How Much To Neuter A German Shepherd

Should You Spay Or Neuter A German Shepherd

Neutering or spaying German Shepherd Dogs training for police or military work is optional. However, it is important that these dogs be healthy and fit to do their jobs, and neutering or spaying before 6 months of age could increase the risk of a debilitating joint disorder such as hip dysplasia or CCL.

What Age Should A Dog Be Neutered

A male dog can be castrated between six to seven months, but it can vary depending on the breed. Speak to your vet for clarification.

A female dog can be spayed at around six months old, however, this can differ if you have a larger dog.

Large dogs like Labrador Retrievers, for example, can be neutered from up to 18 months of age, however, this is dependent on size and gender.

Always speak to your vet for advice and clarification.

Delaying your dog’s spay un-necessarily could lead to more problems, such as the increased risk of breast cancer after shes had her third season.

What Is The Best Age To Neuter A German Shepherd

The best age to neuter a male German shepherd is when they are done with their growing phase. Such phase in big dogs like the German shepherds occurs between 18-24 months. There are various health issues associated with neutering a German shepherd before this age.

According to a study done and published in 2016 in the journal veterinary medicine science, German shepherds neutered before the age of 1 year were reported to have high CCL injury or rapture incidences compared to dogs fixed past this age.

This retrospective study was done to evaluate the long-term effects of spaying and neutering a German shepherd.

What are the other risks involved with neutering a German shepherd before this age

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Health Problems To Be Aware Of

Not all German Shepherds will have the following health problems listed by Dr Brooks, but it is important to be aware of them when considering this breed.

This price range for hip dysplasia is very wide because of the variety of treatment options an owner may pursue. Conservative treatment including pain management and physical therapy is the cheapest alternative while total hip replacement costs about $5,000-$6,500 per affected hip. Hip dysplasia can affect a German Shepherd at any age.

Allergies : this depends if the pet has allergies throughout the year or just 1-2 flare ups per year. It would also depend on the owners decision to proceed with allergy testing and injections. Note that the pet may also need to be fed prescription food, which can easily be as high as $100 per month.

Degenerative myelopathy: genetic testing, medications, and/or a dog wheelchair would probably be $500 to $1,500. If a complete range of diagnostic testing is done to completely rule out any other condition that can mimic degenerative myelopathy, the cost can be up to $2,000-3,000.

Lumbosacral instability and degenerative disc disease: the lower end of the price range is if the owner elects a conservative treatment of pain medication, physical therapy, and/or a dog wheelchair. The high end on the other hand is applicable if surgical correction is pursued.

How Will Neutering Affect Your German Shepherds Behavior

Contrary to popular belief, neutering isnt going to calm down your german shepherd. It will only help reduce common sex-based behaviors. Primarily, youll notice your german shepherd is a lot less likely to mount things or mark their territory.

The only other part of them that may be affected is their weight. However, if youre paying attention to what youre feeding them and how much exercise they get, then theyll normally stay at a good weight.

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Data Collection And Presentation

The computerized hospital record system of the VMTH provided the dataset. The hospital, with currently over 50,000 cases admitted per year, is a secondary and tertiary facility as well as being a primary care facility. The statistical evaluations, with standardized diagnostic criteria applied to various diseases and taking into account sex and different ages of neutering, required a large database with a computerized record system. The study focused on proportional differences in disease occurrences between the neuter age groups and intact dogs of the same breed and sex.

The study period represented 15 years of data for most breeds. The inclusion criteria were date of birth, age at neutering , and age of diagnosis or onset of clinical signs for diseases of interest. As mentioned, age at neutering was designated as < 6 mo., 611 mo., 1 year , and 28 years . The term early neutering is sometimes used below to refer to neutering in the first year, combining cases for both the < 6 mo. and 611 mo. neuter periods. For MC, PYO, and UI, only females were examined. While UI does occur in males, it is predominantly an issue in females.

What Is Spaying And Neutering And What Do They Do

We often think of neutering as a term that only applies to male dogs, but the truth is that either sex of a dog can be neutered. When referring to neutering a male dog, the specific term is castration, and for a female dog the specific terms is spaying.

In more general terms, neutering and spaying are referred to as fixing.

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Advantages Of Neutering A German Shepherd

There are tons of beneficial reasons you should neuter your german shepherd. But remember, there are also going to be some downsides as well. So before deciding whether its right for you or not make sure you look at the disadvantages as well.

It Decreases Some Sex Related Behavior

One of the biggest benefits of neutering your german shepherd is that its going to decrease some sex-related behavior. For example, its been found that when german shepherds have had the snip, theyre less likely to mark their scent or stray away from you and roam.

This also includes humping as well, which can be a very annoying sexual behavior!

Theyre Less Likely To Recieve Aggression From Other Males

Once your german shepherd has been neutered, theyre not going to give off the same pheromones as they did before. This means, theyre not going to be seen as a threat by other dogs, so its less likely theyll end up being attacked.

It Removes The Chance Of Testicular Cancer

This is an obvious one, but without testicles, youre going to remove the chance of your german shepherd getting testicular cancer.

While testicular cancer is relatively uncommon and easy to treat. If you dont notice it quickly enough it can often spread. So its nice to know you can remove the chances of it happening altogether!

Reduces The Chance Of Prostate Disorders

As well as reducing the risk of prostate disease, its going to help reduce the risk of perianal tumors and perineal hernias as well!

German Shepherd Dogs: The Impacts Of Early Neutering

Generations of veterinarians in the United States have been taught to recommend neutering for dogs between four to six months of age, and certainly before their first birthday. Relatively recent research has revealed compelling negative implications of such early neutering in Golden Retrievers, Labradors, Vizslas, and Rottweilers. Now, along comes more compelling research, this time pertaining to German Shepherd dogs.

German Shepherd research

Its difficult to find a dog more loyal and intelligent than a well-bred German Shepherd. Its also difficult to find a breed more prone to joint maladies. Recently published research out of the University of California, Davis explored the impacts of early neutering on the incidence of joint diseases, various cancers, and urinary incontinence in this breed.

Medical records from 1170 neutered and intact purebred German Shepherds were retrospectively evaluated throughout the first eight years of the dogs lives. The records were investigated for the incidence of joint disorders , various types of cancer , and urinary incontinence.

Study Results

Cancer: Mammary cancer was diagnosed in 4% of intact female shepherds compared with an incidence of less than 1% in dogs spayed before one year of age. No significant differences in the incidence of the other cancer types studied were discovered when intact and neutered shepherds were compared.

What about your dog?

Is your dog neutered? If so, at what age was the surgery performed?

Best wishes,

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Do Dogs Need A Cone After Neutering

Does My Dog Need to Wear a Cone After Neutering? Your dog will hate it, but your dog must use a collar as they recover from surgery. An Elizabethan collar, commonly referred to as an E-collar, is specially designed to prevent accidental injuries. This could rip the stitches out and expose your dog to infection!

Are German Shepherds Expensive To Own

Are GSDs expensive? It depends on what you consider expensive. Here are the average costs for various types of german shepherds. Skim and well let you decide

Based on our calculations of average expensive a GSD costs $8,020 over their entire lifetime. This includes the cost to purchase them from a breeder, get initial gear, and provide annual food and vet care.

For a trained work dog the total lifetime cost goes up to $14,020.

For protection trained GSD the total lifetime cost is at least $62,520.

Detailed breakdowns of these calculations can be found above.

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Will Neutering My German Shepherd Calm Him Down

Neutering your german shepherd can help to calm him down, but the amount of change you see in your dog and how fast you see it will depend on multiple factors. Some dogs may continue to be hyperactive despite being neutered, but you can help him to make the changes youd like to see by spending time training him.

Should German Shepherds Be Neutered

Results of the study suggest that neutering between 6 and 11 months is most ideal to prevent canine cancer. Neutering at 1 year old comes at a close second. Given the combined results, around 1 year old should be the best age to neuter your German Shepherd to minimize the risk of both cancer and joint disorders.

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Why Is My Dog More Aggressive After Being Neutered

Recently neutered male German Shepherds tend to experience a rise in aggression, but this fades over time. One of the greatest factors that determine if a male dog will become more aggressive after the procedure is the breed.

German Shepherds tend to see an increase in aggression because of the temporary hormonal imbalance caused by the neutering surgery. This results in aggressive behavior amongst breeds that may be predisposed to violent tendencies. The most obvious physical change I have observed was the removal of the male testicles, which will become barely noticeable as the incisions heal.

It is important to note there will also be beneficial tendencies over time. First, dogs are less likely to wander off and have a lower propensity to hump other dogs and humans. There will also be a reduction in sporadic urination at home and eventually less aggressive behavior.

What Are The Risks

With most highly bred breeds especially shepherds they are often maligned by disorders and cancer. So, heres a quick overview of what the study says the breed suffer from depending on when their surgical castration was performed. The aim of providing this information is about giving you all the information to make the best decision.

If youre looking at the female intact vs the 2-8 years category and wondering why the recommendation is to spay? Its because there is a 3% risk for an intact female to suffer from a Pyometra which is really pretty gross and unpleasant and a huge risk to life that can be mitigated by spaying, so it just tips the balance in favour of spaying. Though, if you look a little lower, a hysterectomy could be your answer

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Corgi Pembroke And Cardigan

The study population was 42 intact males, 78 neutered males, 50 intact females, and 70 spayed females, for a total sample size of 240 cases. Although these are two breeds, they vary only a little in size, so these two breeds are combined for statistical analyses and display of data. The occurrence of at least one joint disorder in intact males was 5 percent and for intact females 6 percent. There was no significant increase in this measure in males or females with neutering. This is one of the breeds where intervertebral disc disorders are a concern, and in 3 percent of intact males and 8 percent of intact females, IDD was reported. In males neutered before 6 months, the occurrence of IDD reached 18 percent, and in females there was no increase with neutering. The occurrence of one or more of the cancers followed was 5 percent in intact males and 6 percent in intact females. In neutered males and females, there was no evident increase in cancers. For females left intact, the occurrence of MC was 8 percent, and there was zero occurrence of PYO. There was no diagnosis of UI in spayed females. The suggested guideline for age of neutering for males, given the increase in IDD with neutering at < 6 mo., is beyond 6 months. Lacking a noticeable occurrence of increased joint disorders, IDD, or cancers with neutering females, those wishing to neuter a female should decide on the appropriate age.

Dogs Can Be Energetic Depending On Their Age Breed And How Much Exercise They Are Getting Were Taking A Look At Whether Or Not Neutering Can Help Calm A Dog Down

A lot of the questions we get about neutering dogs are often behaviour related and usually its a male dog involved!

Any dog owner knows how energetic they can be, especially with breeds like Staffies who need a lot of exercise every day and are known for being really high energy. Theres absolutely nothing wrong with an energetic dog, they just need a little guidance in using their energy in the right places.

As to whether neutering will calm your dog, the answer is yes and no. Obviously, wed always recommend neutering your pet. There are lots of health benefits not to mention preventing unwanted litters. Also, if you find your dog humps a lot, then neutering can help to stop this happening if theyre humping because theyre hormonal.

If your dogs hyperactive behaviour is also down to hormones, then neutering should help. A lot of owners find their dog chills out more after being neutered whether theyre male or female.

While neutering your dog might help to calm them down a bit, sometimes thats not the only cause of a dog being a bit much. You might find they arent getting enough exercise and need to let off steam. You can check out this infographic to help you find out how much exercise your dog needs by their breed:

The above is just a guide. If you have a chat with your vet, theyll be able to give you a better breakdown of how much exercise your dog needs according to their age and current fitness levels.

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The Cost Of Training A German Shepherd

According to dog trainer and animal behaviorist Alexa Diaz, Ph.D., as large and high-energy dogs, German Shepherds would benefit from professional training. To this end, Alexa highly recommends private training for positive leadership and group lessons for basic obedience and socialization with other people and dogs outside the home.

Generally, 5-7 private lessons should be enough for a German Shepherd and will cost $750-$1,000 to which you should add five 1-hour group sessions that will likely be $150 to $200.

Picking up training books can be an inexpensive help, provided you have the time to commit to training your German Shepherd.

Will Neutering A German Shepherd Stunt Their Growth

Contrary to popular belief, neutering your german shepherd isnt going to stunt their growth. In fact, it might even do the opposite.

Studies have found that when you neuter your german shepherd to early it can affect their growth plates . When neutered too early, these plates can grow larger than normal, causing your pup to become bigger than average.

You may think this sounds good, but it can often result in joint issues later on in life. And this is even more common in large breeds like german shepherds.

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When Should You Spay Or Neuter A German Shepherd

Its only natural to help avoid pet overpopulation, especially when youre a German shepherd pet owner. Thats precisely why neutering or spaying was introduced. But you cant deny the fact that your dog may suffer the consequences of your decision.

Its going to affect their health. This is a common theory by many researchers. If thats the case, when should you neuter or spay a German shepherd so theyll suffer no risks?

Weve always been told that theres one perfect time for neutering or spaying a German shepherd. But the reality is, technology is advancing. You cant always rely on old information. Thats why this article aims to offer you the opportunity to have up-to-date information as to when to neuter or spay a German shepherd, with the current technology in mind.

The best way to start this blog post is by defining what neutering or spaying is.