when to get me dog the snip

was is around the best time to get me dog sniped he is six month he a bit giddy but he still a pup and he not bothered about humping anything just yet but is it a good idea to have it done and about what age

You don't have to, if you decide to over 2 is recommended.

For some reason vets these days are pushing for dogs of both sexes to get snipped at 6 months old.

When I first had dogs over 30 years ago, the rule of thumb was that a bitch should have a first season before spaying, and a dog should be lifting its leg to wee (or mark) before castrating, which at least gave them some time to at least reach some sort of physical i.e. reproductive maturity, although they were still in essence adolescent.

When and indeed if to neuter will always be a contentious issue, so I would advise that you explore via Google the pros and cons of neutering at various ages (if indeed you find it necessary at all) and draw your own informed conclusions as to when is the "right time" (and also be guided by your own dog's development and behaviour).

It is a personal choice, some people are for and some are against. I can only suggest you research and make and informed decision one way or the other  Have a read of this

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t12763-long-term-health-risks-and-benefits-associated-with-spay-neuter-in-dogs?highlight=risks

I would always advise waiting for full maturity, or indeed not at all!

I would not do it so early, they will not grow properly and may get stuck in an immature mind set. If you are a responsible owner you won't have to worry about him getting at bitches, which is why dogs are neutered. It is not to "calm them down" or stop them humping, cause that is behavioural not sexual.

as others have said, wait it out for a few months as 6 months is too young. As they mature they will be subjected to a bombardment of hormones which switch on and off all sorts of physical and phscological stages within puppyhood.
Also it wont stop humping, in fact some neutured males like nothing better than to try hump un-neuterd males  

Has anyone had a vasectomy done on their dogs instead?  We did it on our one of males while we owned a bitch at the same time.  Doesn't affect their hormones at all and they still get to keep their testicles

Advice as above, hence to say I will not be getting my boy done  

i don't neuter unless medically needed so my boys keep their balls!

djstratton wrote:Has anyone had a vasectomy done on their dogs instead?  We did it on our one of males while we owned a bitch at the same time.  Doesn't affect their hormones at all and they still get to keep their testicles

Interesting - all of the pleasures with none of the consequences!

I've never heard of it in England (well, not for dogs!) although others may know better than I.

Lynda wrote:

djstratton wrote:Has anyone had a vasectomy done on their dogs instead?  We did it on our one of males while we owned a bitch at the same time.  Doesn't affect their hormones at all and they still get to keep their testicles

Interesting - all of the pleasures with none of the consequences!

I've never heard of it in England (well, not for dogs!) although others may know better than I.

We actually had it done in Thailand with our male and it was the best thing we did and our vet there said it is a very easy procedure to do. Maybe something to ask your vets about

Just did a quick google search and there is actually quite a bit of info out there

Vets prefer not to in the UK because it can't be guaranteed - same as in humans.

not something i'd do i don't want to neuter at all in any way, so no not something i'd consider

I had my boy done at 11 months but my hand was forced slightly as he lives with a female patterdale of the same age, they were brilliant together 99.9% of the time, there was no sexual behaviour whatsoever between them but every now and again he would just go for her quite seriousely which was horrible. I did quite a bit of research incuding talking to my vet and he suggested it may be sudden rushes of testosterone which can be upto 7 times higher than normal at this age and he was taking it out on her. He obviousely offered me no guarantees that neutering would solve this but i decided to have it done and i must say its the best thing i ever did for him (and her)

I still wouldn't have neutered, I'd have watched his body language & resorted to training to stop the behaviour before it happened. 

It really wasent possible, I'm excellent at Reading his body language and there was still no predicting it, it wasn't fair on her and it wasn't fair on him as he literally couldn't help it. He hasn't attacked her since and he is a better dog for it. It's never a guarantee for anything but personally speaking its the best thing I've done for him

I would never neuter for behavioural problems. It can often cause more long term problems than it solves.

If you want to neuter do it - some people seem to be really against it for some reason?

I have had dogs neutered from 6-12 months of age without any problems and to be honest I know more dogs that have been neutered at that age without any issues too.

You can always try the chemical castrate before you go ahead with the operation - kind of try before you buy option.

At the end of the day it's your own personal choice.

the amount of hassle I got from my vet to get beau done from 6 months was just over the top I ended up saying enough is enough at the end of the day its our decision and that has always been not to..now beau has issues with other males no doubt about it but I would never get him done because of that, i think the points made about body launguage is a great one i watch my dogs a lot when they CANT see me sounds daft but I think that's where you see a lot of whats really going on.. my front and back door are both fenced in and secure that's their playground and I make a point of just leaving them to it watching from a distance you do learn a lot.. I have brother an sister here and we are going to get phoebe done next year although I am not happy about it I understand that you cant be to carefull.. we never got phoebe to have a litter with any dog I am sure their must be other owners out there who have m/f and manage to go through the females season with a bit of hard work and common sence no?

rescuestaffords wrote:If you want to neuter do it - some people seem to be really against it for some reason?

People are against it because it can do a lot of harm if done too early. If a dog has any aggression issues & you neuter before sexual maturity, you risk 'fixing' that behaviour, or even making it worse.

Early neutering causes the growth plates to close later, resulting in a leggier, narrower dog (ie a possible pitbull type) and can stop the development of the genitals in bitches. This can lead to incontinence (in dogs as well) and urinary burn. There is also an increased risk of bone & prostate cancer.

But on the flipside there is also health BENEFITS to neutering. This is why there's always going to be divided opinion on the subject, all I can do is speak from personal experience

Also prostate disease is greatly reduced in castrated dogs, not the other way round

My girl is a spayed female and LOVES to hump!  For her it's tension, excitement or anxiety generally. Your reasons for neutering are personal, and I can't add to the great advice you have already recieved

If you can be bothered to read it all then this is very informative and fair to both opinions http://www.skeptvet.com/index.php?p=1_23_benefits-risks-of-neutering

i'm afraid i do not neuter, due to the health and mental benefits, plus i will not put my dogs under unnecessary GA

Another vote for not neutering.
There are pros and cons for sure, but all it has really translated to in my bitch is keeping other dogs away for about two weeks a year.

She's just gone through her second season with me and was good as gold - didn't even get the hump with her live-in staffy male partner (think he knows better than to try. He's castrated in any case, as he'd been snipped at the rescue).

BoroGTI wrote:But on the flipside there is also health BENEFITS to neutering. This is why there's always going to be divided opinion on the subject, all I can do is speak from personal experience

Of course there are benefits, but for a lot of people the cons outweigh the pros.

BoroGTI wrote:Also prostate disease is greatly reduced in castrated dogs, not the other way round

Prostate disease is less in a neutered dog, but prostate cancer increases.

The research into whether prostate cancer increases is very innaccuate to be fair, it all depends on what research you believe

BoroGTI wrote:The research into whether prostate cancer increases is very innaccuate to be fair, it all depends on what research you believe

Goes both ways! 

The fact remains that early neutering does make the growth plates close later, which does result in a leggier, narrower dog. It can also 'fix' behavioural problems and leave the pup with 'permanent puppy syndrome'. It also increases the risk of bone cancer, and urinary incontinence.

This is a debate which can go on forever and everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

For me personally, I had a long think about it and decided to go ahead with it. Was it a mistake? I don’t think so, it has calmed him down. One thing I did disagree on when I was looking into the cost is if you’re claiming certain benefits you can get it done for free?!! Why? If you can’t afford to keep a dog fully you shouldn’t have one and I apologise if there are people are on here who are on benefits legitimately but the whole benefits thing winds me up, that’s a totally different argument. Anyway it cost me £120 for the op.

If I was using him as stud then yeah keep his little plumbs, but I wasn’t. I think me making money/ profit out of him is wrong, and who knows what might happen with some of the pups, we all know what state the dogs’ homes etc. are in. It’s taking away that drive for him to seek a bitch in season; there will naturally be sexual frustration.
We know it reduces or removes the risk of some cancers.

As long as it’s not too early and you allow them to fully mature and grow as mentioned. I can’t really see why you would want your dogs to keep them?

If indeed you want to use your dog as stud, think about it. I had a chat with the breeder I got cassius from about the possibility of using him as a stud and he said to really think about it and it’s not that easy. Dogs that are used as stud do often mark their territory, even indoors, which I didn’t know about.

Steviec wrote: I can’t really see why you would want your dogs to keep them?

I want him to keep them because I don't like unnecessary surgery. I know I will never let him mate a bitch. I know I can handle his temperament/behaviour. So for me, there's no need.

Not every dog that's left entire will get cancer, just as not every castrated dog will get bone or prostate cancer. But after studying the pros & cons, I feel it's best to leave him entire.

Steviec wrote: If indeed you want to use your dog as stud, think about it. I had a chat with the breeder I got cassius from about the possibility of using him as a stud and he said to really think about it and it’s not that easy. Dogs that are used as stud do often mark their territory, even indoors, which I didn’t know about.

Again, not every dog that's been used at stud will mark their territory more than if he hadn't been used. If they do, then up their training for a while & they soon stop again!

i can handle my dogs temperament and behaviour, however, thats not to say there wont be a moment in their life where things are out of your hands.

I often walk cass on a disused golf course, i'm constantly keeping an eye out for other dogs, however again i can't be 100% certain that if he'd see a bitch before me and if she was in season nothing would happen. i can't see through trees or over hills, i can't smell like he can either.

i was just saying something i'd been told by a breeder.

they might mark their territory when you're not around?