My puppy got shots. When should I neuter him, or can I wait?

Hi there! Congratulations on your new pup :) He will need his first DAPP vaccine (for distemper, adenovirus, parvovirus, and parainfluenza) at 8 weeks of age. This vaccine needs to be boostered every 3-4 weeks until he is 16 weeks or older. He will also need a rabies vaccine at 16 weeks. Additional vaccinations such as Lyme disease, leptospirosis, or Bordetella (kennel cough) may be recommended depending on what is common in your area and what your pup's risk of exposure is. Your veterinarian should be able to tell what else, if anything, would be recommended for Dallas. Dallas can be enrolled in a good puppy kindergarten class starting at 8 weeks, and can also be around healthy, vaccinated adult dogs. I would wait until after he's finished with his vaccinations at 16 weeks to take him to high-traffic areas where lots of strange dogs have been, such as pet stores, dog parks, etc. For medium to large breed dogs, it's best if they can finish growing before being neutered - this reduces their risk of developing orthopedic issues such as hip dysplasia later in life. Because of this, I usually recommend neutering around 10-12 months of age.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There is not rush to neuter male dogs. As long as he doesn't have behavioral problems and isn't marking it is fine to wait. Neutering does helps with an enlarged prostate, prostatitis and prostatic abscesses that can occur with older age. Just as an aside, most dogs do not reach social or bahavioral maturity until 2-3 years of age, so behaviors Nabi have now may change. I hope this helps!

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.

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 :)

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would recommend going ahead with the surgery. I would kennel Scooby after the procedure to keep him calm and contained during his recovery. And I would also talk to the vet doing the surgery about sedatives post op. Good luck and kisses to Scooby!

If a dog is neutered while juvenile, ie not yet sexually mature or grown up, then the neutering will impact skeletal development. It means that it will take longer for the dog to become a mature dog, and some research shows there may be also a mental development deficiency. However there is no time at which a dog "must" be neutered. I would do that before he gets the idea of roaming, as this can become a habit and then neutering will not influence this behavior. so 1) there is no need to neuter a dog at all unless you want to keep it from learning how to roam or keep it from breeding. Not neutering will not influence his health negatively. 2) if you have your dog neutered you can have that done at any time in his life.