Puppy Health
A question we get asked frequently is when to spay or neuter your puppy. There are a few lines of thinking in this discussion that I think are important to consider.
But first, if you didn’t know, spaying is for the girls and neutering is for the boys.
Most commonly it is recommended to spay and neuter your puppy at 6 months old, however, some strong pieces of research suggest waiting until a puppy is 12 months old (or older) is better because it gives them more time to mature and allows hormone levels to even out.
Waiting until your puppy is 12 months old does mean that you will have to keep a careful eye on them as they will most likely reach sexual maturity before then and you don’t want an unplanned litter. However, if the dog will be healthier in the long run, it is worth a few months (for the boys) and a few weeks (for the girls) of inconvenience.
.At Joley Aire, we don’t require you to sign a spay/neuter contract to limit breeding, however, our health guarantee is only valid if you wait until the puppy is 12 months old. That is because waiting is in the best interest of your puppy’s health and will help ensure good bone and joint growth.