What Is the Best Age to Neuter a Male Dog?
Caring for the new puppy in your life requires many important decisions for both you and your furry friend. One of the most important of those decisions is figuring out when you should spay or neuter them. To be clear, only female dogs can be spayed and only male dogs can be neutered. With that, let’s answer the question: What is the best age to neuter a male dog? Unfortunately, the answer isn’t a straightforward one. Instead, there’s some different viewpoints and considerations that we’ll discuss in this article.
Digging In
Determining the best time to neuter a dog can be challenging since you’ll most likely stumble upon a variety of opinions and sources. Breeders, individual lifestyles, and certain circumstances can contribute to the your decision for deciding the right age to neuter your male dog. This is true whether it’s a canine of the Doodle variety or some other breed. Your pup’s potential interactions, like going to daycare and socialization with other puppies, can definitely influence the age at which you choose to neuter your dog.
Once you get your puppy from a breeder, you’ll most likely get a health guarantee with details related to neutering. Traditionally, breeders recommend six-months as a guideline for when a dog should be neutered, though that six month timeframe isn’t etched in stone.
6 Months of Age
However, let’s take a look at the rationale behind the six month neuter timeline that seems to be suggested by many breeders? This timeframe aligns with the point at which hormonal changes generally begin to show up in dogs. It marks the phase in a dog’s life when they may start to show some changes in behavior.
Male puppies typically will get increased testosterone levels as they get closer to six months of age. This hormonal change can lead to undesirable behaviors that can include being more territoriality, mounting, and other signs of sexual maturity.
If you choose to neuter around the six-month mark, it helps curb those potentially challenging phases of your pup. As such transitioning through that phase will be a lot easier once neutered. We also want to mention that neutering around this time can prevent any unintended litters that might occur if your male dog becomes fertile and ends up encountering a female dog during their heat cycle.
Small vs Large Dogs
While the six-month window recommendation is still common practice for small breeds, it’s not necessarily the case for larger breeds. In fact, for larger breeds, the recommendation is to wait until they’re a bit older before they get neutered. This delay is due to health benefits, particularly those related to orthopedic issues as evidenced in this 2020 study. When we say large dogs, we really do mean large dogs. For example, like the Bernese Mountain Dog.
Considering your dog’s bones and muscles is an important consideration and potential reason to wait before neutering. When you wait until your dog is between eight and twelve months old, it can help lower the chances of bone and joint problems, and even some types of cancer! This waiting period is because their bones and muscles need time to fully develop before conducting the neutering procedure. If your Bernedoodle seems more like a Bernese Mountain Dog than a Poodle, they might be bigger, and waiting longer can be even better for their health.
However, delaying neutering to this age isn’t without it’s negatives as we mentioned above as you wait for the age of 8 to 12 months. And while this can be a tough time, the positive health effects outweigh any inconveniences you may experience. And that’s why we highly recommend waiting for the 8 to 12 month period for larger dog breeds.
A Case Study: Cooper’s Neutering Journey
Consider the case of our pal Cooper, who’s a male Australian Mountain Doodle.. This breed is a Bernedoodle mixed with a dash of Australian Shepherd genes. In his case, it puts him on the smaller end of the Standard Poodle mixed breed spectrum, but he’s still 55lbs today. So not small by any means, but also not really large like a Bernese Mountain Dog
At first, his breeder recommended we neuter him by six months. As we did some research, we decided to reach out to a veterinarian since this was a major decision we were making for him. After talking to the vet, we decided to push out his neutering appointment to the ten-month mark.
The reason we wanted to wait for the 10-month mark was to make sure Cooper had enough time to physically develop properly and reduce any potential health-related issues. We were happy we decided to wait. While Cooper’s post-op was a little stressful, he made it through without much trouble at all. We mostly felt bad for putting the cone of shame on him, but it needed to be done to keep the incision clean as it healed. He’s been a happy, healthy boy since then!
Evaluating Training and Daycare Factors
Another important fact to consider as you answer the question “what is the best age to neuter a male dog?”, your pup’s potential involvement in training classes or daycare. Usually either of these settings will require that your pup has updated vaccinations and neutering. For families that absolutely need to rely on daycare or training, neutering before fully maturity may be the only answer. Whether you wait or decided to neuter your puppy at 6 months, know that neutering can prevent health problems later in life such as prostate disease and tumors. But if you’re uncertain, we again highly suggest you reach out to your pup’s vet so they can provide the best guidance and tailor it to you and your pup’s specific needs and circumstances.
Where To Go From Here
When figuring out the best time to neuter a Bernedoodle, the basic guideline is around six months old. However, depending on your family’s situation and the type of dog breed you have, waiting until they’re between eight and twelve months old might be better. Talking openly with your vet before making a decision is really important and the best approach if you have any uncertainty as to the best time to have the procedure performed. The advice you get from these conversations will make sure your puppy gets the best care they need and deserve.
Don’t forget, your pup’s health is the main focus. By considering things like your dog’s breed, how you live, and their health, you’re making a careful choice that will shape their future positively. So, whether you’re thinking about doing it at around six months or waiting a bit longer, know that your decision, guided by experts, shows how much you care as a responsible dog owner. We know your pup will be grateful for your careful consideration. Good luck!
