What age to neuter?

Hi

My Westie pup Oscar is now 8 months old and has started cocking his leg up and has even sprayed in the house a couple of times. I'm hoping that having him neutered will inhibit this behaviour but am worried about having it done too early as I have read that this can cause growth and maturity problems.

Any advice would be gratefully received particularly from experienced Westie owners

Thanks

Any age from 6 months, he sounds as though he would benefit from it now. What did you vet say?

Helen

Do it. The science behind waiting is weak and the alleged consequences quite minor. Would it be the end of the world if your Westie ended up a cm taller than if you waited?

Maturity causes the growth plates (leg bones) to close - so neutering before mature can sometimes cause problems. Google it and you`ll get info for and against.
It takes up to 6 months for the neuter to take full effect, so you`ll still have to train him out of it in the meantime IMO. He is in his `teenage` stage so I imagine it won`t just be marking he`s doing?

I agree that neutering isnt the magic cure for behavioural problems
You have to train him not to mark in the house. As for when to get them done, any time from now - have a search for the pros and cons and talk to your vet and decide what is the best for both of you

Just a footnote - out of all the dogs we have had neutered 12 months and under - male and female, we have never had any problems with health/growth/temperament etc.

Helen

i was advised by my vet to neuter my cross breed at 9 months 9hes cross weim springer) and was the worse thing i did he still acts like a nine month old and hes coming up 8 years! wish i waited til he was at least 18 months (but hes a bigger dog than a westie) now i always get 2nd opinions from different vets about anything

I understand what your saying but on the other side, many people leave there dogs entire and have no problems,

to have a dog done in the hope that it stops certain behaviours may not work,

But he's a springer x weim . Both those breeds can be described as 'nutty' and hyper, so the chances are, he'd still be acting like a 9 month old at 8 years old whether he had been neutered or not!

Neutering will definitely stop your dog siring a litter. The rest is largely up to you!