Need help determining when to neuter or spay your dog?
Learn more about neutering or spaying your dog and the health benefits both can provide.
Selecting the best time to neuter your dog has been a topic of discussion among veterinarians for decades. Spaying or neutering your dog as early as six months of age, regardless of breed, was the standard recommendation in the past. However, recent research suggests that the timing to spay or neuter your dog should be adjusted based on the dog’s breed and size to coincide with the dog’s development into maturity.
Some dog breeds have a higher risk of developing certain cancers and joint disorders if neutered or spayed within their first year. A 10-year study by researchers at the University of California, Davis, examined 35 dog breeds and found that the vulnerability of neutering varies greatly depending on the breed. The complete study was published in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science. Please consult your veterinarian for specific breed characteristics. This blog looks at most breeds based on size and gender characteristics.
For large and giant breeds, studies suggest delaying neutering or spaying until the dog reaches maturity, anywhere from 9-18 months or more.
For small to medium-sized dog breeds, neutering or spaying is recommended between 6-12 months, as smaller breeds tend to mature sooner than larger breeds.
Tip: While waiting to spay or neuter your dog, you’ll want to ensure adequate safety and protection from unwanted roaming and interaction with other dogs. A fenced-in yard is essential when you want to leave your dog unsupervised.
Suppose you don’t have a fenced-in yard or a dog run. In that case, you must invest in safety products such as tie-out stakes, tie-out cables, outdoor playpens like this top-rated one from Frisco, and and/or an invisible collar with programmable GPS boundaries to help protect your dog when spending time together in your yard. Never leave your dog unsupervised when not in a completely enclosed area.
Why Neuter or Spay Your Dog
Neutering is commonly performed on domestic pets like dogs to manage reproduction, reduce surplus populations, prevent certain diseases and disorders, and mitigate behaviors related to mating instincts, such as aggression, roaming, and marking territory.
The decision to spay or neuter involves considering both the well-being of the individual dog, your veterinarian’s assessment, and, to some extent, the broader impacts on society and animal populations. Many veterinarians and animal welfare organizations strongly advocate for spaying and neutering as part of responsible pet ownership. By preventing the birth of unwanted puppies, owners can avoid the significant costs associated with pregnancy, birthing, and puppy care. However, the choice is up to each owner.
Population control aside, there are many health benefits to consider. Neutering reduces the risk of cancer in male dogs, and spaying helps prevent uterine infections and breast tumors in female dogs. Spayed or neutered dogs often have longer lifespans due to reduced risks associated with reproductive diseases.
Tip: While a fenced-in yard helps keep your pet from roaming and safe from unwanted visitors, sometimes a wireless fence is the only choice to help protect your pet from straying into traffic. The Halo Collar Wireless Dog Fence offers GPS tracking, activity monitoring, and dog training features to ensure your pet’s safety.
What are the Health Benefits of Spaying or Neutering My Dog?
The health benefits of neutering or spaying your dog include preventing unwanted behaviors such as marking, roaming, and aggression and reducing the risk of specific health issues.
As mentioned above, timing is essential. Delaying neutering or spaying your dog until after maturity can positively impact your dog’s health. Sex hormones are critical to the development of any animal. They affect psychological development and the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and immune systems.
Health benefits of spaying your female dog closer to maturity include a lower risk of orthopedic issues, a reduced risk of cancers (especially breast cancers), and a reduced risk of urinary incontinence.
Neutering your male dog closer to maturity ensures the dog has benefitted from the growth-related effects like testosterone, which can impact bone density and joint health while reducing the risk of specific health issues like testicular cancer and prostatic disease.
Prevent Unwanted Litters
Spay or neutering helps to prevent unwanted puppies within the community. Each year, millions of unwanted dogs and cats get euthanized at shelters across the country. Although pet behavioral problems are the main reasons many animals get surrendered to shelters, many orphans result from accidental breeding by free-roaming, unaltered pets.
The cost of your pet’s spay/neuter surgery is much less than that of having and caring for a litter of puppies, so if your dog is not 100% in your care without the risk of roaming, you may want to consider the economic ramifications of raising unexpected puppies. Raising a litter of puppies “the right way” involves significant time, effort, and financial investment. Responsible breeding and puppy care require attention to the health, socialization, and early training of the puppies, as well as ensuring the health and well-being of the mother.
The total cost of raising a litter of puppies can vary significantly based on the breed, location, and number of puppies. However, a rough estimate for responsibly raising a litter might range from $5,000 to $15,000 per litter. A cesarean section alone can cost between $1,500 to $3,000. The time commitment to whelp, socialize, and train newborn puppies involves many hours, sleepless nights, and multiple hands, plus extensive experience.
Behavioral Benefits
There are many behavioral benefits to spaying or neutering your dog.
Neutering behavioral benefits:
- Your male dog won’t want to roam away from home.
- Your neutered male will be much better behaved.
- Neutered males are also less likely to mark every one of your (or your neighbor’s) expensive shrubs with their urine and inside the house. There are products developed to help keep your dog from spraying or marking on furniture or rugs within your home. No Spray is a natural-based product designed to help with housebreaking.
Spaying behavioral benefits:
Spayed animals no longer need to roam to look for a mate, are less territorial, and are generally less aggressive. The result is that they stay home more often if they happen to become unleashed and have less chance of being involved in traumatic accidents such as being hit by a car.
They also have a much lower incidence of contracting contagious diseases and getting into fights.
Your spayed female won’t go into heat. If your puppy goes into heat before her first spay, you will want to have puppy diapers on hand to protect your floors and furniture.
When Should I Neuter My Male Dog?
In male dogs, the signs of sexual maturity include lifting their leg to mark (indoors and outdoors), humping, and acting overprotective. Some of these behaviors can start early and intensify as they reach maturity at approximately 12 months or even older for larger dog breeds.
During this time, male dogs build muscle as their growth plates close. The maturation of their musculoskeletal system can help prevent specific orthopedic injuries later in life, especially in large breeds. Allowing your male dog to mature sexually may protect him from certain cancers. Male dogs that are left intact through their senior years can encounter prostate disease, perineal hernias, perianal tumors, and testicular tumors.
The timing of when to neuter a male dog depends, in part, on the size of the breed.
For large and giant breeds prone to orthopedic injury/diseases, delaying neutering your dog until it reaches maturity is recommended, which can be anywhere from 9-18 months or more.
For small to medium-sized dog breeds less prone to orthopedic injury/diseases, neutering is often recommended between 6-12 months, as smaller breeds tend to mature sooner than larger breeds.
At What Age Should I Spay My Female Dog?
In female dogs, the signs of sexual maturity are similar to those of males, but they will also come into their first heat (estrous). This may mean up to two weeks of dripping blood, accompanied by moodiness and unwanted attention from male dogs from miles away. For most dogs, this will happen between 9-10 months of age. However, some small breed dogs go into heat around six months, while larger breeds can go into heat at 12 months or beyond. If the female dog has already gone into heat, it is best to wait at least one month or more (as instructed by your veterinarian) until the blood vessels return to normal.
The benefits of spaying your female dog closer to maturity include a lower risk of orthopedic issues, a reduced risk of cancers (especially breast cancer), and a reduced risk of urinary incontinence.
It is recommended that female dogs are not spayed before six months and even older for larger dog breeds. What is known is that with each heat cycle, there is an increased risk of mammary adenocarcinoma (breast cancer) and the risk of pyometra (a life-threatening uterine infection). The ideal time to spay a female dog is just before her first heat, but the timing is hard to predict.
Commonly Held Myths About Neutering or Spaying Your Pet
We’ll examine some widely held myths about neutering or spaying your dog.
Myth 1: Female dogs will feel empty if they don’t have a litter.
Allowing them to have one litter before having them spayed has no proven health or behavioral benefit and could contribute to the number of unwanted dogs in rescue centers. Additionally, while giving birth is a natural event, it can also be dangerous. Many dogs need a cesarean section or other emergency care during birth.
Myth 2: Neutering my dog will change its personality.
Neutering your dog will not change its personality. Masculine brain characteristics are formed under hormonal influences very early in life, and dogs do not need testicles to maintain them. However, negative behaviors such as roaming, mounting, urine spraying, and fighting may be reduced.
Myth 3: Spaying or neutering my dog will be painful for them.
Neutering is surgery performed by a veterinarian under a full general anesthetic. Animals receive drugs to control any discomfort they may feel afterward. Most animals are up and about just a few hours after the surgery and back to normal within a few days. Neutering a male dog is a quick procedure with a very short recovery time, while your female dog will need a little more rest after being spayed as the surgery is a bit more invasive.
Myth 4: Spaying or neutering my dog will cause them to get fat or lazy.
While spaying or neutering your dog does change its hormone levels, most pets do not automatically get fat or lazy after surgery! Sometimes, you may have to work with your vet and look at your animal to adjust their diet or exercise level if they gain a little weight.
Your Responsibilities As a Pet Owner
While welcoming a new puppy into your life is a happy and wholesome experience, it also comes with some responsibilities, such as helping with the pet population, preventing unwanted litters, and protecting the health of your puppy. When considering whether and when to spay or neuter your dog, it is ideal to have a detailed discussion with your veterinarian to determine what is best for your dog.
When to Neuter Your Dog FAQs
Q: Do male dogs change after being neutered?
A: As mentioned earlier, masculine brain characteristics are set under hormonal influences early in life, and dogs do not need testicles to maintain them. Neutering can make your dog happier (with less aggression towards others and the desire to roam) with proven health benefits, such as reducing prostate disease and some cancers.
Q: Are there any risks associated with spaying my dog too late?
A: It’s better to spay your dog before their first heat as it reduces the chances of mammary tumors and the risk of pregnancy. Waiting until after the second heat or more dramatically increases the risk of mammary tumors in their pets. As dogs age, any surgery becomes more risky due to anesthesia. Additional lab work, at an increased cost, is often needed in older dogs.
Q: Can puppies be spayed at three months?
A: While puppies can safely be spayed at three months, waiting until closer to maturity is advised. Sterilization too early may delay the closure of growth plates in big bones, meaning the animal gets a little bigger or longer. In some breeds, like German Shepherd and Golden Retrievers, this may lead to hip or joint issues.
We hope our Puppies.com blog provides general information and guidance about why and when to neuter or spay your dog, dispel some myths, and provide general health and other benefits so you can converse with your veterinarian and make the best decision based on you and your dog’s unique needs.
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Disclaimer: The information provided on this blog is for informational purposes only and should not be considered professional training, behavioral, or nutritional advice. Every dog is unique, and training methods, dietary needs, and health considerations may vary. For guidance tailored to your specific situation, please consult a professional dog trainer, veterinarian, or canine nutritionist.
