[QUOTE=LauraKY;8302968]
That’s 7 weeks vs. 7 months…which is the age of OP’s dog…about 7 months.[/QUOTE]
I read it as 7 weeks AND 7 months vs intact…?
[QUOTE=pezk;8302162]
Don’t any of you have leash laws that are enforced? Yes dogs can occasionally get loose but with strict and enforced leash laws, it isn’t common. It’s so effective in Ma. That most shelters import dogs from other parts of the country. I guess that says it all.[/QUOTE]
No leash laws in rural Virginia (and I am in commuting distance of Capital city). New England is a very small region and if like the area I lived in Mass., made up largely of townships with a relatively high median income compared to other areas of the country. I expect most of the country outside cities, suburbia, incorporated townships, and some developments with specific bylaws have no leash laws or adequate funds for enforcement.
But that being said, I have had intact dogs and able to manage them, but because I want them socialized well from the get go, and I work so rely on daycare and participating in training classes, I get my dogs spayed/neutered around six months. I doubt, for many pet owners it is simply an inability to deal with an intact dog, but a combination of reasons including no clear evidence that quality and quantity of life is compromised.
[QUOTE=chism;8303556]
We adopted a male GSD about a month ago, he’s 4. I noticed while we were looking at him that he marked everything in his run frequently, but I attributed it to the stress of being in a shelter environment with so many dogs. He marked in my house the first day I left him home alone when I went to work, now he just marks everywhere outside that the other dogs pee, even if they’re not done yet. When touching the dogs, I stay far away from the back end/tail now. LOL I attributed the marking to be more to a dominance thing than a “when you were neutered” thing, but some are saying that makes a difference?[/QUOTE]
Not necessarily, while it may, it doesn’t always.
We had a toy poodle female that would lift her hind leg and mark after every other dog out there.
She was housebroken at home, but in someone else’s home, you had to watch her, especially if their dogs left marks here and there.
Some dogs are just like that.
The studies I’ve seen about increased health risks of neutered dogs dealt with golden retrievers and other purebred dogs that tend to have high risks of cacer and acl injuries in general. Plus, many purebred dogs are puppy mill dogs that ignorant owners want to breed, so they may be inbred or poorly bred dogs to start with. The intact dogs that were used, may have been show quality with better breeding, since show dogs cant be altered.
I’d opt for sputtering around 6 mo unless it is a giant breed, then I’d neuter after 2 yrs.
[QUOTE=animaldoc;8302877]
This is a pretty controversial topic - I think more research will come out soon that may clear this up, but for now, we’re not really sure.
(FWIW, my area of practice does not, in any way, include spaying or neutering of small animals. I’ve just been following the new information coming out.)
I have a male puppy, and he turns one soon. He’s a smallish breed and we’re waiting to neuter him. He has virtually no chance of impregnating anything, may be shown (by his breeder, not by me), could be bred if he is shown, and isn’t a jerk (LOL) so there’s really no rush. There’s some thought that waiting until skeletal maturity lets them look more typical for the breed (and less like puppies) and may delay arthritis. There may be no reason to ever neuter a dog like mine, since if he was to develop prostatitis or anything like that, neutering at the time would be the treatment.
Females are a little trickier since the number of heats they go into can increase their cancer risk. If they come from a line with little/no cancer (if you know the parents) then you may be able to wait until skeletal maturity and spay after 1-2 heats. If they don’t or you don’t know, it’s probably best to spay before they come into heat.
Delayed s/n is probably only for dogs that aren’t going to be roaming - shelters/rescues are still right to s/n prior to adoption (or shortly thereafter). Not to imply that owners of shelter/rescue dogs will automatically let them roam, but they are less likely to be dogs of known parentage that would ever be bred for any reason.
Definitely a controversial area, and hard to change your thinking after years of s/n everything ASAP. Interesting to see how this turns out![/QUOTE]
It’s interesting people think spaying/neutering earlier makes them look less like puppies. Neoteny is very well documented in nearly all domestic species. Think you’re dealing more with domestication than early altering affects. :winkgrin:
[QUOTE=jetsmom;8303735]The studies I’ve seen about increased health risks of neutered dogs dealt with golden retrievers and other purebred dogs that tend to have high risks of cacer and acl injuries in general. Plus, many purebred dogs are puppy mill dogs that ignorant owners want to breed, so they may be inbred or poorly bred dogs to start with. The intact dogs that were used, may have been show quality with better breeding, since show dogs cant be altered.
I’d opt for sputtering around 6 mo unless it is a giant breed, then I’d neuter after 2 yrs.[/QUOTE]
I’m with you - I think the study leaves much to be desired, and should be taken with a grain of salt. I especially think that it’s unfair to think this is a great study - were the dogs fed the same things their entire lives? Did they share they same lifestyle? Not much of a control group if there is more than one variable and it goes every which way.
Nope, actually I’m talking about littermates where one was shown (and therefore not s/n until 4 or 5 or not at all) vs another that was sent to a pet home and s/n prior to one year (closer to the 6 monthish that we used to routinely recommend). The ones that have had the benefits of the hormones etc. before being altered had an appearance more typical of the adults of the breed - such as the fuller coat, different coat color, broader head, etc. where the ones that were altered earlier retain the puppy coat, may not develop a typical double-coat if that’s what their breed has, and don’t develop in the same way. Have seen it across multiple litters and breeds (and sometimes the same owner has both dogs, so environment not appreciably different either).
It’s interesting…
[QUOTE=animaldoc;8307231]
Nope, actually I’m talking about littermates where one was shown (and therefore not s/n until 4 or 5 or not at all) vs another that was sent to a pet home and s/n prior to one year (closer to the 6 monthish that we used to routinely recommend). The ones that have had the benefits of the hormones etc. before being altered had an appearance more typical of the adults of the breed - such as the fuller coat, different coat color, broader head, etc. where the ones that were altered earlier retain the puppy coat, may not develop a typical double-coat if that’s what their breed has, and don’t develop in the same way. Have seen it across multiple litters and breeds (and sometimes the same owner has both dogs, so environment not appreciably different either).
It’s interesting…[/QUOTE]
Of course, that is why those are called “secondary sexual characteristics”.
Happen in most species, horses that are stallions for a few years look different than those gelded early.
How that may affect them health and performance wise, there is where I say, like with any other, it depends.
Raising and training and competing with any one individual, you have to train for the individual in front of you.
[QUOTE=pezk;8302162]
Don’t any of you have leash laws that are enforced? Yes dogs can occasionally get loose but with strict and enforced leash laws, it isn’t common. [/QUOTE]
I was amused once whens someone seriously did not understand how their un-spayed female was pregnant, “she never got off her tie out in the yard”. Clearly they did not understand that the male dog can come to her, even tied out in their yard.
22 months for youngest male I own. Was aiming for 24, but he was having some prostate/urinary issues that the vet pushed to neuter in case it would help.
Unanticipated side effect is how much nicer he is to be around! Everyone said it wouldn’t make a difference. It did in his case. He was frantic/overstimulated 99.9% of the time before–I’ve never had a dog like that and I’ve been around lots of unneutered males. I thought it was just him. 6 weeks after surgery and he could sit still for a half hour for the first time in his life. It’s only gotten better, along with no more marking everything and licking the floors at the kennel club (loved the essence of the lady dogs). Bleh!
[QUOTE=LauraKY;8302968]
That’s 7 weeks vs. 7 months…which is the age of OP’s dog…about 7 months.[/QUOTE]
"SYNOPSIS: Dogs were spayed or castrated at 7 weeks or 7 months of age, or left intact. "
…or left intact.
So OP might choose to wait, but if Daycare is a must, then that is a shame.
Best of luck to your dog as he/she matures.
I’ve had 5 intact females, 1 spayed as an adult; 1 male neutered at about 15 months.
No pregnancies, no wandering, no health issues related to spay or not spay. People asking to ‘breed my dogs’ NO.
The male was supposed to be a show dog but did not develop both normal testicles, so we knew we would neuter him if there were temperament issues. And there were. He passed at a young 7 years old, but I doubt his neutering had any effect on that.
My family had intact males growing up, no wandering, no fighting except when other dogs tried to prey on our cats or came over and attacked them (we had a rough collie, and a cocker mix; others were terrier mixes, suburban neighborhood without leash laws; it was a long time ago).
I expect to do ovariectomy spay on my remaining females if we decide they are not good enough to be dams of potentially exceptional dogs; time will tell.
If I put a dog with a non-breeding home, then I would expect that if I wanted them to wait to spay/neuter because I needed the dog in my breeding program; the dog would come back to me for a ‘vacation’ during heat cycles and the male would be used at about age 2, then could be neutered at their discretion. That would be a very rare occurrence.
I have good double fencing, live in a location with strict leash laws and very manageable females. There are ‘dog pants’ for in-season bitches to control the mess.
If things were different, spaying would certainly be considered, possibly necessary.
Males, I feel it is optional depending on how he develops.
Agree with the poster who said they wouldn’t want to put a dog into an irresponsible owner’s home anyway.
If every male but one was neutered, and ten females were intact, with irresponsible owners there would be 10 litters = 50+ pups.
if every female but one was spayed, and ten males were intact, there would be one litter with irresponsible owners = 5 pups.
It’s rather clear I don’t like irresponsible owners.
I find there are more ‘lets breed Spot and Fido’ owners and sell the pups for $50 - $100 because we want a pup…
than there are true ‘accidents’.
-and few long-term, responsible owners who understand and train their dogs…
For a male I would say 6 months at the latest. I can see where your care providers are coming from because some males can get very territorial in their interest/ guarding of the ladies they take to ( even though they are spayed too).
I get our girls spayed at the first sign of a strange male dog coming near our farm. usually at 5 months it starts.
