What age should I neuter my APBT pup?

[AmyJo27]

I have a 6 month old APBT pup named Boomer. I dont know when to neuter him? He is going to be in agility shows but it doesnt matter if the dogs are altered or not. My vet told me to neuter him at 6 weeks and I thought that was crazy! Plus, people have told me if you neuter a dog before they are a year old they always act like a puppy. And a Pit Bull breeder had on there web site that you should wait until a APBT is 2 so it gives there body and mind time to mature. I have heard ranges from 6weeks-NEVER!!! I definetly want to neuter him so he doesnt want to breed and so he does not become dominate. When should I do it? I want his muscule to fill out , I want him to be healthy, happy, and I dont want him to be a puppy all his life!?! Im thinking maybe 9-12 months old, what do you think? ???


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[emilys]

The current thinking for "performance" dogs is to wait until 14-18 months before neutering, which allows the hormones to have their full impact on growth. After that age, there is no reason to keep your dog intact.

Keeping your dog intact requires UTMOST responsibility to ensure that no "accidents" occur. You can also expect increased inattention in the presence of females (especially those in heat) and increased aggression towards other dogs. Some boarding kennels won't take intact dogs. Management of an intact dog is definitely more difficult.

If you're sure you are up to the responsibility, you can keep him intact. Otherwise, 6 months is a very standard time for neutering and you can do it now. 6 weeks is ridiculous

[valliesong]

I would do it now. I actually promote pediatric S/N in most cases, but not until 8-12 weeks of age. I have never heard of anyone doing it as early as 6 weeks. Pediatric S/N is most important for shelters and rescues, but I would be curious to see what its affects would be on dog aggression in pit bulls and wish my dogs had been altered this early. (I adopted one at five years and he was then neutered, and my mix at over one year and he had just been neutered.)

6 months has long been considered the standard time, but most vets will now recommend it at four months. If you wait beyond 8 months you risk negating some of the positive effects of neutering, including the decreased dominance and dog aggression.

Pit bulls will remain puppies their entire lives regardless of whether or not you alter them. They are not like guardian breeds that develop a distrust of strangers between 1-3 years, which sometimes can be ameliorated with altering. Agility also does not require the same bulk of muscle as some dog sports, and too much bulk can slow the dog down. So I can't see how neutering now would negatively affect your dog.

[emilys]

[quote author=valliesong board=pitbull101 thread=1202438796 post=1202526761... Agility also does not require the same bulk of muscle as some dog sports, and too much bulk can slow the dog down. So I can't see how neutering now would negatively affect your dog.[/quote]


There is evidence that early neuter increases incidents of ligament damage. Hormones are not just about bulk; they are also about muscle and bone strength and flexibility.

[valliesong]

emilys said:

There is evidence that early neuter increases incidents of ligament damage. Hormones are not just about bulk; they are also about muscle and bone strength and flexibility.

Several people have told me such studies exist on pediatric S/N, but I've never seen one.

[emilys]

valliesong said:

emilys said:

There is evidence that early neuter increases incidents of ligament damage. Hormones are not just about bulk; they are also about muscle and bone strength and flexibility.

Several people have told me such studies exist on pediatric S/N, but I've never seen one.

www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html
for a start

[RealPitBull]

Here's an article from the Journal of the AVMA - Determining the optimal age for gonadectomy of dogs and cats. You can access it via the "View/Print PDF" links on the right side.

Haven't read this yet, but I wanted to go ahead and post it here, given the discussion - just came across this today.

avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.231.11.1665

[valliesong]

What an excellent article!