# Neutering at 6 months



## TylerJack (Jan 21, 2017)

My puppy is 5.5 months old and I would like have to get him fixed in about one month. My vet wants to wait, but my trainer told me to get it done. He constantly humps my kids (6 and 9) and humps me. He still bites/mouths us frequently. He has also shown a bit of aggression over the past couple weeks. I have heard fixing him could stop the agression.
Have you noticed a difference after fixing your male? 
Thank you


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## ArchersMom (May 22, 2013)

If anything, my boy became more aggressive with strange males after neutering. Have you read any veterinary journal studies on the topic. As far as I'm aware, science shows that neutering won't change behaviors but it will increase his risk of orthopedic issues and injury. He's still very much a puppy and may play bite for some time. Not to be rude to your trainer, but I would really recommend getting a second opinion on your dogs behavior. Please think hard and do plenty of real research before you make a decision.


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

I agree with ArchersMom: a friend of mine neutered her male dog when he showed signs of aggression, and the aggression got worse after neutering, not better. Also, neutering won't necessarily change the humping behaviour. The worst humper I know is a neutered female dog. This tends to be a training issue, not related to whether the dog is intact or neutered. You don't say what type of aggression your dog has shown, but it, too, may be a training issue. I'd have some questions about a trainer who suggests that neutering will address these two behaviours and I second ArchersMom's suggestion of a second opinion from a different trainer.

There's a lot of research out there to show that early neutering (at six months of age) increases the chances of health problems and injuries for the dog.


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## littlecreek86 (May 1, 2017)

Our vet asked us to wait for at least 18 months - 2 years to neuter our male golden to let the testosterone enable proper growth, and we are only doing it at all because he is cryptorchid.
Please take ArchersMom and ceegee's advice and consider a second trainer's opinion. Our boy is very high energy and the biting and jumping and humping ceased after a lot of training and with maturity (he will still slip on occasion - he's mentally still a big puppy at 16 months). Everything I've researched on the topic suggests neutering isn't a substitute for good training. Lots of behaviors such as marking and humping don't cease after neutering. Also, neutering at 6 months can lead to hormonal imbalances and cause more harm to both behavior and later to joints.
Good luck, and here's hoping you can make the best decision for your pup!


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## Altairss (Sep 7, 2012)

Neutering does not fix humping trust me on that my friends and family dogs are proof of that. Its training and redirection and teaching them a behavior that is acceptable instead. Many times its misdirected excitement that has become self rewarding to the dog so it may take some time to establish a better option and that age it has little to do with hormones as they are only just coming into their sexual maturity. I also strongly believe if you can, waiting till their growth plates have closed around 2 years before neutering as studies are now finding many important reasons to wait.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

TylerJack said:


> My puppy is 5.5 months old and I would like have to get him fixed in about one month. My vet wants to wait, but my trainer told me to get it done. He constantly humps my kids (6 and 9) and humps me. He still bites/mouths us frequently. He has also shown a bit of aggression over the past couple weeks. I have heard fixing him could stop the agression.
> Have you noticed a difference after fixing your male?
> Thank you


Your trainer is feeding you a complete line of Bull Crap, Listen to your Vet.

Humping is a training issue. Let me say this again, humping is a TRAINING issue. If your trainer can't help you resolve something this simple, it's time to find another trainer.


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## Guido (Sep 2, 2016)

Neutering at 6 months old is very young. Moreover: humping is not always a sexual behavior. Dogs also do this as stress relief or out of boredom. My female 2-year old Golden still humps stuff occasionally. How much exercise is your pup getting? I agree with those who suggest to delay neutering until 18 months. Or not neutering at all. Your dog needs his hormones to mature.

Also, research shows that the risk of hip dysplasia increases when Golden Retrievers are neutered before the age of 1 year.


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## ZooVeteran (Dec 5, 2018)

*6 months is too young for sure ?*

hello,

I hope that I am allowed to comment here.
Many websites explain that a dog should be neutered at 6+ months, but here people said that it should be at 18+ months.
Can I get more opinions please ? Is it clear for everyone that 6 months is too young ?

Thank you so much for your help.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

ZooVeteran said:


> ...Many websites explain that a dog should be neutered at 6+ months, but here people said that it should be at 18+ months.
> Can I get more opinions please ? Is it clear for everyone that 6 months is too young ?....


There is plenty of evidence pointing to it being best for the long term health of Golden Retrievers, especially male Goldens, not to neuter them prior to complete maturity. There are multiple threads discussing this, if you use the search feature you can bring them up and read through all of them. 

Here are some links to articles to read through:

https://www.grca.org/about-the-bree...of-early-spay-or-neuter-in-golden-retrievers/

https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2014/11/05/neutered-golden-retrievers.aspx

https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/golden-retriever-study-suggests-neutering-affects-dog-health/

" In male and female Golden Retrievers, with the same 5 percent rate of joint disorders in intact dogs, neutering at <6 mo. increased the incidence of a joint disorder to 4-5 times that of intact dogs."
https://www.instituteofcaninebiology.org/spay--neuter-effects.html

https://dogsfirst.ie/health-issues/dog-neutering/

https://animalwellnessmagazine.com/de-sexing-dogs/


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

Six months is too early. We had Rocky neutered at 13 months. Most important is to wait until puberty. We did notice a reduction in humping and marking almost immediately.


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## Ladoo (Aug 12, 2018)

Our pup is also 6 months (born 1st June 2018). Based on this link: https://www.instituteofcaninebiology.org/spay--neuter-effects.html# 

the charts are very useful and it seems that for male golden retrievers the best time to neuter is 1 year. (happy to be corrected if i am wrong).

We will therefore now wait until 12/13 months. Very useful. thanks.

Ladoo is biting and starting to hump (humans and dogs) - especially when he sees/plays with other dogs his size or smaller. With the humping we just distract him and he soon stops. With the teething - thats trickier. we have had issues with biting since around 3 months and just are not training him well. What i plan to do this week is: keep the harness on him all day and when he starts to bite - without saying anything just to take him into another room and leave him there until he has calmed down. we have tried the treats and saying no and keeping still - but the biting is getting worse. Its not all the time. typically 6 to 7pm in the evening. and its not lack of exercise as he would have had a walk at around 5pm and one in the morning. Since we dont have the harness on all the time it is impossible for us to take him away to a quiet place. And he LOVES company. So I am hoping that will work. 

Besides this he is a gem. We get lots of compliments in the park about how well behaved he is. Training is lacking. we started but stopped after 2 weeks due to his operation (after eating socks!). so we look forward to getting back into it in January.

sorry if gone off on tangent. just wanted to share the experience as our pups are the same age. hope it helps somewhat.


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

There's quite a bit of evidence to suggest that it's worth waiting until the growth plates have closed (between 14 and 18 months), to avoid potential joint problems. Many breeders are now asking that buyers wait until the dog is 18 months of age before neutering. See https://fall2018.iaabcjournal.org/2...9LETyoyxAvKo_t3PdsE989xlbmP6qC_QhCHY-g1T1nebU, for example.


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## Barlosh (Sep 1, 2018)

Quite simply your trainer is wrong. You should never neuter (if at all) a dog younger than at least two years old. The bones are still growing and the growth plates haven't yet closed plus you won't change behaviour and often will worsen it as testosterone is a confidence building hormone and dogs can become fearful without it, which in turn can cause fear aggression. There are also medical conditions that can stem from neutering such as Hypothyroidism and Cushings disease. Testosterone is a VERY important hormone and your vet obviously knows that, he/she spent years at vet school in order to understand what he/she's saying. 

Trainers are trainers and there's no quick fix in training a dog let alone mutilating a puppy for no good reason.


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## Barlosh (Sep 1, 2018)

Study on early GR neutering. 

https://www.purinaproclub.com/resou...ly-neutering-and-spaying-in-golden-retrievers


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## ZooVeteran (Dec 5, 2018)

Thank you all ! This is so great to have your opinion ! So I think that I will wait more.
Another question, is it something good to try to find him a girlfriend and have fun  at least one time before neutering him ?
(sorry if the question is stupid, maybe I am thinking that it could be me...  )
Thanks again !


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## Snoop Bobb (Aug 11, 2011)

Thank you for these links.

Sadly, we just lost our golden retriever to lymphoma. We're planning to get another puppy in a few weeks, so I'm trying to find the latest resources about neutering -- and particularly hoping to find resources that specifically relate to golden retrievers. 

That said, as a directly related issue, I understand that vets have relatively recently developed alternatives to full-on castration and ovary removal (such as a "doggie vasectomy"). Does anyone have any experience with those alternatives and the effect on behavior and longevity? Is anyone aware of any studies? I've searched, but I've only found articles that describe the alternative procedures in general terms and that don't really describe the consequences in terms of health, behavior, or longevity. 

P.S. I'm impressed with how relatively civil the dialogue is about this issue. When I inquired about this issue 8-9 years ago for our previous pup, people had some VERY strong opinions about the issue and didn't necessarily share those opinions constructively.


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

There was a recent discussion here

https://www.goldenretrieverforum.co...ar/503764-spaying-would-love-advice-asap.html


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

ZooVeteran said:


> Thank you all ! This is so great to have your opinion ! So I think that I will wait more.
> Another question, is it something good to try to find him a girlfriend and have fun  at least one time before neutering him ?
> (sorry if the question is stupid, maybe I am thinking that it could be me...  )
> Thanks again !


Absolutely not. Dogs do not "have fun". The only reason dogs mate is to reproduce. They only mate when a female is in season and ready to get pregnant. Unless you have a dog that is a stellar example of the breed, from a multigenerational line of stellar examples of the breed, you are showing him or competing with him, AND most importantly have done all the health clearances required as per the AKC code of ethics, heart, eye, elbow and hips, with passing exams, do not breed him. 

Waiting to neuter is for the welfare and health of your dog. It is your responsibility to prevent him from producing unwanted litters of puppies until you do neuter him.


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## ArchersMom (May 22, 2013)

ZooVeteran said:


> Thank you all ! This is so great to have your opinion ! So I think that I will wait more.
> Another question, is it something good to try to find him a girlfriend and have fun  at least one time before neutering him ?
> (sorry if the question is stupid, maybe I am thinking that it could be me...  )
> Thanks again !


Nope. There's far more risk than reward. Research brucellosis, injuries related to breeding, etc. A few photos of bloody penises should keep you away from breeding.


I have a really blunt sense of humor, but bad things do happen!


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## farouche (Jul 26, 2018)

There was a time when vets seemed to push to neuter dogs at 6 months. I think the reason was to avoid the "Oh I want to let my dog have fun issue" which could lead to unwanted puppies and puppies with health problems. Scheduling neutering then "made sense" b/c the vet might not see the dog again for a long time once vaccinations were complete etc. 

The research strongly shows that it's NOT a good idea. As others have pointed out, it's much better for the dog's health to wait until two years if you can.


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