Question:
I see the shelters and some breeders desexing their pups at 8 weeks, is this proven effective when the dog reaches maturity?

Which is better to wait until they are 6 mths, when the uterus and testicles are a bigger size...or when they are 8 weeks?

I watched a Vet show, and the one girl had a hard time finding the dog's ovaries, if she had been older it would have been easier. Which procedure is more effective, and easier on the dog?

Answer:
For puppies and kittens being adopted out from shelters, the only way to make sure they ARE spayed/neutered is to do it before or at the time of adoption.

Personally, I would not spay/neuter until at least 5 months old.

Answer:
I think desexing and spay/neuter are the same thing.

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I think it's still too early to tell when its best to be done. Personally if the vets would have done it at 8 weeks here I would have done it and had his dew claws done at the same time. I know that they only started to spay/neuter at 8 weeks only a short while ago. Also they now do for males is a needle in their testicles but I don't know how long that is effective for.

Answer:
I know that with giant breeds spay at 2 years neuter 18 months.

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I know that alot of golden owners wont neuter their males until they are 2...this is to allow the goldens head to reach max size...a large head is a desireable trait in male goldens

In fact breeders specify that females HAVE to be spayed at 6 months,but that their males dont have to be neutered till they are 2

Answer:
Our Vet neutered Blaze at 6 months old. I wanted him done at that age as I have never waited passed that. Dr Judy agreed with me and thinks 6 months is the right age, but all vet might no think the same so I would say ask your own Vet and do as they say.

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I will definitely be asking my vet, I'm curious as to which one is more effective, and the results of an 8 wk pup going through puberty.

Thanks.

Answer:
results of an 8 wk pup going through puberty.
Not sure what you mean? After a dog is spayed or neutered, there is no "puberty" or sexual maturing.

Answer:
That doesn't make any sense does it.

What I meant is leaving a puppy to go through puberty at 6 mths, the testicles are dropped and the uterus and ovaries are developed as well. I am curious as to a desexed puppy, how do we know that procedure has been effective, do these puppies feel nothing at 6 mths...behaviour wise. For instance males, tend to squat until they reach a certain age like 6-8 mths, do they continue to squat...or is that a learned behaviour? Do they have that urge to mark the territory...isn't that why they start lifting the leg.

If males continue to squat, that would be great, because I don't like males peeing on everything in the yard. I would rather have a burn mark.

Answer:
Spaying and neutering either eliminates or reduces only behaviors induced by hormones.

If a male dog or is neutered before it is sexually mature, this should drastically reduce the aggression and desire to fight with other males (depending on breed, temperament etc) and eliminate the urge to roam and find mates.

In females of course, there is merely no heat cycle or behaviors associated with estrus.

Neutered/spayed dogs will continue to mark territory, and a neutered dog may or may not squat to pee - it just depends on the individual dog. Neutered males are much less likely to mark indoors, however.

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