How young is too young to spay & neuter?

I'd like to see more options like vasectomies open to dog owners, but I think they would generally be a bad idea in rescues. Most people can barely train dogs as it is. Yes, absolutely, one can train around hormones. People prove it all the time. But the average person is going to have the dog mark in the house, and return it for "not being able to be housebroken", or have their dog getting distracted by scents and taking off or just ignoring them, and get frustrated and decide to return them. It may be a sad fact that most people can't/won't work around those issues, but it does remain a fact. People here are not the average owner, for the most part.

I got lucky with Gusto and was able to do as I liked as far as neutering him, because I knew the rescuer. I know some rescues who will make exceptions for dogs going into sport homes where they know the adopter. I will have avenues available to me for future rescue dogs - although since I never want a puppy again, and most dogs come into rescue intact, it may never be an issue for me!

Does ABCA still allow dogs to be cross registered into AKC? I know the Canadian border collie club doesn't anymore - or AKC doesn't allow it. I'm not sure which made that decision. But my friend, who got her older BC into AKC intact wound up having to neuter her younger one and ILP him, since the studbook had closed or the rules changed or something.

Around 2 - 3 for females if it HAD to be done. Not at all for males.

Simply because I don't plan on showing Katalin and since they are such a big dog, periods can get...messy to say the least. For purposes of simple convenience and a male dog in the house (in the future) I'll be altering Katalin in the not so near future.

lol I was trying to rip one of Meg's off one night, because they do stick out a bit and I thought it was a flea.

Lord, I'm lucky that is a good natured dog!

I did that only I thought it was a weird skin colored scab. When it didn't come off I convinced myself it was cancer and took her to the vet. lol

The vet was nice enough to not laugh in my face but I couldn't pay and get out of there fast enough.

I thought one of Z's nipples was a tick...yea, I'm glad she's tolerant, too, lol.

Agreeing with earlier posts - for rescues, dogs need to be sterilized before going home, even if it's really young, just because compliance with voucher programs and the like is so poor (estimated at 30% last I checked). Sucks, but it's a necessary evil imo.

Snipe's getting spayed after this heat. I still may show Aeri in conformation for funsies so she'll be intact a while longer. If heat wasn't messy and precluded trialling in most sports I'd prob keep her intact until the risk of pyo went up, but the inconvenience really does play a role in the decision to spay her.

For any future rescue dogs I'm going to discuss vasectomizing (I'm planning for a male) instead of neutering if he's under 2yo. I just think it's the best of both worlds!

Too funny!

Right now we have a great dane at work and he's nine months, those have not 'filled in' yet so he does look a bit odd. Last month we had a very blonde golden that was 'gifted' in that department and the skin was almost black, just looked like one of those truck dingleberrys..... odd.

I have longhaired dogs for a reason. One great benefit is that you don't see that kind of stuff at all.

Eh, I didn't have to didn't watch Sally's food intake until this year, and she just turned 8, so that's not too bad. Jack was altered at a year and can eat a LOT without gaining too much weight. We actually had to stop feeding him premade raw because we just couldn't afford to feed him as much as he needed to eat.

Lab balls don't bother me because they're all furry, but I'm not a fan of testicles on short haired dogs. I also don't like large nipples on dogs. Sally's are small and I'm fine with that. I haven't noticed that her vajay-jay is unusually large, and Jack's junk looks average size....

Honestly though, the last thing I'm thinking of when deciding at what age to neuter is what size my dog's penis will end up being....

ROFL. I feel the same way. I'm super glad Knox has "pants" because otherwise I'd catch hell walking around town for having him intact. Because people don't have anything better to do I guess.

I've noticed that too!!

I don't mind when they're not there, at all really. Ozzy was done at 14 months old, after some aggression issues and marking in the house (seriously, this dog must have a death wish. He walked in my mothers room and lifted his leg on her duvet. In front of her. He was neutered the week after that. )

But from, er, behind I guess, he looks sexless, so I do understand how that could be weird. He's fuzzy enough in the pants department that it's not a huge issue, and he lost his "man purse" not long after he was neutered. That's the bit I hate. Wish the vets would do like, a scrotum tuck or something. But his other junk looks normal. He is a racily built dog, but I don't know how much of that is genetics or neutering at 14 months. He'd stopped growing around 10 months old though. He did put on muscle, but no height after that.

lmfao. Really, when they're HUGE and just sort of, swinging around, and the dog is short coated and there's nothing to really hide their balls, I think they look ridiculous. But that could be because the majority of dogs I see have been neutered as fast as their owners could have it done it seems like.

Most people in the city have like, this huge fear of testicles and girly bits. Like if you wait too long, they're going to f*cking EXPLODE everywhere. I laugh, but it makes me sad when everyone blames natural bits for causing problems with behavior like jumping and mouthing. "Oh, he's seven months old? Intact???! And he's herding the children? MUST BE HIS BALLS!!!"

This was a very very cute border collie boy who wanted to come to daycare and ended up talking to another owner in the lobby. That's usually where I step in with an "ACTUALLY..."

They love me, I'm sure.

I don't know. For a long time I was of the opinion that waiting longer is better, but was talking to an experienced breeder recently who told me she prefers her pet puppies be altered by a year old and why. There are risks and benefits to both altering early and waiting. My family had most of our dogs growing up spayed around 7 months old and they all matured fine. Took longer probably than if they'd been left intact, but they all had good muscle tone and were lean considering what they got for food and exercise. We've also had dogs spayed later in life, and I really haven't noticed much of a difference between them and the ones who were spayed younger. I think the ones spayed earlier were maybe a little more 'squishy' rather than toned, and also after spaying the older ones, they too lost a bit of muscle tone, but not really enough to be hugely noticeable to me. Their metabolisms certainly did change and they eat a little less food than prior, but are still easy to keep fit and trim.

Males I definitely believe in keeping intact for as long as possible, but it doesn't appear (to me) to make as much of a difference for females. I think most female dogs I ever own, unless I intend to breed one day, will be spayed earlier rather than later (but not pediactrically - I do not believe in that at all). Pyometra really scares me, heats can be messy and are very inconvenient, and I feel bad for them when they experience false pregnancies. So for me it's more enjoyable to live with spayed females. And I've also had the experience of living with a bitch who is way healthier for being spayed. She was full of ovarian cysts, and without spaying her, we'd not have known that. And while they might have been fine, who knows. They could have caused issues down the road. Doctors worry about ovarian cysts in humans, so I imagine it's a risk for dogs too.


And that would be why I like hairy dogs, haha. I like short haired breeds too, but I've gotta say, I hate that everything is so visible on the Dobermans. Most male dogs don't bother me very much, but Keira's hind end in particular really grosses me out sometimes. Everything is just so there for the world to see.

UGH I KNOW RIGHT? No, you do not get to blame your dog's completely non-sexual behavior on his testicles. THAT IS PATENTLY RIDICULOUS.

I threatened to cut Keeva's balls off daily. Nobody told that bitch that girls aren't supposed to hump legs or mark stuff.

ETA: Also Keeva was in lobby briefly with me when she was in heat last, and somebody asked about her panties. When I said she was in heat, the client's face was like . I can only imagine the thoughts racing through her head. "Emily's little Keeva isn't FIXED?! OMG!!!"

LOL rosey and i are going swimming tomorrow at an indoor pool... i wont lie, but if they dont ask, im not telling, when it comes to her being intact

jayson was neutered at 18 months he has behavioral issues i was hoping would be fixed from neutering but he still has the issues. he also has the empty sack swinging around next dog i get will not be fixed.

I never understood that either. That'd be like me blaming my cats love for scratching my couch on his balls. It has nothing to do with it. :/

I don't have an issue at all with metabolism and whatnot with my dogs. Lucy has a little extra padding, but she eats all the things and really doesn't get exercise. But even she is not a sausage and she easily loses weight if minimal effort is put into it.
As for Juno... yeah her body does not know what fat is. She's pretty much solid muscle.

I wouldn't look at a chunky dog and think "if only he were intact." It might be a small factor but would definitely never cross my mind when making the decision to neuter or not.

And alsotoo, my dog is not going to impregnate any bitches with his mind. He's not running at large. He's not in contact with girls in heat. IT WILL ALL BE OK.

I got such a lecture about Steve being intact at the dog club once after Steve bit somebody's big black labby mix who was off leash when she shouldn't have been and rushed him where he was sitting in between my legs behaving himself. He had no out. He is scared of and does not like big dogs. He will bite dogs who get in his face. Sorry. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HIS TESTICLES. It had everything to do with that lady's irresponsible handling of her dog. Oh I was so mad.

Both of my dogs were kept intact a bit longer than "normal", so maybe that is why they haven't had real issues with weight gain. Gusto is still a bundle of bones and muscle without an ounce of fat. Meg was in hard condition for a lot of years. She's not quite as fit now, and is maybe a pound heavier, but she's also nearly 8 and a bit less active than she used to be. I've known obese intact dogs, lean neutered dogs, and everything in between. I definitely think they burn more calories when intact, and of course male hormones in particular promote more muscle mass. I wouldn't use it as a sole reason to keep a dog intact (not that anyone here said that), because I know I can manage their weight/fitness other ways as well.

I agree that intact dogs get a lot of bad behavior blamed on their status, but I get equally frustrated by those who claim it has *zero* affect on behavior. Of course hormones affect behavior. I can give you a visual demonstration every four weeks or so . Or you are welcome to come visit Tristan, who is currently on anabolic steroids - basically male hormones. My delightful, sweet "I'd give a 6 year old this lead rope and know they are safe" horse now gets a shank for handling, has to go only in a certain paddock, and I can safely lead him to the hay meadow for grazing maybe 2 times out of 5. The other times I have a horse putting his front feet in my face.

Particularly with late neuters, some dogs may already have learned behaviors that aren't going to go away without work. And some dogs may just be jerks regardless of hormone status.

I agree.

If you've ever struggled with a dog's weight, when the dog has no thyroid issue, is eating a very small amount of extremely high quality food, and getting tons of exercise, you might look at her and think "if only you were intact." If you haven't, then just count your lucky stars.

Beau was 6 when he was neutered and he ballooned up FAST. He was always just pure muscle on bones and he ate about 3 times as much as the other dogs. He's got a very intense kind of energy, just constantly going even now. He was also the only male we have had that marked everything and humped everything. He was always in GREAT shape and it was without much effort at all. This may be TMI but his balls were huge compared to dogs of similar size (like Bernard). The vet commented on it a few times he came in.

Neutered at 6 and his metabolism slowed WAY WAY down. His desire to hump and mark also slowed way down. But he now eats 1/4th a cup like the others to stay fit. My dad kept feeding him 3/4ths a cup like before and he got huge and obese.

I always wonder if he had excess testosterone or something. He just had so many troubles the other intact boys we had didn't. Nard eats 1/4th a cup and is intact. The girls we got spayed late and didn't balloon up like he did.