[*Brady*]

Hi guys
I know this topic has probably been covered over and over, but I wanted to get some fresh opinions. I just scheduled Brady's neutering for November 6. He'll be 6 months old, exactly when the vet recommended it. As soon as I scheduled it, I got online and started reading all kinds of negative things about early neutering. I know it's a hot topic, but I'm curious to hear some opinions, and if you neutered early, do you wish you had waited? Most of what I'm reading says to wait until at least a year........why does my vet suggest 6 months?? :uhoh:

Thanks for your help and patience even though this has been discussed before!

 

[missmarstar]

I believe waiting until 18-24 months old is ideal for neutering a male dog. I think most vets will advocate early spay/neuter because a lot of pet owners are not responsible enough to keep their intact dog from running loose and impregnating an intact female.

 

[jwemt81]

I believe waiting until 18-24 months old is ideal for neutering a male dog. I think most vets will advocate early spay/neuter because a lot of pet owners are not responsible enough to keep their intact dog from running loose and impregnating an intact female.

Ditto. I also very firmly believe in waiting until 18-24 months. At 6 months, they just aren't even close to being physically mature yet. There is usually a big physical difference between dogs who were neutered at around 6 months and dogs who weren't neutered until they were at least 18 months. If you wait, the dog will most likely develop a nice full head and will fill out more appropriately than he would if you had him neutered now. I have pictures of Tucker's brother who was neutered at 7 months and Tucker (still intact at almost 15 months) is much more developed than his brother and has a blockier head and fuller chest. His brother looks much lankier than he does. We definitely won't be neutering until at least February when Tucker will be 18 months. I believe that the advantages of waiting to neuter far outweigh doing it at 6 months. I am very glad that we have waited.

 

[*Brady*]

Thank you for your opinion, the filling out is one of my concerns...would you be willing to share the picture comparisons with me? Thanks!

 

[Penny & Maggie's Mom]

Some breeders even require you to wait until the growth plates are closed, which means the 18-24 months.

 

[jwemt81]

Thank you for your opinion, the filling out is one of my concerns...would you be willing to share the picture comparisons with me? Thanks!

I can! I just have to go through my old email to find it!

 

[*Brady*]

Yeah I've read that, my breeder recommended 6-9 months, but asked that we do it by 20 months. I'm thinking I might wait

 

[Pointgold]

I strongly encourage that owners wait until between 18-24 months to neuter.

 

[Bossoli]

Good for you for doing your research! I don't intend to ever have a dog neutered before he's at least 18 months old. I think it's important that the body has a chance to fully develop before it is deprived of sex hormones. This is my personal choice and I wouldn't encourage someone else to do the same unless it was right for them. It's not a good idea to hold off on neutering a dog if it's not within your power to ensure he can be kept secure and away from females in season, to avoid unplanned breeding.

It's standard procedure for vets to recommend that dogs are neutered at six months of age. Most, however, will understand, if you explain your reasoning for wanting to wait. Personally, I'd refuse to do business with a vet who didn't see eye to eye with me on this issue, as well as nutrition and vaccines.

 

[Tanyac]

Ditto to everything above. Our male Obi was 18 months. The only thing I would say is that he is still interested in my bitch when she comes into season, something I doubt would be happening if he hadn't reached maturity when he was neutered.

I definitely would wait, he'll be much better off for it

 

[jwemt81]

Here they are! The second picture is Tucker's brother and the first one is Tucker. The dogs were around 9 months old in these photos. (They were both taken in the same week if I remember correctly.) The brother was neutered around 7 months and Tucker is still intact. You can see quite a difference in the 2 boys as far as size and how much more Tucker had filled out by that point than his brother had.

 

[Oaklys Dad]

My Oakly was neutered at six months and Caue was neutered at 18 months. Caue has a much more developed head that Oakly. I wish I had waited with Oakly. I love them both but Oakly often is mistaken for a female because of his lighter build.

 

[Willow52]

I just had this conversation with our vet last week. He asked if I was planning to neuter Hank at 6 months, I told him no, I was waiting until he was at least 18 months, unless there is a behavior issue that arises, so he could fully mature. He agreed and dropped the subject.

 

[missmarstar]

I think most vets will realize that if you have taken the time to do research and know about the benefits of waiting til maturity to neuter your dog, that you are probably a more responsible pet owner and therefore more likely to take the extra precautions necessary when owning an intact dog.

 

[Susan6953]

According to my contract I was supposed to have Jamie neutered between 12 and 13 months but I have been waiting. I figure the Canadian Mounties have enough to do; they aren't going to come down here and seize him because I broke the contract. He is 15 months now and I am planning to take him in in a couple of weeks because he has started humping everything in site.

 

[gold4me]

My breeder said not to neuter Gambler until he was at least 18 months.

 

[Jax's Mom]

My 6 month old, Jax, was neutered before I rescued him at 3 months. I think his pics pretty much show he is filling out well. He is now abot 18" adn 48 lbs.

 

[Mighty Casey and Samson's Mom]

I think that most vets want to neuter at 6 months. I just tell my vet that I prefer to wait until he has matured and bones have finished developing. They have been fine with this for both of my dogs. I have seen very "leggy" males who have been neutered as early as 3 months. They do need the hormones to develop normally.

 

[momtoMax]

My vet, as much as I adore her, disagree on this count. She thinks Max should have been neutered at 6 months. I personally am glad I didn't let her opinion pressure me to do it as he has grown into himself so much. He will be getting it done between 18 and 24 months and I am very happy with my decision.

 

[NuttinButGoldens]

My vote is for 18-24 months. In fact, Gilmour's guarantee is void if it's done earlier than that.