# Neutering



## Jackson2017 (Jul 4, 2017)

Hi Folks,

Jackson is 6 months on Sunday and we have discussed getting him snipped with our vet, but he seems to say that its really up to us when we get it done.
(I'd been told get it done at 6 months )

But he said we can do it now, 12 months, 18 months its all about our choice

So I just wanted to ask the forum, when is the best time if you do choose to neuter them?

His behaviour has been ok nothing aggressive etc but in the last 2 weeks lots of testosterone charged moments and humping ALOT!


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## beckymnd (Oct 17, 2017)

My personal view on it is it completely varies per dog & should be really thought about rather than going ahead at 6 months by default.

My partner and his parents had x2 puppies from the same litter, Bailey & Sonny. Both are 7.5 years old now, Sonny lives with his parents, and Bailey is with us both. They are both VERY different dogs (down to nurture too obviously too). Both were brought up together though for at least the first year.

Sonny was neutered at 6 months. He's always been on the tubby side, he's a lot more needy than Bailey, and a bit of a scaredy cat. He's not super confident, he's obsessed with a ball. Doesn't scent mark at all really. He's never interested in other dogs really, but quite humpy with objects & occasionally Bailey.

Bailey was neutered last year at 6.5 years old. He's always been a very lean fit dog, very confident & loves other dogs and people. He's NEVER been humpy or dominant / aggressive, however he would fight back if confronted by another intact male. He cocks his leg a lot while walking to scent mark. We got him neutered however as he started disappearing from parks after a female dog which got really quite dangerous at times.

I guess my point in this is that the neutered dog, Sonny, is humpy, & very needy / insecure. Bailey who has now been neutered just a year, is very confident, not humpy at all, and not aggressive in the slightest. So it's really not a one size fits all approach 

I think I will be playing it day by day with Dexter who is now 4 months old. I keep thinking to myself, if a teenager were to have all hormone supply cut off just before puberty, they may grow up to be a bit of an odd adult & I suppose it's similar with dogs. It's not really a solution to behaviour, as explained above as unwanted behaviour can still occur, but it CAN help with some dogs. For example my Dad has a Working Cocker who was neutered last year too at 6.5 years old. He was quite aggressive with other intact males, & its really calmed him noticeably.


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## Jackson2017 (Jul 4, 2017)

Ok lots more thinking to do I think


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## LuckyCockapoo (May 29, 2017)

My parents dogs in the past (5 male spaniels), none of which were neutered, were very well adjusted and behaved.

Getting a puppy now, I’ve certainly felt the pressure to get him neutered. The vets ask, puppy daycare and classes ask, etc. Yet no one has been able to properly explain why. The best the vets will say is it reduces the risk of some cancers - what %age of dogs get these, they don’t have figures for. To be fair all 3 vets I’ve spoken to said don’t rush into it, they’d advise not getting it done early and 12-18 months is fine, and they weren’t really pushy when it came down to it and felt it was just fine not to have it done. 

Doggy daycare type places were different, seemingly much more strict - can’t attend as an adult unless neutered. Their explanation was that intact dogs get picked upon by neutered ones. This I don’t know about. 

Personally I just think what started out as managing the population of unwanted dogs has turned into common practice with a lot of bullshit around. I haven’t yet decided with Lucky but I’d rather not have his hormones messed with, particularly when growing up. He’s a great dog as it is.


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