# neuter question



## brindlepit58 (Jul 18, 2010)

i got my dog from a shelter at 6 months and they had to neuter him before he came home and i was wondering if neutering him could slow or affect his muscle growth or in any way slow maturity?
is there such thing as neutering to soon?


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Yes neutering a dog too young has an impact on how they mature. To reach their full genetic potential they need those hormones to grow properly. Fixing them too young can also to damage to their bladder and you get problems with them leaking. If this was the case you would know right away I am just using that as an example of fixing them too young. Your dog will still be a happy dog but may not reach his full genetic potential.


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## brindlepit58 (Jul 18, 2010)

how erly is too young


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

well many shelters do early S/N at like 6 weeks on up and that is way too young. Ideally you want to wait to at least 18 months to 2 years before S/N to allow them to properly mature. Many dogs do not fully mature until 3 years old. If you are a responsible owner there is no reason to S/N but is a good idea for the masses.


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## Blue_Nose_Bella (Jan 16, 2011)

You will get conflicting answers on s/n. However, you saved your pups life and usually it is mandatory to fix pets before they leave the shelter. There are pros and cons to most things in life. Your boy may grow a little taller and be more finer boned than if he was left to be neutered later. The leaking of urine if spayed to young in females can be an issue but with my neutered males who were fixed at 6 months never had any issues with leaking. I know of people who have bought dogs from reputable breeders that have s/n contracts but ask owners to wait until 14 months. Seems as if more and more people are doing there research these days. If most people were responsible we wouldn't have so many unwanted animals dying in shelters. Unfortunately the majority aren't, hence the pit bull overpopulation amongst other animals being euthanized daily.


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## brindlepit58 (Jul 18, 2010)

i just wish i could have had a say in it because i had no intentions on breeding him and i like to think of myself as a responsible owner but i hate the fact that i might not get to see him reach his full potential but he is pretty stout as he is and he isnt even 2 yrs old yet


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## Brianchris (Oct 22, 2010)

performanceknls said:


> well many shelters do early S/N at like 6 weeks on up and that is way too young. Ideally you want to wait to at least 18 months to 2 years before S/N to allow them to properly mature. Many dogs do not fully mature until 3 years old. If you are a responsible owner there is no reason to S/N but is a good idea for the masses.


BOOOO!!!! Lisa, I got Cairo neutered @ 3.5 months because i didnt know any better (and because i had time off work to care for him LOL).... DOES THAT MEAN HE WONT GROW AS LARGE AS HE SHOULD???? he's 11 months @ 58 lbs, but tall and lean, you've seen his pics. :-( now im sad, mom and dad were both muscular and tall... I know that he is supposed to fill out after 12 months right? up until 2 yrs old? is my timeline correct?

what im trying to say is, there's still room for growth in girth??? LOL his height is where i want it to be haha


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## Blue_Nose_Bella (Jan 16, 2011)

Brianchris said:


> BOOOO!!!! Lisa, I got Cairo neutered @ 3.5 months because i didnt know any better (and because i had time off work to care for him LOL).... DOES THAT MEAN HE WONT GROW AS LARGE AS HE SHOULD???? he's 11 months @ 58 lbs, but tall and lean, you've seen his pics. :-( now im sad, mom and dad were both muscular and tall... I know that he is supposed to fill out after 12 months right? up until 2 yrs old? is my timeline correct?
> 
> what im trying to say is, there's still room for growth in girth??? LOL his height is where i want it to be haha


I have never N/S any earlier that 6 months. I have owned both intact males and neutered males over the years and personally I enjoyed my neutered males ALOT more as pets. Now that I did my own research I won't ever fix another dog until it is 14 months old. By then the growth platelets are closed and they still grow and fill out as they should. I actually know of people who prefer the look of a neutered male and do it at 6 months because of it. You usually get a taller more fine boned dog when it comes to the bully breeds. Pit bulls and some other breeds usually grow up the first year and out the second year so by three years they are fully matured  I have two friends with American Bulldogs that were fixed at 6 and 8 months and honestly look no different than some of the intact ones I've seen. They are still very muscular with a big mug for a head


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

I was basically going to type what BNB said above. Early S/N does effect how a dog grows and you may not reach his full genetic potential they really need those hormones to grow. I did not always think like this till I did more research on early S/N. Many breeders I have talked to and dog sports people all have the same concerns with early S/N. Even a good vet will tell you to wait but most are so money hungry they will guilt you into S/N your dog.


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## Eagle (Jun 6, 2011)

brindlepit58 said:


> i got my dog from a shelter at 6 months and they had to neuter him before he came home and i was wondering if neutering him could slow or affect his muscle growth or in any way slow maturity?
> is there such thing as neutering to soon?


That's too young, IMO. As performanceknls said, they really need those hormones to grow. The way shelters look at it isn't in concern for the dog's health, but in preventing more dogs from going there in the future. If you look at the statistics, it's usually mixed dogs or low quality pure dogs that find their way to shelters...a good breeder finds buyers for the pups before they are born, and doesn't pop an add in paper when pups are 6 weeks old. The buyers of these pups are spur of the moment buyers who jump on it and often don't count the cost. They "dump" 'em off when they can't pay the piper. That's most likely what happened with your dog, and the shelter made sure no more will come.

As for S/N dogs, old timers I've spoke to have told me it takes an edge away from them. In simple English, they say it makes 'em curs (quitters.) They lose motivation sooner than if they were not fixed. However, I've seen fixed dogs that maintain the same intensity to get at others as when they were not S/N. But old timers speak from experience, so I tend to see a point and reason behind the things they say, JMO.

But, IMO, it's too late to worry about it now. What's done is done. Now you have these things to think about for the future, if you decide to get a pup from a breeder, rather than a shelter(where they fix 'em.)


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

brindlepit58 said:


> i just wish i could have had a say in it because i had no intentions on breeding him and i like to think of myself as a responsible owner but i hate the fact that i might not get to see him reach his full potential but he is pretty stout as he is and he isnt even 2 yrs old yet


My friend has a dog that goes after and and all intact males, not sure where you live, but even being a responsible owner doesn't prevent city living people from crossing paths with other dogs who are living around the corner. Most deaths by mauling are intact males. Most dogs that get hit by cars are intact males. There are more problems out there in the world and living in a city, its sometimes better to get them snipped than rely on others to have respect for your dog. To each their own and if I lived in the country with hardly interacting with other dogs or not on a busy route I would think about it differently. but its not a bad thing to do if your not showing or breeding the pup for a lot of different reasons.


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## Black Rabbit (Nov 14, 2009)

Dosia was neutered around 6 months. In my area intact dogs get stolen all the time. D was a rescue, we had no clue where he came from at that time, besides the guy who beat him. We felt getting him neutered was the right choice, we didn't want him to get stolen. We had people try to break in our house twice before that. I did notice that his growth was off. The first year he seemed to not stop growing, he stands at around 25in now. Also he is just now starting to fully fill out and he's coming up on his 3rd B day in October. He had this big ol bobble head with long skinny legs, it was kinda funny. He's now starting to grow right and look proportional but he's quite a bit bigger then all of us expected.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

ames said:


> My friend has a dog that goes after and and all intact males, not sure where you live, but even being a responsible owner doesn't prevent city living people from crossing paths with other dogs who are living around the corner. Most deaths by mauling are intact males. Most dogs that get hit by cars are intact males. There are more problems out there in the world and living in a city, its sometimes better to get them snipped than rely on others to have respect for your dog. To each their own and if I lived in the country with hardly interacting with other dogs or not on a busy route I would think about it differently. but its not a bad thing to do if your not showing or breeding the pup for a lot of different reasons.


Your post is straight up silly!! First your friends dog who goes after intact dogs has a problem with her dog, it is not the fault of everyone else. Maulings and dogs being hit by cars are caused by irresponsible owners. While dogs can get sexually frustrated I hardly see that a reason to make the case for neutering all dogs. Your statements are nothing more than unfounded scare tactics or ignorance. While I could see an male getting aggressive that is hardly a valid reason for S/N. That has a lot to do with the owners and temperament of the dog. Normal intact males do not maul people! 99% of the dogs in my house are intact, I go everywhere with my dogs including training around numerous other dogs and using my dogs as demo dogs when I train. I take my females every where even when they are in season even around intact males. While they may turn some males eyebrows I do not have problems with dogs coming after my dogs because they are intact. I see all these threads and people act like having an intact dog is the worst thing in the world or you have all these fears with them being intact. If you are responsible you can have no problems if your dogs are intact or fixed.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

kg420 said:


> Dosia was neutered around 6 months. In my area intact dogs get stolen all the time. D was a rescue, we had no clue where he came from at that time, besides the guy who beat him. We felt getting him neutered was the right choice, we didn't want him to get stolen. We had people try to break in our house twice before that. I did notice that his growth was off. The first year he seemed to not stop growing, he stands at around 25in now. Also he is just now starting to fully fill out and he's coming up on his 3rd B day in October. He had this big ol bobble head with long skinny legs, it was kinda funny. He's now starting to grow right and look proportional but he's quite a bit bigger then all of us expected.


Now that is rational thinking on why you got him fixed :goodpost:


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

performanceknls said:


> Your post is straight up silly!! First your friends dog who goes after intact dogs has a problem with her dog, it is not the fault of everyone else. Maulings and dogs being hit by cars are caused by irresponsible owners. While dogs can get sexually frustrated I hardly see that a reason to make the case for neutering all dogs. Your statements are nothing more than unfounded scare tactics or ignorance. While I could see an male getting aggressive that is hardly a valid reason for S/N. That has a lot to do with the owners and temperament of the dog. Normal intact males do not maul people! 99% of the dogs in my house are intact, I go everywhere with my dogs including training around numerous other dogs and using my dogs as demo dogs when I train. I take my females every where even when they are in season even around intact males. While they may turn some males eyebrows I do not have problems with dogs coming after my dogs because they are intact. I see all these threads and people act like having an intact dog is the worst thing in the world or you have all these fears with them being intact. If you are responsible you can have no problems if your dogs are intact or fixed.


HA, My point was being in a city, you cant control every other dogs training, so why not help your dog since other people who stink? I think its great that your dogs (and a LOT of other owners) know how to behave, intact or not. Its the other people who have dogs that don't that you need to worry about. Just because your dogs are OK does not mean another dog might not like your dog because its intact. I am not saying NORMAL HEALTHY TRAINED INTACT dogs maul, I was just giving examples why its better to be safe than sorry. Again, I am citing facts, not opinions. Most deaths by mauling are intact males. Most dogs hit by cars are intact males. Of course its the owner's fault not the dogs, but it doesn't change the stats. of course there are responsible dog owners with intact dogs, thats was not my point, sorry if I wasn't clear. If you live in an area where you don't come across strange dogs, go for it. I come across strange dogs daily and have no clue what kind of owner they have. Jeesh, I didn't even mention Cancer risk Lisa and you know I wanted too!! lol


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## Blue_Nose_Bella (Jan 16, 2011)

I have come across articles and literature over the years that state that most dog attacks are caused by intact males. However, I take it with a grain of salt. I remember about 6 years back we had a summer here in Boston where the maulings and attacks on people were out of control. About 7-8 pit bulls were the cause and the majority of them were intact males but they also found that they were mistreated as well as unsocialized which is why I take it with a grain of salt. #1)Should they just judge a dog on the basis of it only being intact? Or #2) should they base it on it's treatment/up bringing and environment as well as the fact of it not being properly socialized. I think it should be judged on my second example personally. I have seen intact males better behaved than some neutered males. Scaretactics don't affect me any because I have owned both intact and altered males with minimal issues.

I think ames is referring to something like this article Lisa.

ACF Fatal Dog Attacks 1994-1999


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

I understand the stats and I do not deny them however just because you have an intact male does not mean they are going to maul people or get hit by a car. Sure they get hit by a car because if left to the streets they roam and mark, they be aggressive over a female in season or territorial but again we are talking about irresponsible owners not the dogs themselves. Why list a bunch of reasons that mean nothing to the responsible owner? Sure my dogs are well behaved but my point is I do not have issues with strange dogs either. I know hundreds of owners who have intact dogs and see them in training all the time and none have mauled anyone or got hit by a car. My point is there are many valid reasons to S/N and to keep intact and it boils down to preference and responsibility. When you start saying this is a dangerous world because of intact dogs.... are serious? I think it is very silly to spout off on how having and intact dog can cause all these problem. The first sentence is about your friends out of control dog, if your friend had bothered to train the dog it would not have these issues. Again it goes back to the responsible owner.



> *My friend has a dog that goes after and and all intact males*, not sure where you live, but even being a responsible owner doesn't prevent city living people from crossing paths with other dogs who are living around the corner. Most deaths by mauling are intact males. Most dogs that get hit by cars are intact males. There are more problems out there in the world and living in a city, its sometimes better to get them snipped than rely on others to have respect for your dog. To each their own and if I lived in the country with hardly interacting with other dogs or not on a busy route I would think about it differently. but its not a bad thing to do if your not showing or breeding the pup for a lot of different reasons.


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

performanceknls said:


> I understand the stats and I do not deny them however just because you have an intact male does not mean they are going to maul people or get hit by a car. Sure they get hit by a car because if left to the streets they roam and mark, they be aggressive over a female in season or territorial but again we are talking about irresponsible owners not the dogs themselves. Why list a bunch of reasons that mean nothing to the responsible owner? Sure my dogs are well behaved but my point is I do not have issues with strange dogs either. I know hundreds of owners who have intact dogs and see them in training all the time and none have mauled anyone or got hit by a car. My point is there are many valid reasons to S/N and to keep intact and it boils down to preference and responsibility. When you start saying this is a dangerous world because of intact dogs.... are serious? I think it is very silly to spout off on how having and intact dog can cause all these problem. The first sentence is about your friends out of control dog, if your friend had bothered to train the dog it would not have these issues. Again it goes back to the responsible owner.


I agree 100% its the owners, but my friends dog was rescued and brought to him from a horrible situation about a year ago, the dog is about 8-9 and my friend works on training, but its a slow process for him and he knows he dog reacts and doesn't bring him around any other dogs, intact or not. He is working on it and being responsible. Each situation is different is all I meant. Just because his dog reacts this way, doesn't mean its the current owners fault, or that he is not responsible, of course he is! My friend is being responsible IMO, but I don't want to be ignorant and think everyone is as responsible as that. I tend to think most people are :crap: until they prove me they are not, you know...

and listing the reason is to get people to know what could happen. I don't really know the original poster to know if he is responsible or not, I was answering about different situations. Responsible or not, it was just things to think about in regards to s/n or not to s/n. Why would you assume he is responsible and would not allow his dog to escape and get hit by a car? Unless of course you know this person, that takes it to a whole other place and knowledge I didn't have. Just adding my 2 cents about why it could be a good thing to do.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

his dog is already fixed..............


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

performanceknls said:


> his dog is already fixed..............


 Oh good, glad that he is a responsible owner  I missed that and got confused with another poster saying he didn't know if he should or not... my bad.


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## brindlepit58 (Jul 18, 2010)

he is DA<end of story. he always has been, though we are working on it, i am also helping my girlfriend with her pitbull that seems to have godzilla genes in him, lol. 7 months and has a 4 ft vertical leap.but anyway, the main thing was, i as wanting to know if i was gonna see him fully develop or not... thanks for all the advice and help
- brandon and his pit, bryant


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