)

We neutered our guy at 10 months others have done it earlier and some later.
It's really up to you.


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## raps702 (Dec 19, 2010)

Axel is 10 weeks old now, and our breeder said the same thing, that you should wait until he is one years old because they loose some of there male characterisics if they are neutered too young. Our breeder also stated that our vet would mostly argue this advice as they like to neuter young. Our vet was neutral he did agree on some aspects, however he said your dog may show some concerns for you if you wait longer, such as peeing and marking his territory all over the place (indoors and outside), wanting to run off and find a female companion, etc. He basically said it's up to you and how your dogs behavior is later on and if you can handle it.. So, we are basically going to try and last a year if we can, we shall see though...


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## Linescreamer (Sep 28, 2010)

Why? ???


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## Big Rick (Apr 14, 2009)

Our male was done at 5 months because we were leaving on a 90 day trip. Our vet said he has done males as early as 3 months with no ill effects.


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## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

Just curious why the canines have to be pulled?


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## Kobi (Oct 26, 2010)

In my case, the vet claims that the adult teeth may not grow in correctly with the puppy teeth there. I had a thread about it last week, apparently it's somewhat common. Kobi's lower canines are growing in inside of his puppy canines, so they COULD potentially grow on the inside of the upper teeth instead of outside. The upper canines seem to be growing in behind, so I think they will be fine. Who knows what the Vet will say though...


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## jberenyi (Nov 23, 2010)

I did alot of reading on this subject matter as well regarding Vizslas only. Based on that I have read we will have our Rusty done at 1 year.


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## Jupiter4Jackie (Nov 17, 2010)

gonna get him neutered this month at 6 months old... I'm gonna pay a lil extra and have them use the laser :'(


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## kennydoc1999 (Jan 28, 2011)

Hi all,

I'd appreciate any insight on this issue of neutering. My dog Woody is just past the age of 8 months, he's marking like the Dickens and mounting whenever he feels compelled to. I've read all the posts here and want to hear more opinions on this subject. Does anyone have firsthand experience on the pros and cons of early neutering ( like Woody's age now )?
The breeder whom we got Woody from suggested around the 18 month time frame, earlier ( like around now ) if there was aggressive behaviour. There's no aggression at all yet with Spring just around the corner I don't want wandering or straying off when I do any voice recalling. 
I've spoken to two different vets on this subject and while one advocated neutering as early as six months, the other vet was ( somewhat ) of the opinion that neutering after one year of age might be beneficial as well. Now I'm really confused.
Any thoughts or advice?


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## Mercutio (Jan 18, 2010)

There have been several other treads on this topic and lots of different ideas. Merc was done even younger than woody and we haven't seen any I'll effects. Didn't change his personality, he seems to have grown just fine (a little on the big side maybe, not sure if that is related to the neutering or not). I'd be happy to have my next dog done around 6 months again.


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## bwilson7286 (Jan 28, 2011)

We got our 2 year old V neutered when he was six months old and it has not effected him at all, we got our 6 month old neutered when he was just between 3 and 4 months old, and we have not experienced any trouble with that as well. The only thing with getting them neutered that early is they will probably continue to pee like a girl dog,


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## shelaghbrayshaw (Feb 7, 2011)

Thank you for all your help on the neutering. Kip is 10 months and we are trying hard to wait till he is 12 months. He has no agression but mounts every dog possible, Male or female!!!!!


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## Shed (Jan 31, 2011)

We were advised to wait as long as possible by the breeder and by our vet, 18 months was recommended as it allows them to fully develop. Well Diesel had his trip to the vet yesterday just before turning 18 months! He wasn't too happy but apart from alot of bruising today you wouldn't think he'd had a general anaesthetic : ;D It is lead only exercise for 10 days!!!!  Not looking forward to that!
Hoping that over the next 2 months he will settle down a bit


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## chaser (Feb 13, 2011)

with the larger breed dogs, neutering early will result in a taller, more leggy dog while leaving them intact longer leads to the long bones and muscles getting thicker and more burly. When you neuter will be up to you depending on how you want him to look in the end. Neutering earlier will help to avoid marking behaviour and aggression but this can be minimized with training also.
With the females, best to spay before the first heat to minimize the chance of mammary cancer down the road.


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## MDV Indigo (Feb 14, 2011)

My breeder told me to wait if possible until at least a year....longer is better. She said that the growth plates develop at different rates and that doing it earlier can result in the proportions between parts of the skeleton can be just a bit off of normal or ideal. This might not matter in a pet who is not highly active, she said you would likely not notice it by look or activity at the time. However, in an athletic dog who runs distance regularly, hunts, or does sports like agility it could show up late in life in the form of more joint problems and arthritis due to the strain of activity.

I did a bit of research, and the study that swayed me to wait as long as reasonable for our family (17 months for us) looked at 1444 golden retrievers and found:

_Dogs that have been spayed or neutered well before puberty can frequently be identified by their longer limbs, lighter bone structure, narrow chests and narrow skulls. This abnormal growth frequently results in significant alterations in body proportions and particularly the lengths (and therefore weights) of certain bones relative to others. For example, if the femur has achieved its genetically determined normal length at 8 months when a dog gets spayed or neutered, but the tibia, which normally stops growing at 12 to 14 months of age continues to grow, then an abnormal angle may develop at the stifle. In addition, with the extra growth, the lower leg below the stifle likely becomes heavier (because it is longer), and may cause increased stresses on the cranial cruciate ligament._ 
Salmeri KR, Bloomberg MS, Scruggs SL, Shille V.. Gonadectomy in immature dogs: effects on skeletal, physical, and behavioral development. JAVMA 1991;198:1193-1203
Internet source: http://www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html

There are a ton of opinions out there, and good reasons to do it early or to wait. We each have to do what is right for us and our dog. For my family it came down to looking honestly at how hard we wanted to be able to work our dog. I did not want to worry that our jogging, biking, hiking and hopefully future agility activities (things that are necessary to have a happy V) will result in a more painful later life. I want him to calm down due to exercise, but not slow down due to joint pain. Just know that because you can't SEE the changes caused now doesn't mean that there are none. Remember, every organization with a webpage out there has an agenda to promote...think about how that agenda does or does not match your and your dogs lifestyle and needs. Good luck with your choices, it certainly isn't an easy choice. 

I should also say, no matter when you do it, I am pretty proud that we have become a pro-neutering society. It was pretty clear when he was a year old and people around us started making comments about him and his big old balls. I did feel some pressure to explain why he still had them.


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## jberenyi (Nov 23, 2010)

My Rusty is now 12 months and I understand the peer pressure issue from others. People always ask why he's not fixed yet and I reply back "Why aren't you?" But that's another story. Today he was scheduled for his fix but I have mixed feelings and will probably cancel. I don't have a problem having it done I just don't want it done too soon and I would feel better at 14 months to have it done to make sure as most studies point out.


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## Kobi (Oct 26, 2010)

Haha, Kobi is my first dog so I never knew how socially unacceptable it was to not have your dog fixed  I have got some unexpected reactions though. The other day I took him to visit some friends at my fraternity (all about 20-21 years old), and one of the guys was letting him climb all over him. Then someone pointed out that his little ginger nuts were rubbing on his shirt and they all started freaking out. I thought it was pretty funny... I guess I am used to it but it's not like they are slimy or anything! Apparently some people are really bothered by ginger nuts!


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## Linescreamer (Sep 28, 2010)

I would ignore them. Fixing a dog would be like resetting a broken bone. No reason to break a dog.


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## OttosMama (Oct 27, 2011)

So I know this is a very old thread - but I figured I'd share my experience thus far and also raise the subject for those with young puppies to have a read.

People CONSTANTLY ask my boyfriend and I if we are going fix, snip, neuter, or alter Otto. When I say that I haven't decided but I will wait until I am sure i feel comfortable, people will usually respond "why?!"

To be honest, until I come across concrete evidence that it would be beneficial to Otto's health to have him neutered - I won't neuter him. However, I have found it's less of a headache to refrain from listing the reasons why. I find it's a pretty touchy subject for some and I feel it's a personal choice. However, it's troubling for me that people comply based on advice from their vet or mainstream practices. I am not judging those that routinely neuter their pups based on those reasons. I'd be a hypocrite if that was the case. I fully intended on having Otto neutered until I was advised to look into it by those with opposing views. What troubles me is that people don't even consider that what they are _told_ may not be entirely true or based on scientific evidence. 

Redbirddog has some informative articles on his blog that address numerous studies that find neutering/spaying has detrimental effects on our dogs' health/behavior. Definitely worth a look. Others have commented on his posts with additional links to studies that have similar conclusions. 

Kobi - I thought the same thing today about people thinking dogs' testicles must have some sort of grimy film or ooze a nasty substance. A co-worker told me that his girlfriend saw a picture I posted on Facebook and was disgusted! She told him to tell me to cut those things off!!








More people have approached me about that picture and Otto's balls! So bizarre to me! Why shouldn't they be there?!


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

OttosMama said:


> More people have approached me about that picture and Otto's balls! So bizarre to me! Why shouldn't they be there?!


Leaving a dog intact is so alien to people these days with how much the HSUS pushes spay and neuter. I guess I'm fortunate that females don't look obviously intact unless they are in heat. : You should tell them if you wanted a dog without balls you would have bought a female!  

The best-behaved male Vs I have met have all been intact.


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## SteelCityDozer (Aug 25, 2011)

Ottosmama - what I find interesting about that photo is that I didn't even notice his manhood the first time I saw it on here. I only noticed after another comment was made which highlighted it. 

Anyhow, about the topic. Our Dozer is neutered, we waited until 14 months. We have our reasons for doing it but it doesn't matter to me what others decide. But I will tell you waiting as long as we did I certainly faced a lot of opinions on the topic. I don't want to say people should keep their opinions to themselves, otherwise Otto would be neutered already, right? But opinions could be presented in a tactful way and should provide reasoning. Not just outlandish remarks. 

I will also say that I felt horrible after Dozers boys were gone. I mean HORRIBLE. Really second guessed whether I made the right choice and it was too late to change it. However even though it still tugs at me at times I know we did the right thing for us. I guess what I'm saying is I'm glad you're waiting to make sure you do the right thing. I'm not sure if you have any qualms about leaving him intact but If I'm not mistaken vasectomys can be done on dogs too, as opposed to castration.


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## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

Would it be extremely odd to print out index cards with valid info/points about why you haven't neutered Otto? Just hand out the card when there are questions and tell them to have a good day. It's a thought at least. 

Around 8 months I got a lot of questions about neutering Oso, but lately very few and the one's that have asked me have been open to listening/learning. One person said that she thought the only people who didn't neuter their dogs were irresponsible owners, but it was obvious that Oso was well trained and taken care of and she was curious about my reasoning, but suspected I had a good reason (huh - interesting!). I think now that Oso wears his little ruffwear vest to the dog park, we get less questions. Maybe they assume he is in training or needs to remain unneutered for some "official" reason. Either way, I'm happy for the decrease in asking, but have a standard answer about bone growth/hormones/and high activity dogs.


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## OttosMama (Oct 27, 2011)

Threefsh - Good one! lol... speaking of females, I didn't bring this up earlier, but one woman posted a link to a study that links the possession of ovaries (that might be a weird way to say it!  ) and a dog's longevity! 

SteelcityDozer - I completely believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, which is probably why it irks me when I have been ridiculed (on occasion) for our choice! What I find disturbing, just in general, is when people aren't even open to listening why we have chosen not to neuter as of yet. Mostly everyone asks what my vet says or they will add "they say dogs that aren't neutered will become aggressive or get cancer..." When I explain what I've read indicates that there are also negative effects that come along with neutering/spaying (then I get into fearfulness/bone cancer/tendency to become overweight etc) you'd think I had ten heads! Some have asked "where did you read that... _online_?" So I ask, "where did you read your information?"

Anyhow - thank you for the advice! I'm sorry to hear that you had a tough time with it :-[ I agree, you have to do what works best for you. We have been close to deciding to have it done based on our own convenience, or the inconvenience that comes along with having an unneutered dog. We don't have family or close friends that we believe would be able to handle Otto - which makes vacationing/long work days much more difficult. Luckily, we may have found a day care that takes intact dogs! fingers crossed that it all works out!

Luv2Laugh - that's not a bad idea ha ha  

It's funny you say that about irresponsible owners - sometimes I think people might wonder if I don't want to neuter because of the cost! PS. I think Oso looks so adorable in his Ruffvest... and very official!  We don't get bombarded with question on a daily bases or anything... it's usually from family (I have a BIG family!)/friends or people in the doggy world, like trainers, and way back when, our daycare.

PS. not saying that these studies are the end all be all --- just that they're being done and their results negate the conventional reasons to have your dog spayed/neutered (other than decreasing unwanted pregnancies of course!)


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## Aimless1 (Sep 25, 2011)

This is a personal choice as every owner is unique and make the right decision for them. 

That being said i was taken aback when I took Nitro to a new vet at 4 months and one of the first questions was when we planned on getting him neutered. An interesting discussion ensued that she clearly hadn't planned on ... including the ethics of implying he should be neutered as well as the need. I personally view this behavior in the same vein as lawyers trolling for law suits by advertising. Self serving.

My 12 yr old Gordon is intact as well as Nitro who turns 9 months old in less than a week. Both are even tempered, non aggressive with either people or other dogs, well behaved and a joy to be around. The Gordon is in great health and the vet marvels over how good he is, especially for his age.

I must look scary  as I've never been challenged or questioned by a stranger about my intact males. But I do get asked a lot of questions as most people don't know what either a Gordon Setter or a Vizsla is. Both are rarely seen and easy on the eye.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

In any case, an intact dog consumes considerably more resources. 
Dog ownership, in general can be offset a little by hiring dog walkers and day care facility services. 
Intact dogs do not easily benefit from these services. 

Only a very few lucky owners can afford the time and resources to keep a dog intact. In our case, we managed to keep our dog intact.

We needed to convince the breeder, convince the vet, and we needed to adjust our time and resources. 
Oddly enough, the choice actually saves us money since we found the spare time by shifting our priorities. 
The breeder was actually happy we can take "good" care of one of her dogs. 
While the vet was a nightmare, we needed to prove Sam doesn't hump inappropriately or mark indoors. 

Consider this. We cannot go to dog parks since all attending dogs need to be fixed. Most Vs we met are fixed and the owners are not too eager of Sam's company... We may need to take up hunting or nosework just to give him a job other than walking and marking trees and bushes :-[


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