NEUTER QUESTION!!!!!!!

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

Hey guys! i have a question.. i have a 6 month old goldendoodle puppy.. i have posted before about his mouthing issues and nipping my husband and i. my husband wanted to wait to neuter him until about 1 year old.. because he heard it can stunt his growth and the size of his head. but this mouthing thing is driving us crazy! does neutering a puppy calm them down a little? is that really true? what was your personal experiance? thanks xoxo

[Amy & Cosmo]

We were debating waiting a year too, but I'm glad we got Cosmo neutered at 6 months. He has calmed down tremendously. He was a serious mouther and would run and jump on me when playing, and now he is like a different dog. I don't know if the change would have happened naturally as he got older, but we are pleased with the outcome.

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

Thank u that is a relief!! how old is cosmo now? Is he and F1? have u read my mouthing posts? i mean midas is not joke..he is playing..but its constant.. he prefers my arms and hands over anything..except a bullystick lol..there really is not stopping him tho! :(

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Lucy was a big mouther the first 4-6 months. We'd wipe her feet when she came back indoors and she bit me something terrible time and time again. My hands were quite a mess. Eventually over the months she just grew out of it. Now she lifts each foot for me to wipe. This doesn't help with your question of neutering (Lucy was spayed at 6 months), and I really don't know if there's any correlation beteween neutering and nipping or spaying and nipping, but I do think puppies in general nip a lot and it can go on well after their adult teeth come in. As I said, Lucy just grew out of  it.

[Jen, Lachlan, and Declan]

It's a good question. All I can give you is my experience and opinions, and hope it helps in some way.

Okay, there's a good amount of solid research that demonstrates that waiting on neutering does settle the growth plates appropriately so that IF your dog is genetically disposed to get the broad head and chest he will (there's a lot more to it than that; I'm oversimplifying) but with the poodle genes there's no guarantee of that anyway. On the other hand, if your male pup is driving you nuts neutering is (in my opinion) always a good option.

Mouthing is natural, especially in retrievers, but it can be exacerbated by an excess of testosterone simply because that seems to drive an excess of energy. Holding off on neutering is a personal decision (again, in my opinion) but neutering can help settle him down sooner (in my experience).

My guys are, I think, a good example: I held off until a year on Lachlan because the dood had no overt signs of testosterone (I call him my metro-boy). Declan, on the other hand, was already lifting his leg at 5 months and is my "land on it and see what happens" pup so when my vet asked when I wanted to do him I tossed her the leash and said "now's good."

Yes, generally speaking neutering does help calm a male puppy faster (and certainly makes the "terrible twos" a bit easier to manage). It's not a miracle cure, though. I'd also suggest that getting Midas to a trainer ASAP is in order. I'll echo what others have said in other discussions you started on the same topic: Neuter, exercise, and a trainer.

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

wow thank u very much! this was very informative and helpful! and when u said Lachlan is ur "metro boy" i literally laughed out loud! lol.. i know neutering wont do a miracle...but any bit of help i can get right now would be great! lol.. Midas is in puppy obediance class and is the best in his class!..hopefully he turns out to be the snuggly sweet boy i wanted lol.. also..he hasnt learned how to lift his leg yet.. i hope he learns before we neuter him lol.. i dont want him peeing like a girl for ever... haha.. his neuter appt is november 30th..so he will be about 8 months old.. thats the soonest my vet had! :( wish me luck until then lol

[Callie, Jake & Elijah]

I am the new Mom to Baby Jake, a Goldendoodle boy, and a new member of Doodle Kisses. I am glad to see this conversation but I have the reverse situation. Jake was neutered at 8wks. by the breeders choice. He is a very calm, sweetheart of a pup and we are (so far) not having any big puppy issues. I have heard that neutering to soon could harm the puppy or affect his growth rate. Thought that early neuter would be a good thing and that we might avoid the marking stages later as well as any male aggression. Do I need to be concerned? Does anyone have information or experiences with this?

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

i am actually good friends with my vet and she did say that neutering before him could effect the size of the dogs head...but in the doodle breeds its not really noticed because of all the hair..but as for a breed like a pitbull it may be slightly noticeable.. she only mentioned this because my husband asked her about how it effects his size.. of course my husband wants the biggest doodle lol.. but i have heard it is best to neuter the dog after 6 months..  PS welcome to doodlekisses! :)

 

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Most of the breeders in our area desex the puppy before it goes home at 8 weeks. Its rare to find one that doesn't (Lucy's breeder was an exception, as she allowed us to have it done at 6 months). I'm not sure what their reasoning is, if they don't trust a vet's certificate as proof, or what. It seems awfully young to me too, but we don't have a lot of choice around here. We're actually considering a 2nd doodle, and early neutering would be the case.