Neutering 6-month dog for humping: Is it too early for joints?

By convention, the general recommendation often 4-8 months, though early spy/neuter is common especially in shelters. A male dog who reaches sexual maturity before being neutered will grow into a “stalkier” build typically. There are also studies suggesting that waiting to neuter decrease the risk of knee problems and some types of cancers. However, he is also more likely to develop behavioral problems. With ages over 2, unneutered dogs are at a MUCH higher risk of overall health problems. I’d recommend talking to your vet about what their thoughts are. I don’t think there’s any significant difference in early neutering and neutering at 6 months of age. Here’s a couple of articles to consider: http://www.vrcc.com/oncology/does-early-castration-increase-the-risk-of-cancer-in-dogs/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/early-spays-neuters/ For what it’s worth, I don’t think it’s wrong to do it at 6 weeks and I don’t think it’s wrong to do it at 2 years. I DO think it’s wrong to just decide to NOT do it all together. I hope that’s helpful... I realize it may just muddy the waters more for you, and I apologize! Talk to your vet about what he or she recommends and the two of you can come up with the best plan for Diggy.

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 :)

The biggest concerns with large breed dogs are neutering them before their growth plates have closed (as I'm sure you have read). At one year of age and 65 pounds, it sounds like Limon has stopped growing, so we do not think you will get any further benefits to his joints waiting any longer than you have. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of great research about this subject yet, but I also neutered my dog at 1 year of age because I didn't think there were any benefits of waiting any longer than that in a large breed dog. I hope that was helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I normally recommend neutering medium to large breed dogs like Australian Shepherds at the age of 10-12 months. It's true that testosterone is important for proper development of the bones and joints, so neutering at an earlier age can sometimes increase the risk of orthopedic problems later in life.

Great question! The studies about neutering too early causing problems for growth and hips are varied, and there's no consistent evidence yet about this effect. I personally recommend neutering after six months of age and before a year old. You can wait to get Oliver neutered until he is closer to a year old, at which point he will have done a majority of his growth. I hope this helps!

This is an awesome question! Personally I recommend not neutering Gus until he is at least a year old. This allows him to grow and mature, and some vets will recommend waiting until he is two years old. There will be no health risks associated with waiting until he is two to neuter him. The only concern is that he gets free and mates with a female in heat. If you can keep him away from all intact females, it's fine to wait until he is a year old. Now there isn't a concern if you want to neuter him now, but I personally recommend waiting until a year of age. I hope this helps!

In large breed dogs (i..e Golden Retriever, Labs, Rottweilers, etc) the newer recommendations is to wait until the pet is 2-3 years of age before neutering to decrease the chances of inadvertently causing bone cancer. So I would recommend waiting a bit longer.