Neutering

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

Hello! I am fairly new to DK so I'm sorry if this topic is old and tired. I was wondering when
you neutered your dog and why? Yeti is my first dog and we are going to get him fixed. Our breeder recommended as early as 4-5 months. I have read pro's and con's of doing it right away (to avoid hormones and aggression) and waiting (to make sure his hormones are completely developed in order to make sure his body fills out properly). What are your opinions? Obviously I will consult my vet I was just curious what route you went and would you do it again?

[Helga, Nimbus, Sierra, Clooney]

I would definitely wait until at least 6 months. Longer if it's a large dog. They need the hormones for their bones to grow properly. Also you are risking a narrowed urethra if it's done too young.

[Theresa Nieman]

You know, people say Ask your vet. Yet, every vet has a different opinion. Some say early, some say late, some say it doesn't matter, some say it is a vital decision.  I don't know what the answer is.  I guess you just have to close your eyes and point your finger at an age.

[Amy and Annabelle]

My vet wouldn't do it before 6 months and 9 months for large dogs. I had Annabelle done at 6 months. She is a mini and felt she would be going into her first heat soon. I did not want to deal with that. Since we live in the country, I didn't want her to attract every in tact male dog within a 3 mile radius, and be attacked while on a potty walk in the back yard.

I had a male mini schnauzer years ago. I had him fixed at a year. It never helped alleviate his marking or humping behaviors. I always wondered if I waited too late.

But strictly from a health standpoint, it would be better to wait until at least 6 months.

[Diane D]

Hi, Our vet presented us with both sides of the issue and told us it was up to us. There are pros and cons. Pleased be advised that if you wait much past 7 months you will encounter the first heat and with a female that is very messy. Our Roxy would not wear diapers so we had to constantly wipe up the bloody drippings for 3-4 weeks. The other person who mentioned that each vet had their own opinion is correct. Vets are not united on what's best.

The most important thing is that you do get your dog neutered. It makes for a calmer, dog and keeps the pet population down. 

[Laura and Angus]

We had our boy neutered at 6 months and we don't regret it at all. He didn't quiet get old enough to fully develop any humping, marking, or roaming behaviors, which was good. It was, however, challenging to keep him mostly still for the two weeks after the visit to let the stitches heal, but it was an otherwise easy process and I'm glad we got it over with earlier rather than waiting... 

[Kamela & Beckett]

I second Laura's response. We had our Beckett neutered right at 6 months (but he's a "moyen" at 11 months, he's 31 lbs., so he's not a full size doodle). We avoided all of the behaviors Laura mentioned and the surgery was uneventful. We struggled too to keep a very active puppy quiet, but other than that. It also seemed to help calm him down a bit.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Precious puppy! I would wait longer if your pup will be a standard than if it is a smaller doodle. You want bone growth to pretty much be completed.

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

Thank you all! I love to read your input and experiences!

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

Thank you all! We are going to our second vet check up next week and we'll talk to our vet then :)

[charlotte bednarsh]

Hi All,

I am actually just joining this group, as I will be getting a standard labradoodle puppy in October;  When I joined DK almost 6 years ago, I was the mom of a beautiful standard Labradoodle, Paz, who became a Pet Partners Therapy dog in 2011 and for 4 years, provided support to young crime victims; in November 2015, my beloved Paz was diagnosed with a deadly form of lymphoma and last week, after 6 months of intensive treatment, Paz crossed the rainbow bridge.  Needless to say, my heart is breaking; I'm going to get a standard labradoodle in October, and based upon Paz's oncologist;s recommendations, I will wait until the puppy is older (9 months to a year) to spay/neuter.  It is my understanding that extensive research is drawing a link between ESN and the early onset of cancer and bone disorders in young dogs.   The labradoodle breeder I have selected is a breeder member of the ALAA and ALCA which mandates ESN for its breeder members, however, my breeder is opposed to this because of the research indicating its potential negative effects; to get around this my breeder will do a partial spay/neuter in which a vasectomy is done on the male puppies, and a partial hysterectomy on the female dogs in which the uterus is removed, but the ovaries remain intact so the hormone production is not disturbed.  The owner can opt to complete the spay/neuter when the puppy is older.   Based upon what happened to my beloved Paz who was neutered at 7 weeks, I am going to do everything to minimize my risk factors of a puppy developing cancer at a young age or joint problems.

[Dee & Chappie]

Hi all,  I certainly am not an expert, but have had many dogs over the years.   When I saw that some breeders neuter as very young pups, I just was amazed.  But, since all the breeders I have ever dealt with loved their dogs and wanted the very best parents for their pups, I decided they knew what they were doing.  We neutered our very large yellow lab at 11 months, and he was a beautiful specimin, large bones, never a hip issue.  He lived until 13 plus.   Our NEW 7 month old mini ALD came to us un-neutered from a very small breeder, she had me sign contract to neuter him at 6 months.   There were some early signs that he may start humping, so we neutered him at 5 months, which seems to be perfect for him.   He is a rather calm pup to start with, and the stitches didn't seem to bother him after 3 days, so the cone came off.  ( Hopefully we made the right decision and we won't have health issues down the road), there is no humping, no aggresive behavior, etc.   I am sure what your and your vet decide will be fine for your dog.  

[Mary ann & Lincoln]

We waited until Lincoln was 18 months old based on our vet.  He had some bone issues when he was younger and she wanted to be sure he was fully grown.  she had recommended 1 yr initially since he is a bigger dog - about 60 lbs. 

 a hint For once you have the neutering done - I had gotten an inflatable collar -  it did not work.  the cone of shame lasted 1 hr - he just sat there and whined!   I saw on line to get boys undies.

 I got a 6 pack of boys underwear and cut a hole in the back for his tail and slipped them on!  he could not get to the incision.  You have ot take them off for potty breaks but not hard at all!   Much more comfortable then those collars.

 Oh he never really marked his territory but it has helped the humping at the dog park and he is somewhat calmer too.