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ZoeMarie · Nov 14, 2008, 03:11 PM

I've been told two different things now and I don't know who to believe. The breeder said between 4 and 5 months. The vet said wait till 6 months. What if we wanted to do it sooner? We can wait if that's what's best but I was just curious.

macksmom · Nov 14, 2008, 04:33 PM

The general age to get any dog altered is 6 months old. This give them time to properly develop.

Now there are some vets out there (mine is one of them) that do pediatric spaying and neutering (meaning they do it before the puppy is 6 months old). So you could look into finding a vet that does pediatric altering.

What is your reason for wanting it done sooner than 6 months?

Staserbeam · Nov 14, 2008, 08:41 PM

I work at a vet clinic and we will spay/neuter as early as 4 months. It's easier on the dogs (at least the way we do it) if you get them altered at a young age. If you alter before the males begin marking, then chances are they won't mark at all. And if you alter a female before her first heat cycle, the chance for cancer is dramatically reduced. We recommend altering at 4 months, especially on large breed dogs. They just seem to recover quicker.
Also, I recommend getting pre-anesthetic bloodwork before letting your pet be sedated.

labman · Nov 18, 2008, 11:43 AM

There is good evidence that 4 months works a well as 6, but unless you are having behavior problems, I would go along with the 6 months the vet wants. There will be very little danger of her coming into season before then.

ZoeMarie · Nov 18, 2008, 11:57 AM

Well what kind of behavior problems are we talking about? She humps my leg a lot, and I mean she really goes to town on it. Is that odd? She's almost 3 months now.

Alty · Nov 18, 2008, 04:33 PM

At the humane society where I live they spay or neuter all dogs before they're available for adoption. I found it quite alarming that some of the 3 month old pups in their care where already altered.

For me, I personally wouldn't do it until 6 months unless you find a vet that knows about pediatric spaying.

As for the humping. This may not have anyting to do with sexual maturity. My border collie still humps, he's 7 years old and was neutered at 6 months. This may be a dominance issue.

Whatever you decide, good luck with your pup, she's adorable. :)

starbuck8 · Nov 19, 2008, 01:22 AM

As Alty said, I believe the humping has more to do with dominance. It's got nothing to do with anything sexual especially at her age, and being female. She is trying to find her position in the pack.

When you can tell she is about ready to hump, you need to give her a quick and sharp correction right away. Make sure you are consistent with doing it. She'll get the hang of it in no time I'm sure. Yes, she is a cutie, but you sure don't want a Great Dane humping you when she's older... that would hurt, and maybe even break your leg! LOL!

ZoeMarie · Nov 19, 2008, 08:38 AM

Originally Posted by starbuck8

Yes, she is a cutie, but you sure don't want a Great Dane humping you when she's older...that would hurt, and maybe even break your leg!! LOL!

Yes, she's learning. She doesn't do it as often anymore. I do wonder what kind of behavior problems I should be looking for. I realize she's just a puppy but she's a real handful. I've had puppies before that weren't this destructive. Lol.

Alty · Nov 19, 2008, 09:07 AM

Great Danes can be very destructive until they're older. But now's the time to nip that bad behaviour in the butt. The longer you wait to correct her, the harder it will be.

You can teach an old dog new tricks, but starting from a puppy is the best you can do. There's no such thing as too young to learn. In their packs they learn from the minute they are born, otherwise they wouldn't survive. You're her pack now, the dominant leader, make sure she knows that.

Also remember, she's a dog. The mistake most people make is that they treat their pets like people. They aren't people, they've simply adapted to living with us. They are happiest if there are set rules, boundaries, a clear dominant pack leader. They want to know their place in your pack, if not then they will get destructive because of their confusion.

Yes, I'm pretty much quoting Cesar Milan, but what can I say, that man's a genius. :)

ZoeMarie · Nov 19, 2008, 09:54 AM

Oh we're not waiting to correct her at all. Trust me. Lol. I would hate to have a 140 lb Zoe running through the house tearing everything apart. We've had private training with her and I am also taking her to puppy school every Saturday. After dinner I sit down and we go over things that we learned in training and I'll play with her or put some treats in her kong to play with. She's getting better but she still finds it necessary to jump up on the couch and throw all the throw pillows on the floor and leap onto them.

Alty · Nov 19, 2008, 10:48 AM

Got to love puppies. :)

My 3 month old beagle is a little stinker too, and as stubborn as my German grandmother! He's smart, he just doesn't want to do what he's told. He's constantly pushing the boundaries to see what he can get away with.

My biggest problem with him is the biting. He still has his baby teeth and he needs to chew. I've bought him a lot of chew toys that are good for teething, but for some reason our hands are still his favorite. I've tried all the tricks I know to stop him from biting, but nothing is working. Yup, stubborn puppy. ;)

Luckily, I'm just as stubborn, it's a battle of the wills, and I don't plan on losing. ;)

ZoeMarie · Nov 19, 2008, 11:04 AM

Lol. Yeah, Zoe has gotten A LOT better with biting. She used to bite us all the time but I make sure she's got plenty of things to chew on around the house besides us.

starbuck8 · Nov 19, 2008, 11:13 AM

As soon as you see her jump on the couch, or it's even better if you can catch before she jumps up, you need to sit down, and claim the couch as yours. Sit down and give her a quick jerk on the collar, with a sharp command, and make her leave. You might have to do that several times, but the key is sitting down on the couch and making her leave, don't just pull her off and then walk away. You've got to claim your space.

eparker77 · Nov 19, 2008, 11:21 AM

I will be the odd person here and say wait till they are done growing or about 2 years old. This allows their growth plates to develop properly.

starbuck8 · Nov 19, 2008, 11:31 AM

Two years? Wow! Do you know how many bad, destructive, very dangerous, and harmful habits and behaviours they can develop over a two year period? NO WAY! Especially with a powerful breed! Absolutely not!

ZoeMarie · Nov 19, 2008, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by starbuck8

As soon as you see her jump on the couch, or it's even better if you can catch before she jumps up, you need to sit down, and claim the couch as yours. Sit down and give her a quick jerk on the collar, with a sharp command, and make her leave. You might have to do that several times, but the key is sitting down on the couch and making her leave, don't just pull her off and then walk away. You've got to claim your space.

We don't mind her on the couch. It's the fact that she throws all the pillows on the floor like they're toys. The couch we have is MASSIVE. So there's plenty of room for her and whoever else comes over too. We just vacuum the couch off a few times a week because we have a husky that, no matter if he comes near the couch or not, manages to get dog hair everywhere.

Alty · Nov 19, 2008, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by eparker77

I will be the odd person here and say wait till they are done growing or about 2 years old. This allows their growth plates to develop properly.

Wow, that's a bad idea. If you wait that long you will have a very destructive dog on your hands, not to mention the risk of pregnancy or of getting another dog pregnant. There are enough unwanted dogs in the world, let's not add any more.

What do growth plates and spaying or neutering have to do with each other? A dog doesn't stop growing when they're fixed.

starbuck8 · Nov 19, 2008, 11:39 AM

Originally Posted by ZoeMarie

we don't mind her on the couch. it's the fact that she throws all the pillows on the floor like they're toys. the couch we have is MASSIVE. so there's plenty of room for her and whoever else comes over too. we just vacuum the couch off a few times a week because we have a husky that, no matter if he comes near the couch or not, manages to get dog hair everywhere.

You're setting yourself up for bad behaviour. It's not that you don't mind her on the couch hon, it's a mental exercise for her. It will be harder to keep her from taking the pillows if you don't keep him off the couch. What she is doing is saying to you, okay, I own the couch, now I am going to push it even further, and now I own these pillows too. Pretty soon she is going to see what else she owns, until she thinks that YOU are living in HER house. She will just take over, and be so much harder to train in other areas. Also, you might not mind her on the couch now, but when she gets bigger... there won't be any room for you to sit on your own couch! ;)

ZoeMarie · Nov 19, 2008, 11:43 AM

My husband lets his husky on the couch. If he's allowed on the couch then Zoe is too. I'm telling you, the couch is HUGE. There will be room, even when she's full grown.

eparker77 · Nov 19, 2008, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by starbuck8

Two years?? Wow!! Do you know how many bad, destructive, very dangerous, and harmful habits and behaviours they can develop over a two year period? NO WAY! Especially with a powerful breed! Absolutely not!

Destructive,harmfull, dangerous habits and behaviours can be dealt with proper training and by the way please enlighten me with the answers. I own a working line german shepherd dog that I waited till he was 2 before I neutered him. He didn't develop dangerous, destructive, harmfull behaviors or habits because I trained him properly... end of story. The health and well being of your pet should be paramount.