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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I am a trainer.

The short of it is, no, there are rarely behavioral improvements from neutering. The exception is marking, but if you’ve waited this long the marking is probably pretty ingrained if it was going to be there anyway.

With most large breed dogs, you want to wait until the growth plates are fully closed to spay or neuter. This typically happens between 18 months and two years and can be confirmed with x-rays if you choose to go that route. The hormones are useful for development.

At some point, the risk of testicular cancer outweighs the value in keeping the testicles. Even champion show dogs and high performing canine athletes are spayed/neutered at some point. You’d need to talk to your vet.

The reality is though, most dogs escape at some point in their life. Maybe a gate is left open or they bolt out the front door. Hopefully you get the dog back within a few minutes, but if you don’t, and the dog is not fixed, you risk the potential for fights with other dogs or unwanted pregnancies. Up to you to decide if you want to deal with that risk.

The licensing fee is also higher on unfixed dogs.[/quote]

OP here; thank you for this. You're the second person who has noted that perhaps it is best to wait until he is at least 18 months old. (Not sure if he is considered a large breed?)[/quote]

Yes, a labradoodle would be considered large breed.  If this is just a pet who will be going on leashed walks and occasionally jumping on/off the couch, the joint issue is less of a concern.  I train sports dogs, and repetitive jumping in agility, full force box turns in fly ball, and vault jumps in disc all require every element of the dog's body to function properly or risk injury.

Another thing to consider is that if you intend to have your dog interact with others, neutered males will react differently to your dog who is still intact. I've seen a lot of posturing and uncomfortable behavior on both sides when fixed/unfixed males get together.  If you are planning to keep his testicles until 18 months or 2 years, I'd be very cautious about interactions with other dogs until then.

But no, planning to keep him intact until he is physically mature is not a bad idea.  Just make sure he is truly contained, watch him in the yard, etc.  If a Btch in season is next door, an unneutered male will literally climb walls, chew through fences, and dig escape tunnels to get to her.[/quote]

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