When To Neuter?

[laurajaye]

Hi there!

I have recently brought home a gorgeous chocolate border collie pup and he is now 16 weeks old!

He is the most beautiful, smart and loyal dog I ever could have hoped for and already knows sit, lay, stand, shake, come and stay! So proud :D

He is booked in to be neutered in 2 weeks but I am concerned that this may be a bit young??

I would like him to be able to reach full maturity (and not stay in the puppy state forever!) as his dad was so handsome and I'd like him to be able to develop fully, but I've been doing a bit of research and some people suggest that neutering them early can cause them to not develop fully physically... is this true? The vet suggested this is a good age and I understand it can stop them developing some of the less-desirable male urges and can also reduce the risk of different diseases and cancers. I'm also a little bit concerned as his testes haven't dropped yet and are barely showing.

Does anyone have any experience with this or any advice??

Thankyou!!

[whiskedaway]

Personally, I don't believe a dog should be neutered before it reaches maturity. Hormones are used for growth, so yes it can affect their development by having them neutered so young.

Here is a really good paper on pros and cons of desexing: http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/longtermhealtheffectsofspayneuterindogs.pdf As you can see, for males, the cons of desexing are much higher than the pros. I'm not saying "don't desex ever" because I believe in desexing, but I don't think it should be done before a year of age, preferably 18 months. I have a desexed bitch (Sibe) who was done at 6 months and I wish I'd waited longer because she has the worst coat ever and we're noticing in coated breeds this is a result of desexing. Plus if you want to do dog sports like agility, it's best to wait until their joints are fully developed to lessen risk of injury.

[poodlefan]

If you are even contemplating doing any kind of dog sports with this dog, I would not neuter before 14 months.

[WreckitWhippet]

Rule with a firm but kind hand and you won't have to worry about unwanted behaviour. If you want him to mature into the best dog that he can be, handsome and masculine, then neuter him when he has finished growing.

[The Spotted Devil]

I have an entire male and an entire female at the moment although the latter is unlikely to remain that way. She has had her first season so I will probably have her desexed at around the 14/15 month mark after chatting with her breeder. She is a working Springer and is training for obedience, agility and retrieving so I want her to be in optimum condition.

Put simply, when sexual maturity occurs the presence of the sex hormones promotes growth plate closure. So - if you desex early (and that depends on the dog but could be up to 12/18 months - maybe more for a giant breed) the main structural issue is that it delays closure of the growth plate long bones. You will end up with a slightly taller dog (and that is a scientific fact) and less muscle mass (which also can add to the illusion of a taller dog). What is not known is how it affects the dog's structure in terms of hip displaysia, for example. The pdf that has been posted is VERY selective when discussing the cons of early desexing and the effect on structure. I have read the original articles and there is much to argue with - it is by no means a simple issue. Basically, the jury is out and decisions need to come down to what you want to do with your dog and whether you can handle an entire dog.

RSG is dead right - lay down the rules, be consistent, firm but fair and you won't have a problem. My entire male Dalmatian is a delight to live with - never, ever lifts his leg inside (even with a bitch in season) - and competes successfully in obedience and agility without getting distracted by the "ladies" ;) The toughest thing about having him entire is that he is a real target for other dogs - big, strong dog with an upright, dominant stance - he has been attacked completely unprovoked on numerous occasions, one of note a few weeks ago when he was 100% focussed on me in training and a young male Aussie launched at his head. I always keep him engaged with me at training or in his crate but the number of dogs that try to make eye contact with him and snarl/launch is astounding - always males and often Border Collies but possibly because they are in high number in agility trials - plus the Aussie and a few Labs.

[laurajaye]

Thanks everyone for your detailed replies :D

I think this really has confirmed that we would like to wait until he is older as we would like to train him for agility and ensure he reaches full maturity!

And unfortunately for him my word is god hahaha!

Thanks again for all your help

[Tassie]

Another vote here for delaying at least a bit. Personally, because I do dog sports, I like my males to be leg-lifting weers - makes it so easy to toilet them pretty reliably before they compete ;) - so for most that would be after about 9 months. There are good arguments now for waiting a bit longer for a mature structure. My current male is entire, because he is sstill showing in conformation as well - but I do threaten him sometimes that "they're coming off"

[lovemyrottie]

i say wait until he's older and being a male surely you'd want him to grow to his full potential otherwise he could end up looking like a female but my major concern about neutering so early is they could end up with bone deformities.

[Mason_Gibbs]

Im going to wait awhile to do my new pup, he is going to be showing too so will just see how he does and how he behaves but I would only like him done after 12 months..