Neutering

[welshdaisy]

Hi everyone. I don't post much but was hoping for a bit of advice. We have a puppy and have never had pets before... he's almost 6 months old, great little thing and has adjusted well. I took him to the vet the other day due to anal glands and when the vet nurse brought him out she asked was I planning on neutering. It's always been my plan but was planning to wait until he's about 1 year old. The vet nurse said it's not a good idea to wait and now they're up and running doing routine operations that she thinks it would be a good idea to consider having him done fairly soon if I do want him done. She wasn't pushy as such but I as I don't really know my stuff, I felt I should be taking her advice. I've googled like mad and it's all very conflicting. So I thought I'd ask some opinions on when people think it's the best time? He's not aggressive, but does hump a little bit now and then..

What breed? Larger breeds apparently stay healthier if they are intact. We haven’t neutered our large breed dog, but our friends with small breed dogs have neutered. Do your research and talk to an unbiased vet.

Humping can be behavioural and is ‘t always fixed by neutering, you need to deal with that now regardless.

I think that it depends on the breed of dog. At least thats what my vet told me. The larger the breed the later they recommend neutering.
I have labs and they vet recommended 18 months at the earliest to neuter.

Hi. He's a Chipoo, which a cross between a chihuahua and a poodle :)

Hi @Perch we do distract him when he starts to hump. He doesn't do it very often either :)

My dog wasnt done until he was nearly three. We had many arguments about it as my OH wanted him left intact. However he was a nightmare, used to not be able to enjoy a walk without scenting everything, he humped males and females dogs. Humped my friends when they came in. Two weeks after being done it stopped. He has been a calmer dog since too. Wish I had done it when he was younger..

My vet recommended waiting until we knew he was fully grown and as he was quite submissive, leaving him as long as we felt comfortable , to let him gain confidence. He was 3, and we only had it done as he was very much a target for every neutered male around to snarl at. We live in the suburbs, and there was a lot of snarling. ( he’s black too and apparently that makes it worse)
Anyway, my point is, don’t let them rush you. Let him grow and have the benefit of those hormones.
It certainly s

I would follow the advice of the vet, but also let them know you don’t plan to use him for breeding, as they might say he can wait.

Personally, I would wait until the dog was physically and emotionally mature. Testosterone does more than just sex - it is important for good bone growth, strong joints, confidence etc. In a Chi or similar, that would be somewhere between 18-24 months but I would base it on the specific dog and when I felt they had done maturing.

Humping in a young dog is often linked to over arousal (excitement) and play. I would simply distract for now. The less chances he has for it to become habit now, the easier it is to 'fix' later if he doesn't grow out of it.

Sorry, I meant I would wait AT LEAST until then - not that I would definately neuter at 18-24 months.

The daycare I am planning to send my pup to won’t accept a dog over 6 months unless they are neutered - I presumed there must be a strong basis for this as otherwise they wouldn’t be able to stand over a rule like that that would damage dogs?

@Maestro7 My guess is they are protecting their own interests as they don't want a pregnancy on their hands but also don't want to have to police intact dogs and bitches. Bitches typically are not spayed until they've had a first season so are impregnatable for a while before spaying. The say 6 months because that means most dogs will not be sexually mature yet.

Plus the link between early neutering and 'damage' is complicated and complex and not easily boiled down to a simple rule - which is why many owners struggle with the decision. But that's difficult for a daycare to apply because it's not a single, universal rule. So they coose the six month rule because that, at least, covers the risk of pregnancy.

@SharkasticRhymes thanks for the information. It is a tough one though as I think my dog would really suffer home alone all day (even if say a dog walker called in once or twice) so we’re being forced to choose between that and having to neuter maybe before dog is ready. I must discuss it with my vet and see what he thinks.

It's a minefield but all any of us can do is research and make the best decision we can, considering our own specific dog and circumstances. Good luck!

The daycare thing seems to be really common. Our chap is only 10 weeks so we have a little while to go before we need to think about this but come October when we are both out the house all day several days a week we had planned to use a great small local daycare on a small holding - perfect as 5 mins up the road. They have the must be neutered rule and so we have realised that we will either have to pay a dog walker to come in several times a day or get him done really early. It's forcing our hand which is horrible as if it's better for the dog to wait then I'd rather do that.
DH has said if it comes to it he will investigate the option of taking the dog to work with him for a few months, just until he's older and done growing if the vet recommends it. It's all a minefield as I've previously had cats so they were all booked in at 4 months, no debate required!