Neutering a male puppy

Hi all,

I have a 5 month old staffie. I got him from a breeder that has both the male and the female in a family home.

I go to the vets on a monthly basis and they recommend neutering from 6 months old. I then went shopping at my local pet store and they advised that 6 months is too early and should be at least 9-10 months. Can anyone give me advise on what age neutering should be done? He is a lovely temperament and very happy boy.

On the other hand I am undecided on whether to allow him to be a stud dog as he is a lovely tanned colour and is very healthy. He isn't however KC registered and I don't know what peoples views are on this.

I look forward to hearing your views.

Rachel

Hello and welcome to the forum

There is always a lot of mixed opinions on this topic but If you have no reason to neuter him then why do you want to? A lot of people do it because they need to "calm" their down which often doesn't work.

My boy is 1 year old and I am not going to neuter unless totally necessary for his health as he too has a good temperament and happy. He would never be able to "catch" another bitch as he is always on lead around other dogs unless the dog is known, and we are not breeding him simply for the fact that there are too many dogs in rescue a lot being our beloved staffies and I just don't trust people to look after the pups. We have had people asking us if we would but I have said no.

If you do want to though, yes 6 months in my opinion is too young, you need to wait for the bones and joints etc to be fully developed and as it would say that 6 months is the age their bones are developed but then slow down, they don't actually stop until about 2 years of age. so that is something to think about. a lot of factors go into swaying you to get it done but the pros and cons kind of out weigh each other, but bone & joint development is something not to be messed with as it can caused problems for when your pup gets older.

Hi & welcome to the forum  

Welcome to the Staffordshire bull terrier niceboard. We are pleased you've decided to join us, and hope you enjoy your stay. We hope to see plenty of pictures of your Staffordshire bull terriers or any other breed you may have in your household.

We have several information sheets for those of you looking for help with specific issues. You will find them here:

Training and behaviour information

Puppy information

If you can't find an answer to your question, just ask! You'll probably find someone on here has come across your problem too.

This forum is run by the members for the benefit of the users. It's your forum - get involved.

Just one last thing before you look around could you please just have a quick look At This Poll, we would love to know how you found us.

Here are some links that will get you started with the website:-

Please read the Forum Rules before you start posting.
Here are a List of Tutorial & FAQs that will help you around the forum.
You can ask for Help here if you are having trouble doing something on the forum.
How to update your Profile information
See who the Admin, Moderators & Support staff are Here

Hello and welcome from us

I agree with the thought that 6 months is too young to sterilize, especially a male. The vets will propose the service from a certain age but that’s a starting point, as in not under 6 months.
If he’s good natured, happy and that his education and socializing is going well, I’d say that there is no rush. Just monitor him to see how he progresses.

However, I’m very much against breeding “for the sake of it”. As Paris and many others will tell you, there are far too many unwanted and unloved dogs in shelters, why add to this?
Plus he’s not KC registered so offspring will not be identifiable by breed paperwork but by appearance alone. Given how BSL are evolving, that’s not a very secure future you’re offering them.

Hi & welcome.

I agree with what's already been said.

If you want to castrate him, that's your choice. But please do your research first! There are many reasons NOT to neuter, just as there are to neuter. For example, there's an increased risk of prostate cancer & bone cancer in neutered dogs. If you neuter too early (ie before physical and mental maturity) you can cause problems with his physical growth (the growth plates take longer to close, leaving you with a legged, narrower dog) and also his mental growth! Dogs need the hormones released during 'puberty' in order to become calm & self confident..

If you do choose to have him neutered, please wait until at least 18 months, preferably two years.

As for breeding... please don't. I have nothing against breeding to produce healthy pups that have good pedigrees & will better the breed. But your dog has no papers. That means, at its most basic, that a) no serious bitch owner will use him, b) you can't charge a decent stud fee and C) the pups will have to be sold 'cheap' (they'll have no pedigree) and are likely to end up in poor homes, or even rescue.

I'm sure your boy is a lovely specimen of the breed, but to breed him because he's "a lovely tanned colour" really isn't good enough. Also, I'm willing to bet that your pup's parents haven't been tested for the hereditary problems currently in the Stafford breed?  L2HGA, HC and PHPV/PPSC. are just some of them. These are all very nasty illnesses which can, and do, destroy a dog's life.

Sorry to be so negative, but these things have to be said & the right decisions made for the health of the breed.

Basically everying gilly said. Also, with no papers you have no history...certain lines can have certain problems and you wont ever know that if your dog is not papered and has their entire family history there.

I know that the KC doesnt not mean a dog will have a happy healthy life, but its a start. He or any offspring can not be shown and just adds to the long list of random dogs that noone can keep a track of.

Breeding should only be done by someone really looking to further the breed in a positive way, not by someone looking to have a nice pup.