The Best Age to Neuter a Dog

Even within the veterinary world there are many opinions on what the best age is to neuter a dog, preventing them from having offspring and helping prevent related diseases.

Here at SoyUnPerro, we'll explain the advantages and disadvantages of neutering your dog at a few months old versus a few years old, so you can weigh things yourself and decide when to do it.

Advantages of neutering in dogs

We're not trying to rush you into neutering your dog — we'll simply show you the scientific evidence found so far on the advantages of neutering a dog.

Among the urban myths and false claims out there, some are actually true and, what's more, quite beneficial for our dog. Here they are:

• Neutered dogs are calmer, since they no longer produce testosterone. By removing the testicles, we remove the only way a male produces testosterone. So generally, once its production is eliminated, the animal tends to be calmer, pull less on walks, or be less aggressive. Obviously, several factors come into play, such as age (the later it's done, the more set their personality already is) and individual temperament.
• When a dog is neutered, over time their need to mark everything with urine and their euphoric drive toward females in heat tends to fade, though, as mentioned, this depends on several factors.
• By curbing their drive toward females, we also help prevent them from escaping or getting lost.
• A neutered dog's prostate won't suffer the same problems and diseases as an unneutered dog's. This translates into a greater reduction in the chances of developing various types of tumors (some more malignant than others), abscesses, and prostatic cysts. The earlier the surgery is done, the greater the chance of preventing these.
• Socially, they'll be more tolerant of other dogs, since they won't have the dominance drive that testosterone causes. But as with the previous point, this depends on the behavior already established by the time they're neutered.
• If they mate with a female, which they can still do perfectly well, they won't get her pregnant. This helps avoid more puppies needing homes — there are already too many in shelters.
• Spayed females will have a much lower chance of developing ovarian, mammary, and uterine cancer. We'll also help prevent infections in this last organ. Spayed females won't have a heat cycle, so they won't attract males. We'll also help prevent false pregnancies or phantom pregnancies.

Downsides of neutering a dog

As long as neutering is done at the recommended age, there shouldn't be any major problems or downsides from neutering a dog. However, nothing in this world is perfect, and sometimes a few negative effects can occur, such as:

1. If a dog is neutered earlier than recommended, they may not fully develop a certain aspect of their character the way they would if it were done a bit later.
2. Most dogs may show an increase in appetite, which will lead to obesity if diet and exercise aren't managed properly.
3. Some neutered dogs give off a scent that attracts other males, who may try to mount them, leading to a scuffle between dogs.

These downsides are side effects of neutering in some dogs, in a very small number compared to the dogs that have no issues at all from being neutered. In terms of health conditions, it's clearly much more beneficial to neuter our pet.

The best age to neuter a male dog

It's always been claimed that the best age to neuter a male dog is before turning a year old — that is, between nine and twelve months. However, it's been shown that it's much better to wait until they reach sexual maturity.

The ideal age to neuter a dog depends on the breed — it's best to do it once the dog has fully finished developing and reached sexual maturity. For small breeds, it's possible to do it a bit earlier, since they mature around six to twelve months. Large or giant breeds can wait longer, since they finish maturing around eighteen months.

Once neutered, the dog will need to wear an Elizabethan collar for a few days to keep them from licking the incision stitches. They'll usually need a few days of anti-inflammatory medication and daily wound care with a disinfectant like cristalmina, among others. Within just a few days they'll be back to normal, with the same energy and enthusiasm to play.

Neutered dogs take between six and ten months to fully clear all testosterone from their body, so sometimes we need to be patient before starting to notice the beneficial changes that neutering brings.

A neutered dog can live a completely normal life and still mate with females whenever they want (or can). They simply won't be able to father puppies.

The best age to spay a female dog

There are different opinions among veterinary experts on the best time to spay our female dog. Some prefer spaying before the first heat (0.06% chance of malignant tumors over her lifetime), and others prefer after the first heat (that percentage rises to 6-8%). In the first case, the percentage is lower, but there's a chance her personality won't fully develop. If we choose the second option, we should wait two to three months after her heat ends.

This way, we'll help prevent her from developing various types of cancer, and she also won't be able to have puppies — she won't get pregnant even if she mates with a male.

After surgery, spayed females also need to wear an Elizabethan collar for a week to ten days to keep them from licking the wound and getting it infected. It's recommended to use anti-inflammatories for the first few days, and the vet will assess whether antibiotics are needed. During this period, it's a good idea for them to lead a calm life, with short walks (no roughhousing) and rest.

Once this period is over, they can go back to a completely normal, active life — playing, running, and even mating without risk of getting pregnant. We should watch their diet and exercise from the time of spaying onward, since many animals tend to put on weight after this surgery.

Differences between neutering and sterilizing a dog

Neutering in males involves removing the testicles through surgery at a vet clinic. This way, the testicles can no longer produce sperm or testosterone.

Sterilization in males means a vasectomy — it involves preventing them from having offspring by blocking sperm, either by tying off or cutting the vas deferens. This prevents sperm from being released, but doesn't remove testosterone production, so the dog will keep behaving like an unneutered male.

So, the benefits of sterilization come down to eliminating the risk of offspring. Both surgeries require our pet to be put under general anesthesia. Neutering is done so commonly nowadays that, post-operatively, there's barely any difference or risk between the two.