The answers to all your questions can be found on these previous threads:

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/development-socialization/130389-verdict-spay-neuter-age.html

http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...s.com/forum/health-issues/136960-what-age-spay-female-what-age-neuter-male.html

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/health-issues/91619-what-age-would-you-spay-female-gsd.html

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/basic-care/130317-when-spay.html

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/basic-care/144578-best-time-spay.html

When Do You Spay/Neuter or Do You Not Spay/Neuter?
(Comes with a poll).


Should people neuter/spay their dogs?

 

Thanks!!!!!! That really helped out.

BTW...is there a way I can quick search the forums or would I have to go through each page until I found what I was looking for?

 

There's a google custom search box right above your original post that will search for key words on this board only. There's also a search button on the black bar above and to the right of the google search. I usually go to "advanced search" for more options so I can narrow down my search more. You can also go to a particular forum and scan through the recent threads, but sometimes I don't remember what forum I've seen something in. You can view your previous posts and the threads you've started from that same search button.

 

We decided to wait for one heat cycle. So our pup was spayed and tacked at the same time, at 10 months.

 

Wondering if the partial spay allows the hormones to stay after spaying then why now spay at 6 months?? I cant see my pup allowing the diaper to stay on in the ex-pen,crated or anytime I am turned away from her. She is 4 months now. I have a huge desicion to make.

 

Puppy humping and neutering

My pup will be 5 months old at the end of the month.. today, at the dog park, he humped one day many times and one other for a bit. I hate to see dogs hump and I stopped him when seen. MY question. Can a 5 month old male pup already be exhibiting sex actions? Might a neuter fix this now? I wanted to wait till 8-9 months so my pup could get some growth but humping is not something I like to see. Also, I think I need to get his hips xrayed, ( some bunny hopping) and I was told that 6 months was the right time for that. How about doing the neuter/hip x-ray at 6 months? or wait a while more? thanks

 

Humping is just a normal dog behavior. One of our worst humpers is a girl. She humps her brother all the time.
That said, neuter when you and your vet decide, because you'll get 50 different responses here

 

Great poll going on for the forum...


http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru....com/forum/take-poll/168968-when-do-you-spay-neuter-do-you-not-spay-neuter.html

 

I find it humorous after looking at this poll that the lowest percentile seem to be the one on this topic with the most posts and it seems to be the same 3 or 4 people over and over while other people post their opinion then move on.

 

time to neuter

I sent my pup , who will be 5.5 months old in a few days, to a trainer bec I wanted some help with whining, jumping. digging,chasing the cat, etc.. I know perhaps I should train at home and the trainer said that after 4 days at her ranch. she believes my pup will train better at home.,so this is the plan. My question. today the trainer told me that my pup attacked her 15 month old spayed girl. They had been best friends when he arrived on Friday and this morning, when he was taken off leash. he ran to her ,pinned her down and punctured her neck. One of her other service dogs stopped it all. The trainer seems to think it was aggression and hormones, as the pup had his body in a humping position. I forgot exactly how she described it. I was planning on waiting till 6 months to neuter so I can get a good xray of his hips. the trainer thinks I should neuter now. I find her report shocking as my pup is usually quite docile and will be leary of some dogs, though he will play quite well with other pups but never is he the tough player in the pair. and I have never seen any aggression whatsoever.. any thoughts assuming her reporting is correct? She does no negative training ., besides verbal OFF and light tugs when whining, etc. only verbal AND lots of praise.. no treats,. so I don't think her training had any effect on my pup's behavior My guy has done very nice sits and downs, and stays, though he still whines but I do think the trainer has a brain. help...

 

I'd be concerned if the situation that happened was out of character for your dog, I would be wondering what factors could have caused him to react that way.

 

reply

Having not been there, I cannot tell you what happened.. I found the trainers story shocking and beyond belief, though who knows.. she has no reason to make this tale up???

 

Well, being that you weren't there you can only go off what she has told you, that definitely makes it difficult. If that seems out of character for him, I would think there had to have been some variable that contributed to the action. Did the trainer say if there was anything different about what was going on that led up to this?

 

You can read about it here, i think it's really helpful:
Spaying or Neutering Your Dog FAQ

 

No offense, but it's also really biased.

Take this for example:

"Shelter euthanasia is the number one killer of companion animals. Spaying and neutering is the only way to reduce or eliminate that."

Well, no. . . spaying and neutering is one way. Another way is to supervise your dog so it doesn't get pregnant or get another dog pregnant. Another way is to educate people so they view pets as a part of the family and don't obtain and dispose of them so easily.

"There are still some people who say pediatric spay/neuter is dangerous, but that’s not true. It has become much more widely accepted. "

--The subject of pediatric spay/neuter is far from a settled issue. It's hotly debated.

"In males, it eliminates testicular cancers or diseases and can lower the risk of prostate cancer. "

--Actually, some studies show that neuter increases the chance of prostate cancer. It's also has been shown in some studies to increase the risk of osteosarcoma.

 

The bottom line is if you plan to have a litter with your German Shepherd pay attention as they grow up. If there is anything that is questionable spay/neuter them asap. You are making sure other dogs like them don’t generate out there to be thrown out or surrendered. A personal experience with your GS is a priceless one, keep it as that. Yes they do live a long healthier life if spayed or neutered. It downgrades the stress level esp. males.

 

I have decided for the most part to leave Zore "intact" He just turned five months this week, did some research and read alot of threads on the subject We consider our selves to be very good dog parents, training is going just fine, spend time on training almost everyday when I'm not traveling. Our yard is totally fenced in, chances are slim he will ever get out to roam and create unwanted puppies in the world. Our others never did ( this is our first boy) so we are going to see how he grows up for a while.

 

I have decided for the most part to leave Zore "intact" He just turned five months this week, did some research and read alot of threads on the subject We consider our selves to be very good dog parents, training is going just fine, spend time on training almost everyday when I'm not traveling. Our yard is totally fenced in, chances are slim he will ever get out to roam and create unwanted puppies in the world. Our others never did ( this is our first boy) so we are going to see how he grows up for a while.

He is beautiful! I see he drinks lite beer! Good for the physique 😍

 

I just booked my apt for spaying my girl.

I trust my vet completely. She advised me to do it around 5 or 6 months, so she'll be almost 6 months when I'm getting it done.

If she were a male, I'd wait longer, probably at least a year, but my vet told me for females it's a much easier recovery while they are young and their stomach muscles aren't as 'tough', and also you basically eliminate the risk of mammary cancer. She said the younger dogs generally heal faster.

It's not an easy decision, that's for sure and one that's hotly contested.

 

black, I also feel that is best, for my own girls as well as fosters here.
I check our girls who were left intact longer (and we adopted later in life) almost monthly for lumps in their breasts

 

Another new study about early neutering affecting dog health

Golden retriever study suggests neutering affects dog health :: UC Davis News & Information

February 13, 2013

While results of the new study are revealing, Hart said the relationship between neutering and disease-risk remains a complex issue. For example, the increased incidence of joint diseases among early-neutered dogs is likely a combination of the effect of neutering on the young dog’s growth plates as well as the increase in weight on the joints that is commonly seen in neutered dogs.
Dog owners in the United States are overwhelmingly choosing to neuter their dogs, in large part to prevent pet overpopulation or avoid unwanted behaviors. In the U.S., surgical neutering — known as spaying in females — is usually done when the dog is less than one year old.
In Europe, however, neutering is generally avoided by owners and trainers and not promoted by animal health authorities, Hart said.
During the past decade, some studies have indicated that neutering can have several adverse health effects for certain dog breeds. Those studies examined individual diseases using data drawn from one breed or pooled from several breeds.

........
The research team reviewed the records of female and male golden retrievers, ranging in age from 1 to 8 years, that had been examined at UC Davis’ William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital for two joint disorders and three cancers: hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate ligament tear, lymphosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma and mast cell tumor. The dogs were classified as intact (not neutered), neutered early (before 12 months age), or neutered late (at or after 12 months age).
Joint disorders and cancers are of particular interest because neutering removes the male dog’s testes and the female’s ovaries, interrupting production of certain hormones that play key roles in important body processes such as closure of bone growth plates, and regulation of the estrous cycle in female dogs.
The study revealed that, for all five diseases analyzed, the disease rates were significantly higher in both males and females that were neutered either early or late compared with intact (non-neutered) dogs.

 

Surprising Health Benefits of Spaying and Neutering | Stafford Animal Shelter

This is something rarely mentioned in intact animals and yet almost every male we've met past 5-6 yrs. that's still intact has symptoms of this.

Perineal Herniation. Intact male dogs can develop weakened muscle walls in their rectums that allow stool to store up in pouches. They initially strain to defecate but as time goes on, will develop infections and become progressively unable to defecate normally. These herniations are only seen in intact males, and are preventable with neutering.

(more at the link above)

 

This might make me an unpopular person here, but I feel that, if you can be a responsible person, there's no hurry to speuter, IMHO. There are some possible health benefits for a late speuter, but the same can be said about an early one. I've had both male and female dogs, only one male was altered, one female was altered. The male was a late neuter ( >7 months) the female was very early ( < 6 months). Neither one of them had any of the recorded issues with a late/early speuter.

The males who weren't altered, we were/are just careful; my neighbor has an unaltered female, so Finn doesn't go outside w/o a lead when she's outside and if we are out and about, the minute he starts drooling, he gets loaded back into the car and we leave, easy as that.

It's all about if you can handle the responsibility of having an unaltered animal. I think Vets, because they see the worst of what can happen, have the rally cry of "Speuter for all!", and that's perfectly okay. We are already researching diapers and boarding for when we bring our next dog home because we want to do a late spay ( > 12 months) so she can get all the horomones and what not. That's being responsible, not like our neighbor who has already had 3 oops litters, but still refuses to spay...

Do what you think is best; if you think a pediatric speuter is good for your pup, go for it. If you want to do an adult speuter, be responsible, but go for it.

 

I personally will never spay or neuter any of my dogs unless medically required.

However, I commend those who know they aren't willing to deal with heats and can't guarantee an unwanted pregnancy won't occur, so they choose to do so.

 

Agree!

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My breeder told me that it does not matter if you s/n young because the dog will grow to the size they are suppose to be from their genes. This is the first time I've ever heard this. But I got my puppy neuter at 5 months. If I had a girl dog I'd definitely get her spayed before her first heat. I mean I wouldnt want to deal with that mess. But that's just how I feel about.

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Just scheduled Max's neuter appt for end of the month. My poor boy.

 

I always waited for males when they are well over a year closer to 2. My females were done sooner but not at 5 months like my vet wanted.

 

I've had 3 german shepherds, none of them neutered or spayed. Guess it's a personal choice.

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