I was just wondering how old the dog has to be before he can be neutered? Speaking of this matter i always have toy sized dogs,and have them spayed or neutered,but before they are people always tell us to breed.I never have breed a dog and probably never will,because in all honesty I would not be a good breeder! Anyway you should see how these people react when they see us again and find out my dog is fixed. They act like i commited a crime. Have these people ever visited an animal shelter and seen all of those animals.

Anywhere between 7 weeks and 7 months a dog can be neutered. Opinions on it vary, but in mind, as long as you get it done fairly early, before the dog has a chance to reproduce, that is the right time.

As far as people who tell you to breed, make sure you explain to them pet overpopulation and why spay/neuter is the right way to go.

That is good to know,I have always waited until at least 1 year,because i thought i had to,never thought to ask my vet beforehand,but i would rather do it asap.1 of my dogs started trying to mate with cats when he was about 7 months up until we had him neutered. wish i would've known i could have already had him fixed!

I prefer to spay/neuter at about six months. It can be done as young as eight weeks and pretty much as old as you want. It's always best to spay before the first heat cycle though.

6-8 months. I am sure of it. pupz r coolio~

Good Job doing the right thing and decieding to get your dog neutered. It was definitely the right choice and don't let anyone else tell you different! You are right there is wayy too many homless animals from careless-breeding.
Anyway, I would wait until about 7 months so that you know that your dog is prepared, unless the vet tells you different because some dogs experience their first time in heat earlier then others and there may be complications while the vet is opperating.
Good Luck with your new friend!

I work at a vet clinic and we like to do it around 6 months.

My Vet, whom I trust VERY much (and I am VERY picky), told me they need to be 4 months OR at least 40lbs.

"at least 40lbs."

Weight doesn't matter... how would the toy breeds ever be spayed or neutered?

I was told by my vet they would do it at 5 months old, the earliest.

Everyone has different opinions on it, but it's a combined play of:

health and development of the dog, ability to handle being put under, and vets recommendations.

All vets will say different things, no one is wrong, no one is right, it's all opinions.

My vet feels that they should be neutered/spayed at about 6 months. For females, you want to have it done before they have their first heat cycle to lessen the risks of mammary cancer later in life. For males, you want to do it before they start marking. At the same time you want them to develope their personalities and have some training before doing it. We did the puppy kindergarden classes (held at our vet office after hours so now my collie cannot wait to go visit all his friends at the vet each time we have checkups, etc! Nice to have a dog that really wants to go to the vet instead of being terrified of them!) then right at 6 mos had our collie neutered. He is going to be 3 in May and has never learned to lift his leg. LOL! I really appreciate that because we don't need trees this way-he can go anywhere!
I know rescues will do it as young as 8-10 weeks because they want to make sure that animal will not breed but it is risky.

I'm so pleased to hear you wont breed! Good thinking! I feel we should leave the breeding up to the people who pay close attention to their lines/genes and breed for temperament, health & confirmation...for the betterment of the breed. I think they should ALL be licensed & have their kennels inspected and non-licensed people should be fined if we allow our in tact animals to breed by accident. I know that's harsh, but we have ahorrible problem with way too many unwanted animals being killed because there is no room for them! Since there are so many puppy mills out there and they are only looking to make a buck and care nothing about the animal itself that they are forcing to breed and live in horrible conditions, maybe hitting them in the wallet it the only way things will change. That and the rest of us NOT buying from pet stores! I've adopted 6 adult dogs from rescues in my life. Then we got our first puppy from a very loving and reputable rough collie breeder that spends the money to have all the puppies eyes checked and certified by a Canine Ophthalmologist, hip checks, etc. and has kept records detailed records of their blood lines. If the breeders do it right, there really isn't any real money to be made breeding dogs between the cost of prenatal care, exams for mom & puppies and even exams for the stud. And another thing to remember, each time you breed your female, you shorten her life and expose her to risks of complications due to the pregnancy & delivery. When their are so many dogs (and other animals) out there without homes, those are risks I'm not willing to take! Until they all have a home......

If you have a boy dog i would wait till he was a year old
that way you make sure everything is fully developed before you go get it all fixed. You dont wanna go get him neutered if his male parts arn't ready.

I heard 2 years. But I think that's to make sure they're fully developed. I think you could probaly do it earlier though.

I've heard 2 years. But, I've also heard 7 months. I neudered mine at a year and a half. SO the best way to find out the right answer would probaly be to call your vet or something.

You can fix a pup from about 6 weeks, on. Most people don't do it this early. I'd say the average age that most vets do is 4-6 months. Most of the pups spayed before 4-6 months are shelter dogs where the shelters won't let the dog go before they're fixed.

I breed Great Danes, and 99.9% of my puppies go out on a limited contract. This means that they must be spayed or neutered. I keep my puppies until they're 12 weeks old, and to make sure that the owner follows the rules, I'll get most of them fixed before they leave. I do have a strict contract, governing the whole spay/neuter, but sometimes you get a moron who doesn't listen and disappears after buying the puppy. Those puppies that do leave on a limited contract before they're spayed or neutered must be done within a certain amount of time, and I must have a certificate proving that the puppy was fixed and I like to speak to the vet personally.

I was told by a rescuer that basically as soon as the "boys" drop you can get them fixed. Every year you wait to get the animal fixed increases their risk of cancer. So definitely the sooner the better.