Spaying - after one season or after two seasons?

[aspayisnotaspay]

Hi all, I'd really appreciate some advice on when would be best to spay my female dog. She's 12 months old and weighs 5 kg. She had her first season 3 months ago, so now is the time that our vets recommend spaying her for all of the health benefits. However, the behaviourist we've been working with recommends waiting until she has had at least two, if not three, seasons and said that after one season they are still basically unstable teenagers and spaying now would mean freezing her in that state?

I'm really conflicted and would appreciate any advice. I know for larger dogs it's recommended to wait until the dog is older for bone development, but my understanding younger dogs are physically developed by 12 months? I know most of the health benefits of spaying seem to decrease as the number of seasons a dog has increases.

My other concern is behavioural. She has been quite reactive to bikes and push chairs and dogs since she was around 6 months old. She is friendly and easy-going with people but is very clingy, it's just on walks she gets scared of things that move past her and she will bark at them. I've working with a behaviourist on this but progress has been very slow. I'm worried that spaying now will mean this behaviour will be permanent?

I'm waiting until after the second season to give my bitch time to fully mature.

I'm worried that spaying now will mean this "behaviour will be permanent?"

It won't , but I'd hold off till after the 2nd season so the behaviourist can't chuck all the blame for evermore on the vet ;-)

You might as well sit tight till after the second heat anyway- you'd be vv unlucky to get a pyo this young, and there's probably not a massive extra risk of future mammary tumours having had 2 seasons vs 1.

I agree with one of the other posters, @powershowerforanhour to the extent I would be considering a new ' behaviourist '.

It's been too long since i had a puppy or a young dog that needed neutering.

My female dog the vet did after her first season. She was a large breed dog but that was many years ago.

My male, a Japanese Chin my current Vet ( whom I have now been with for 20+ years ) did not want to neuter him until he was a year old because he was a toy breed.

All the others have been rescues thus already done, with the exception of 2 of the current ones ( private adoption ) they were 2 years old and not neutered, had had seasons so had to wait until their next season then they were done asap - being 2 years old ( before being neutered did not change their behaviour !!!

They bark at big dogs, they esp bark at big black dogs - they bark all the way through the park ( sheer excitement ) until they have toileted and are let off the lead.

edited as there was a new reply whilst I was originally writing my reply

Thanks, everyone. I do think waiting until after a second season might be best... I worry that I'm being selfish by wanting to avoid her having another season as I did find it harder to manage than I was expecting (she's my first female dog). I would walk her around the neighbourhood at very quiet times and I still had a few instances of off-lead dogs running up to her in the pitch black... Luckily she's small enough that I could pick her up, but it's still stressful