When to neuter??

[Jimdeez]

Hey, I have finally registered after months of getting information on this site, im not sure if this topic has been covered but i was wondering what the best age is to neuter a dog. My rotti (tyson) just turned 10 months. Ive heard that if you neuter too early than they dont mature properly, is this true?

[SonnyRott]

Welcome!

If you type neuter in the search field you should find plenty of information. I believe you will find different opinions as to when is the "right" time to neuter.

I had my dog neutered when he was under for x-rays checking his HD (he was about 1).

[brunie's mom]

Many forum members like to wait till the dog has matured a bit before neutering. It used to be recommended at 6 months.....the thinking has changed now. Unless the dog is a rescue,shelter dog, or has a chance of breeding another dog...then you can wait till the dog is a 12 to 18 months old. Most of the growth is done by then. The only thing is, that by waiting, the dog has more chances to get into bad habits such as marking and humping, dog aggression....which can be hormone driven. and harder to change.

My pup turned a year old last week, and he is going in for his neuter as well as hip x-rays (for my own peace of mind) next month. The breeder's contract I signed says that he must be done before 18 months.

Gina

[Jimdeez]

Thanks for the replies, I have noticed in the last 2-3 weeks he has started marking quite a bit and is just recently started humping. Think this will stop once he gets neutered?
Also I was informed that you should wait till they are 2 to get there hips checked, thats when my vet told me to get it done.

[Ranismom]

My vet also breeds rottweilers, he said that there really is no set time to spay or neuter, but he suggested to do it at an early age instead of waiting. My dog was only 3 mths. when I had her spayed.

[Cash]

Yes, have your dogs hips checked at 2 years. OFA issues OFA numbers only if the dog is 2 years or older.

Humping is a dominant behavior which I would eliminate now. Neutering will help, but don't wait to correct this behavior.

[brunie's mom]

Originally Posted by Jimdeez

Thanks for the replies, I have noticed in the last 2-3 weeks he has started marking quite a bit and is just recently started humping. Think this will stop once he gets neutered?
Also I was informed that you should wait till they are 2 to get there hips checked, thats when my vet told me to get it done.

Yes...the humping behaviour should stop once he is neutered.
There is no need to wait until they are 2years of age to be x-rayed....if there are problems with the hips they usually start showing by the age of 6 months.

The reason to wait till the dog is 2 years of age is that the x-rays cannot be summited to OFA until the dog is 2 years of age. If you are not planning to have his x-rays submitted to OFA then they can be done at the same time as his neuter.....it saves on having the dog anesthetized more then once.

If a young dog has problems with his hips, it's better to know sooner then later....so that supplements and treatments can be started earlier.

If I have to have my dog knocked out for any reason after the age of 2, I will have an x-ray taken of his hips and elbows again and submit them to OFA.

Gina

[Judi W]

Marking. If the dog is in his own fenced yard, he is indeed marking his territory. If he is elsewhere, he should be on leash and you control whether he is allowed to mark or not.

Humping. There is no excuse for allowing any dog to engage in humping behavior (unless it is a planned breeding with a bitch in standing heat). It should be corrected emphatically enough that it is not repeated. This goes double and triple if he is presuming to hump a person.

[Maryn306]

My pup was neutered at about 3-4 mos old, before I even got him. But he was humping until last week lol

[bolt94]

Hunter is a rescue dog who was already neutered when we adopted him. He still humps (ONLY male dogs ) and wants to mark his territory everywhere we go.

As a n00bie mom, I thought the humping of other (male) dogs was part of being a dog. Boy was I wrong! I'm gathering he should be corrected when he tries to hump another dog as well as marking his territory in areas that I haven't deemed acceptable?

[Judi W]

If the other dog doesn't correct him, it would be wise for you to do so. It is very rude behavior and if he tries this with a less accepting dog, it can/should result in a serious fight. Just as one should never allow their dog to charge other dogs and tumble them, (yeah, he just wants to play) one should not allow their dog to hump other dogs. It can be quite dangerous to allow your dog to behave in a manner that is quite likely to trigger a dog fight. Look at the victim dog - does it look happy being treated this way - no, it doesn't.

[GenHannibal]

Basically...neutered or not, the dog needs to be taught manners.

In regards to neutering. There are many different opinions and it all comes down to being a responsible owner if you decide to wait until the dog has matured.

[Cash]

Good clarification Gina. Thank you.

Yes, you can have your pup evaluated as early as 4 months.
And if your dog is going to be neutered before he is 2 I would have his hips checked while he is under.

However, if you want to register your dog with the OFA you will need to retest again at 2 years of age.

[wagondog]

Jimdeez,
My male was neutered at 10/mo. he showed absolutley no mounting before neutering or since, he is now 22/mo. he marks his territory (the yard) but does not do so when outside, except for the occasional visit to a tree or hydrant.

I often wondered what makes some male (and female) dogs mount and some not. Could it be a plain and simple showing of dominance? How would that correspond to mounting humans, the same showing of dominance?

[Maryn306]

Rocco started trying to hump the kids from the first day he was here...within a few days I had him broken of it. I will not tolerate it, and I didn't want to deal with what may happen if he tried it on another dog