When should I neuter my Dachshund? Will it affect growth or roaming?

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.

There is no clear link between early castration on disc problems in dogs. However, there is not much benefits in very early castration in dogs, in my opinion. My recommendation in your case is to spay your female puppy when she is 6-8 months old (as long as you are not going to breed from her) and castrate the boy when he is about 12 months old.

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.

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.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would wait at least until 6 months. There is a new school of thought to allow dogs to reach skeletal maturity before spaying them. So for a Dachshund that could be 10 months. She may have a heat cycle if you wait until 10 months which isn't detrimental to Rosie bit owners usually don't enjoy it. If Rosie was a large breed dog at my hospital we recommend waiting until after 1 year of age. It is personal preference but my advice is to do it 6 months or later. I hope this helps and have a great day!

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think it is find to wait until Nigel is 1 year old to neuter him. The descended testicle (cryptorchid) should be ok for another 6 months. Overtime (years) there is a risk that the retained testicle can become cancerous. Good luck!

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 :)