Castration Advice

Haven't been on here for a while, but hope I will remain for a good while now. Before shenanigans, I've got a question about neutering. Please don't reply with advice not to do it, as that simply isn't going to happen. I appreciate your views, but they're just not for me.

Anyway, Roger is now 9 months old, and has finally got his hormones. We've had leg cocking and the odd humping incident for about a month now. I had originally planned to get him castrated at the end of the year at around 13 months, but am now wondering if it might be better to get him done now. I say this as I feel that during the summer, when the weather is so hot, he isn't wanting to do so much anyway, so any period of recovery will be easier on him.

So, are there any benefits to leaving it those few extra months?

Thanks in advance.

My rescue dogs were done at 7 & 9 months.

I don't neuter full stop.

It's not likely to stop legs cocking and humping. There are also more health benefits IMO to keeping them entire

As I said, keeping him entire isn''t an option. And I'm not doing it to keep him from humping and leg cocking. He barely humps anyway, and cocking legs is just a dog thing.

My main reasons for wanting him castrated are to prevent puppies, should an accident ever occur, ensure he can't get testicular cancer (yes, I know about the whole 'increases chances of other cancers' thing), and reduce desirability to thieves.

So, with that said, any benefits to leaving it a little longer?

I wouldn't know any direct benefits of leaving him longer, but I have heard that if you do choose to neuter, that its best to leave it until after they are 1.2-2yrs old, when they are fully matured.

Hi, when we had Alfie (staffy) neutered the vet said to do it at 6months, but for Sam (labrador) they said to wait till he was 9 months old because he was a bigger dog and they wanted to make sure it didnt effect his development.
I think its because testosterone is a growth hormone. Presumably some people would take this point further and say to wait until he is fully grown, like maria90 above says.

Early neutering delays the closure of growth plates resulting in a leggier, narrower dog.

Also, if there are any nervous issues, early castration will make them far worse!

I would always advise people to delay neutering until the dog (or bitch) is fully mature both mentally & physically - about 2 years old for a stafford.

If your going to do it dont do it untill hes nere 2 years old,I dont get the whole " My main reasons for wanting him castrated are to prevent puppies " Why cant people just look after there dog properly it really is preventable to stop your dog from entering a bitch,im not a fan of it myself but never judge people who do,i just dont think its the best choice esp for a staffy breed to have it done before hes matured.

Please reconsider for the possible sake of your dog and think about waiting awhile

I would definitely try to wait if you can. It would be ideal to wait until he is 2 years old a fully mature. However if you can't wait this long I would at least put it off for as long as you can instead of doing it now. Waiting 4 months will let him mature and develop a little more, he won't be fully mature but he will be more mature at 13 months then he is now at 9 months. It's a personal decision, and a difficult one at that!

As it happens, I rang the vet and they don't castrate until 12 months unless there are behavioural issues. So, that's my decision made for me. I'm not going to wait until he's two, as the risks involved with keeping him entire for that long are too high for me.

As for the puppy thing, I can be almost certain that he wouldn't get to a bitch, but no matter how careful anyone is, they can't be 100% sure. Accidents happen.

Your choice and we can all respect eachother here even if we all have different views on things,the most important thing is that the dog is loved and looked after.

All the best for the OP hope all goes well

While I might not agree with your reasons, we can't all agree on the same thing, so it's a matter of opinion. I'm glad you're at least waiting until he's 12 months. IMO, it's important to let him finish growing before making drastic moves such as castration, but 12 months is at least better than puppyhood.

Can't say i agree with your decision and reasoning, it really isn't that hard to ensure your dog doesn't get a bitch caught.

Broxi wrote:If your going to do it dont do it untill hes nere 2 years old,I dont get the whole " My main reasons for wanting him castrated are to prevent puppies " Why cant people just look after there dog properly it really is preventable to stop your dog from entering a bitch,im not a fan of it myself but never judge people who do,i just dont think its the best choice esp for a staffy breed to have it done before hes matured.

Please reconsider for the possible sake of your dog and think about waiting awhile

 

well you CAN be 100% sure, its called being responsible..

I gotta agree with most comments on here, if your main reason to get him castrated is to prevent puppies, regardless of any other factor (like you stated yourself, increases chances of other cancers or growing fully), then I honestly don't see your reasoning. Unless you're going to leave him alone with a bitch without supervision, it's easy to prevent puppies, just keep an eye on him and be responsible.

That thoughts never even come into my mind because Zeus is always in my sight whenever he's off lead and it's not even a problem when he's at home or on lead.

But, saying that, each to their own and he is your dog, so at the end of the day, it's your choice. If it were me, I would wait until full physical and mental maturity (18 months/2 years old). 12 months still seems too early.

Eris wrote:
As for the puppy thing, I can be almost certain that he wouldn't get to a bitch, but no matter how careful anyone is, they can't be 100% sure. Accidents happen.

I've had 5 males, all entire. None of them have ever fathered pups, none of them ever suffered from non-neutering related cancers (my stafford died from stomach cancer, not hormone-related) and all were 100% in control! No accidents happened because I was in control of my dogs at all times.

Sure, it's your choice, but I really don't know why you posted this thread if your mind was already made up?