Is it okay to delay neutering my 8-month-old male Shiba Inu?

When Boomer is about 12-14 months old it will be safe to get him neutered. Yes, it is better to wait with castration until he is fully grown. There is some scientific evidence that too early castration predisposes to bone maldevelopment and fractures.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Oh my goodness, Dallas is adorable! There is no medical or protective effect, like in female dogs, to neutering male dogs right away. I tell clients that if the dog is showing aggression, dominant behavior or is marking in the house then neuter them sooner. Neutering male dogs before they are middle age will prevent some prostate conditions (BPH, prostatitis, prostatic abscesses) , perineal hernias, and perineal adenomas which are hormonally caused. Good luck!

It sounds like Kiba is entering the stage where is hormones are telling him to get all the lady dogs pregnant, and to keep away other male dogs. I would recommend neutering Kiba to keep him out of trouble. Fights with other male (and even female) dogs can turn ugly very quick. Neutering at this early age should prevent long-term aggression, but it can take 6-8 weeks for the hormones to completely leave his system. Unless you are planning to breed Kiba, there is no medical benefit to leaving his testicles in a this point. His chill personality should be locked in, and testosterone is no longer needed as he should be done growing at this point.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your question. There are certain health benefits for neutering dogs. Prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate) and certain testicular tumors can be prevented by neutering dogs. However, dogs can also live happy and normal lives intact. Behavioral problems such as territorial aggression and marking may be reduced by neutering dogs as well. Once neutered, Dante will not behave more like a female, this is a misconception and does not happen. He may become more calm and not as hyper or aggressive once he is neutered and this is due to the reduction in circulating hormones following removal of the testicles. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Great question! There are pros and cons to neutering at different ages, so ultimately it comes down to your personal preference. The biggest advantage of neutering around six months or so, is that this will normally prevent the development of problematic "boy behaviors" such as urine marking, wanting to mount other dogs, not getting along with other intact males, and wanting to roam constantly in search of female dogs. There is some evidence that early neutering (before the dog is finished growing) can increase the risk of certain orthopedic issues like hip dysplasia or cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures later in life, especially in large-breed or very athletic dogs. So, this is something to take into account as well. Personally, I have always neutered my male dogs at around 10-12 months of age, when they're still fairly young but finished growing for the most part. Most of my clients choose to neuter around 6 months of age to avoid the behavior issues mentioned above. But ultimately, the choice is up to you :)

Yes, he’s at that teenage stage. The male hormones will take up to six weeks to go away so there may still be some effects from them on his behavior. He’s at a good age to start obedience training. I enjoy group lessons so he learns to obey you with other people and dogs around. Be patient he’s still young. I think it takes until dogs are one to two years old before they settle down and become well behaved family members. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Radar.

There are some studies that recently may have found a correlation between earlier neutering and an increased risk for joint issues. This is pretty new evidence and at this point I think it's not really clear what the risks and benefits are. I typically recommend waiting until a male dog has reached his adult size, usually around 1 year, to neuter BUT in situations where the dog is showing undesirable behaviors potentially related to sex hormones I strongly recommend neutering earlier. If you were planning on having him neutered by 8 months I doubt 1.5 months of growth would make much of a difference for his bones and joints, so I would considering scheduling the neuter now. You could always talk to your veterinarian about pros and cons as well.