What is the best age to neuter?

I nuetered my last males at 12 weeks. Jackson was also nuetered at 12 weeks. The first boy squatted all his life. The second (Hoot) lifts his leg and marks all the time. Hoot is also more aggressive and bolder then the other two.

I have also heard that nuetering that young causes more more growth and a bigger dog (the theory being that energy not wasted on hormonal development goes into mass). Hoot is one of the tallest Aussies I have ever seen and Jackson is a pretty tall 27".

These are only my own observations on a pretty small number of dogs. I think that the individual dogs' genetics and personality probably plays a part too.

They can be neutered as soon as the testes are out. My vet said to wait until six months of age, so if he has his adult teeth coming in and the baby ones haven't come out, they can pull them while he's under.

I always think four to six months is ideal, but I had a poodle years ago that I got neutered after he was a year old.

I believe it's a myth that neutering them early stops them from lifting their legs; they do that as much to avoid peeing on themselves as for marking.

This is just the way I feel. I would not neuter until nine or ten months so the dogs has a chance to grow muscle and be all he can be before you neuter. I waited to do my Whippet until he was fourteen months old and he is solid and muscular.. I have seen dogs who have been done at six weeks, and they are all lean and leggy and all seem to look the same. The males look like females the females look like males. This is just my opinion.

ArreauStandardPoodle said:

This is just the way I feel. I would not neuter until nine or ten months so the dogs has a chance to grow muscle and be all he can be before you neuter. I waited to do my Whippet until he was fourteen months old and he is solid and muscular.. I have seen dogs who have been done at six weeks, and they are all lean and leggy and all seem to look the same. The males look like females the females look like males. This is just my opinion.

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This is what I want to do if I get a male pup. He's going to be a working dog (game retrieving) so I need body over leg, if that makes sense.

I appreciate the input...

I think this is something you should discuss w/ your breeder. Did you buy your dogs on a spay/neuter contract? If so, I think that trumps everything else, unless your breeder is willing to amend the contract.

I personally think waiting is better when it comes to larger dogs and really any breed that is prone to HD. B/c dogs neutered at an early age tend to grow differently, it can affect their joints. Again this is where your breeder will come in b/c when to neuter can depend on the general adult size of dogs in that bloodline and when those dogs tend to mature. Some lines mature faster and/or stay smaller, so there would be no problem neutering at 9 months. Other lines might need 18-24 months to fully mature.

I waited till Mister was 12 months old.

Sadly Elphie just came into her first heat =\
at only 7mo old I thought that was REALLY early, so instead of being spayed next week it'll have to wait a while the vet told me to call back when shes out of her heat...

I thought a standard poodle didn't come into their first heat until after a year old...or is that a common misconception?

All of lines are different, but rule of thumb (and has been the case with every female I have ever lived with) the first heat is usally around nine months and then every six months after that. I have heard of lines where the girls first heat is at a year and one a year after that. I havee also heard of girls who come into heat every three months (oHHHGAWD!!!!!)

We definitely weren't expecting it this early, we took her into be spayed today and the vet came in for a check up and was like...I can't do it shes going into heat v.v;
she isn't spotting yet ((thank gawd)) shes just swelled >.<

We're all just so flabbergasted that she went into heat the week she was going to get spayed...convenient timing on her hormones end
((next spoo I get is DEFINITELY a male!!))

Coco was around 16 weeks and Aoki was around 6 months and she went into heat pretty early. Olie had a hyrnia so his was done very early.

I have heard so many different things on this...

I have had dogs done as young as 8 weeks and I personally feel it should be done between 4 and 6 months.

That's odd they would not spay Elphie while in heat, our Vet charges a little more when in heat but has never told me to wait.

Purple Poodle said:

I have had dogs done as young as 8 weeks and I personally feel it should be done between 4 and 6 months.

That's odd they would not spay Elphie while in heat, our Vet charges a little more when in heat but has never told me to wait.

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Yeah...she was like "I don't females when they're in heat we can schedule you for the week after she gets out of her heat"...but they're stupid busy so I don't know when she'll be spayed v.v;

Fonzie was neutered at 6 months, the earliest that my vet would do it. This was due to anesthesia concerns he has. He doesn't like putting small dogs under at too early an age.

Keithsomething said:

Yeah...she was like "I don't females when they're in heat we can schedule you for the week after she gets out of her heat"...but they're stupid busy so I don't know when she'll be spayed v.v;

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I would not spay until six weeks after her heat ends. My vet says their blood vessels are enlarged, etc. and it makes it dangerous.

Purple Poodle said:

I have had dogs done as young as 8 weeks and I personally feel it should be done between 4 and 6 months.

That's odd they would not spay Elphie while in heat, our Vet charges a little more when in heat but has never told me to wait.

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We will spay bitches while they are in season, but we don't recommend it. Surgery is always a risk, but when a bitch is in season there is more of a risk for bleeding and complications. Personally, I would not spay a bitch in season and would wait at least a month after she is completely out before doing surgery.

As for age of neuter, I won't neuter my boys until they are at least a year (as long as they behave themselves!) - Vinnie will be at least 15 months before he is neutered. If you neuter/spay before growth plates are closed, you can get a bit more height (which Vinnie does NOT need :biggrin. Also, dogs that are neutered early tend to look leggy and out of proportion.