As the owner of a male dog you will probably come across the question of whether you should be neutering him and if so, why, and at what age. Many people appear to be conflicted over this decision so I thought I would give you some relevant information to help you make this decision.
What age should Dogs be Neutered? Dogs can be neutered at any age AFTER their testicles have descended. This is generally from around 6 months of age. Leaving this operation until the dog is fully mature can sometimes cause behavioural problems. But performing this operation too early can be harmful to their necessary growth functions such as correct bone growth. The Australians and Americans have a trend of neutering very young and is also becoming more common in the UK.
What is Neutering?
Neutering a dog is to castrate (or remove) the testicles from a male dog. Although the testicles are removed the ball sac is sometimes left in place or sometimes reduced in size, the preference tends to down to the breed of dog and the vets own preferred method. Whilst this is considered a major surgical operation it is not as complicated as spaying a female dog.
Recovery After Neutering
This will be very dependant upon the age, breed and size of the dog. Some dogs will have a harder time recovering from the anaesthetic than the operation itself. Some dogs will be happily walking abut in a day or two, occasionally they may be a little lackadaisical for a few days.
Take your dog for walks on the lead, do not let him run around for the first few days, keep his excitement to a minimum, you do not want to be visiting the vet to be restitching his sutures.
Should you be worried that recovery is taking too long, contact your vet and get advice.
If you find any swelling that is growing and not reducing within the first few days be very certain to get advise quickly as there may be an internal bleed, this is though, very rare.
When is the right time?
A dog that is acting out sexually, is attempting to become the dominant figure in its household and will have some possibly irritating habits that can be hard to break later.
When the neutering has been left too long the dog will already be marking out his territory and will of course be chasing after bitches in heat and this can continue even after the castration op as they have already learnt these natural behaviours, they are probably not aware that they are no longer capable of siring a pup.
Neutering too young can also cause problems though. Waiting until testosterone production in your dog’s body is important for his hormones to balanced so that he can gain the correct growth size and has developed strong and healthy bones and joints.
Testosterone and the thyroid hormones are absolutely essential for your dog’s normal development and growth, the production of these hormones happens at the same time as the onset of sexual maturity.
Neutering a dog before he produces these hormones has can mean that your dog is unable to produce them in the necessary quantities, which can affect his long-term health, his immune system and his overall development.
General Advice for Behaviour
General veterinarian advice is to wait until your dog is at least 6 months old and for larger breeds possibly several months longer.
When your dog begins to behave in a manner of sexual maturity such as taking an interest in the opposite sex or perhaps pumping your friend’s leg or your kids teddy, then you need to think about booking that appointment at the vets.
Other behavioural problems that may occur if you don’t neuter him could be wandering off or escaping from the back yard. These actions are generally due to the fact that he knows that if he escapes, he can find a female and procreate his loins and this can be a very strong urge.
A bit off subject I know, but when Jan rescued a horse with all his tackle in place we had considerable problems with him when he could sense a female in one of the nearby paddocks that was feeling receptive, breaking fences and the like to get to his quarry.
So, I guess its no real surprise that a determined dog can find a way out of the yard by digging under or jumping over fences. A dog’s senses are just as sensitive as that of a horse and he will know when there is a nearby female wanting attention.
Stopping Aggression
One reason you may want to consider neutering your dog is that it can in certain breeds reduce the possible aggressive tendencies that can occur with adulthood. Whether your dog is big or small, aggression can be a difficult thing to deal with.
If you ever have the need to use kennels or boarding homes, some of these will not allow your un-neutered dog to stay because of the behavioural issues with the other dogs staying. They don’t want aggressive dogs in their pounds causing problems with the other dogs, even if they are separated.
Recent Information
Some studies have started to link early neutering to a variety of health risks for your dog if they have been neutered before their sexual maturity. These studies claim that there is an increase in cranial cruciate ligament disease or lymphomas which is a swelling usually on the head.
The studies are not conclusive but do raise a definitive query, enough to question whether you should neuter too early.
Getting Fat
Last but not least – It is a wife’s tale that your dog will get fat and lazy because of this, however there is evidence that this may be of concern for bitches that have been spayed. If you want to know about spaying a female, you can get to our article on this below
