Neutering your dog

I’ve had a few questions this month about neutering dogs and spring does tend to be when this question arises for most young dog owners. Wherever you live, it’s really not possible for your male dog to escape the scents of bitches coming into season nearby. This can be quite unsettling for some dogs whilst others barely pay attention.

Whatever your reasons for wanting to neuter, I think the most important question most people have is about timing. As a behaviourist I think timing is key to the future mental health and maturity of your dog. The earlier you spay or castrate the more immature the future behaviour of a dog seems to remain.

For full development of a male dog both physically and hormonally vets are now advising waiting much longer than previously advised and certainly until your dog is at least 18 months old.

However, I think we should think about why we neuter a dog. Most owners think this will cure their dog from humping things, but this is not necessarily true, humping often occurs most in puppies and it is our reaction (laughing, embarrassment etc.) that encourages this behaviour to continue, taking away the hormones will not necessarily stop this behaviour as there is a huge learned/trained component for most dogs.

Many trainers are now advising no neutering for male dogs and allowing the dog to grow and mature naturally, and increasingly we are seeing that unneutered dogs often are better adjusted than neutered ones. Neutering became popular in the 1980’s but dog life was very different then, with the way we keep dogs now, unplanned matings are much rarer and so perhaps it’s not as necessary to just blanket neuter all dogs.

As for spaying female dogs, if you aren’t breeding then coping with a season every 6 months is tough for the average dog owner. But I think it’s wise to hang on until your bitch is fully mature say, 2-3 seasons. Spaying should also be done at exactly the midpoint between seasons for the best temperament to be achieved within the cycle. Therefore, it’s advisable to have enough seasons to ascertain that they are regular and therefore know that you are definitely at the midpoint. One exception to this would be if your dog is having phantom pregnancies at which point I advise you liaise closely with your vet about what the best course of action is for your dog.

Overall neutering is the choice of each person and what best suits your lifestyle and requirements. But don’t forget the timing is vital to your dog’s behaviour and mental health so it’s definitely not something to be rushed in to.