Best Age to spay or neuter a dog?

[Anonymous]

Title says it all

[Anonymous]

I found there was no consensus. Some say 6 months. Others say wait 1 year. Some rush because un-neutered dogs can't go to daycare.

With our first dog we were encouraged to allow her to go through her first heat, then spay.

Same with our second dog, only she had health issues and we needed up waiting until she was 3 years old. But she is a tiny dog, so there wasn't much of a mess.

I was told that spaying or neutering at 6 months can cause leg bones to elongate. I have seen plenty of kennel dogs that have over-long legs. I noticed this the most in Golden Retrievers only because I know how long a GR leg should be.

[Anonymous]

I think that waiting a year / after first heat is the current recommendation, but I am not a vet.

[Anonymous]

Depends on the size/breed of the dog. We have a golden and waited until after a year on the advice of our vet and breeder.

[Anonymous]

In NY state, if you buy a dog from a pet store, the dog can't leave the store without it being neutered or spayed. So they are spaying very young puppies.

[Anonymous]

Responsible breeders and vet will tell you to wait until after the first heat in a female. 1 year for a male--which is about the same time it takes for a female to hit her first heat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In NY state, if you buy a dog from a pet store, the dog can't leave the store without it being neutered or spayed. So they are spaying very young puppies.

I haven't seen a puppy in a pet store since I was a child, do people still do that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In NY state, if you buy a dog from a pet store, the dog can't leave the store without it being neutered or spayed. So they are spaying very young puppies.

I haven't seen a puppy in a pet store since I was a child, do people still do that?

Me neither.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depends on the size/breed of the dog. We have a golden and waited until after a year on the advice of our vet and breeder.

m


A male or female? I saw some research saying not to spay F Goldens bc of cancer risk.

[Anonymous]

My vet told me not to spay my male small breed dog as long as I keep him leashed outside. He is now 8 so I think it is too late.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In NY state, if you buy a dog from a pet store, the dog can't leave the store without it being neutered or spayed. So they are spaying very young puppies.

I haven't seen a puppy in a pet store since I was a child, do people still do that?

I don't know if they are still doing it, but as of 2018 when we were looking for a dog, they were doing it in NYC. We didn't use them because I couldn't imagine spaying an 8 week old puppy..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My vet told me not to spay my male small breed dog as long as I keep him leashed outside. He is now 8 so I think it is too late.

FYI, you neuter a male dog and spay a female dog. Many male dogs get neutered due to aggression, humping, peeing inside, and pregnancy risk they pose.

[Anonymous]

We have always gotten mixed breed pound puppies and they are spayed / neutered before 6 months. We got a male dog in the fall and it was nice he was neutered early because he doesn’t hump or mark territory or any similar behaviors. He is large dog (will be maybe 55 lbs fill grown) I know there is debate about how it affects bone growth but for us the pros outweigh the cons

[Anonymous]

Our male dog was neutered around 8 month old, vet said as early as 6 month, but we waited until a time we can be home care for him. If you need to board your dog, some boarding place may not take unfixed dogs (especially female) over 6 month old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our male dog was neutered around 8 month old, vet said as early as 6 month, but we waited until a time we can be home care for him. If you need to board your dog, some boarding place may not take unfixed dogs (especially female) over 6 month old.

Our boarder takes my unspayed female