when to neuter a rottweiler: The Absolute Best Age to Neuter a Rottweiler

Many people like to spay and neuter their dogs early to make sure to avoid any overpopulation risks and the ensuing paternity tests. While this might work for some breeds of dogs, this is not the best thing to do with a rottweiler.

Many people assume that appropriate time to spay and neuter is not dependent on the breed. This is not the case. It is important to know the facts and statistics for each dog breed before making this big change in their life.

The Best Age for Both Male and Female Rottweilers

Age means a lot when it comes to spaying and neutering rottweilers. If you do not wait until the proper time, your rott is at risk for a series of health problems that are best to be avoided. On the other hand, if you have a breeding dog or are training your Rottweiler to be a service dog, you may not want to fix your dog.

Many people may assume that earlier is better. This assumption is usually because many shelters or homes require a dog to be spayed or neutered before he or she can come there.

Too often, people (including some vets) think that the best age for neutering is universal among dogs. The best place to go when asking questions about when to spay or neuter your rott is your breeder. Your breeder not only knows that breed really well, but they know that specific line of rottweilers.

They will know how long development took to be complete in other litters, or from the mom and dad themselves.

Rottweilers are different than other dogs. They take much longer to grow than other breeds of dogs. While spay or neutering might be okay for one breed at 9 months or so, that does not work for rottweilers. People may think training a Rottweiler is easier when they’re fixed, but it’s important to wait.

Why Spay or Neuter Early?

For female Rottweilers, spaying before the first heat cycle, which can occur as early as 6 months of age, can reduce the risk of mammary tumors and prevent unwanted pregnancies. In addition, spaying also eliminates the risk of ovarian or uterine cancers.

For male Rottweilers, neutering between 6 to 12 months of age can prevent testicular cancer, reduce aggression and territorial behavior, and help prevent prostate problems.

Waiting until a Rottweiler reaches two years of age can reduce the risk of joint disorders, such as hip dysplasia, cruciate ligament tears, and arthritis. However, other studies have found no significant increase in joint disorders in Rottweilers that were neutered before one year of age.

Ultimately, the decision to spay or neuter a Rottweiler should be based on individual circumstances and in consultation with a veterinarian. A male dog with aggression, intact females kept near intact males, issues with ovaries, testes, or other organs, all may prompt early neutering.

The procedure can also be done for health reasons, such as preventing the occurrence of certain types of cancer, such as ovarian or testicular cancer. In any case, it is crucial to ensure that the procedure is performed by a qualified veterinarian to avoid any complications or risks associated with the surgery.

For males, it is best to wait until they are at least 18 months old. If you can wait until he is 24 months, that is preferable. But, you should at least wait until he is 18 months. This should, at the very least, decrease the risk of many of the health concerns that are associated with rushing into neutering him.

With females, they are not as at risk for the same things as males are, but there is still the chance that they might develop those or different health problems. They can be spayed at 12 months old. Again, the longer you can put it off and the closer you can get to 24 months the better, but if that is not possible, 12 months will do just fine.

Risks of Spaying/Neutering Your Rottweiler too Early.

There are a lot of risks associated with spaying or neutering your rottweiler too early. The main reason you need to wait to as close to 24 months as possible is that that is the time that rottweilers stop growing.

All of the rottweiler’s growing stops at this point, including: height, weight, bone growth, and hormone maturity.

A huge part of their development is associated with sex hormones. Removing reproductive organs from your rottweiler too early can really mess with the sex hormones. Therefore neutering or spaying can stop or significantly effect the growth of your rottweiler.

If his or her growth is affected, then a rottweiler’s growth plates might not close properly. This is where the real problem comes in.

Rottweilers are genetically predisposed to develop something called hip dysplasia. This is where the hip bone does not fit properly in the socket.

This can happen as a result of the growth plates of the socket of the hip bone not closing or developing in the way that it should have. Sometimes, this disease can be avoided if neither of the parents had it. If you choose to spay or neuter too early, your rottweiler’s chances of getting it to go up significantly.

All of the bones of a rottweiler can be effected from too early of spay or neutering. One in four rottweilers that are spayed or neutered too early develop bone cancer.

Other orthopedic problems can come as a result of too early of spay or neutering. This can include elbow dysplasia, and issues that affect their running and even just walking.

The size of the rottweiler can be affected as well. If the sex hormones stopped the growth of different parts of the rottweiler, then those parts might be abnormally small when the rottweiler is considered full grown.

These parts mostly refer to private parts, but can also be found in other parts of the rottweiler.

It is really best to just wait until your rottweiler has grown fully to spay or neuter him or her. There is a much lower chance of these issues happening if you just wait until he or she is 24 months.

You can ask your vet if your rott has stopped growing as he or she is reaching that age to know if it is the right time for the procedure.

Spaying and neutering are done for many reasons, one of the reasons is for convenience for the owner. Even though this is not always the case, be sure to have your rottweilers best interest in mind and do what is best for him or her not just what is convenient for you.

Health Conditions Relating to Spaying and Neutering Rottweilers

Certain health issues, such as osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, mast cell tumors, lymphoma, lymphosarcoma, and testicular cancer, may be more prevalent in unneutered or unspayed dogs. Moreover, neutering a male rottweiler can prevent prostate cancer, while spaying a female rottweiler can help reduce the risk of developing urinary incontinence and mammary gland tumors.

Additionally, obesity can be a concern for rottweilers, and spaying or neutering may lead to weight gain.

However, it is crucial to note that spaying or neutering a rottweiler too early can lead to an increased risk of certain health issues, such as hypothyroidism, cranial cruciate ligament tears, and joint disorders. Thus, it is important to wait until the dog is fully grown and matured before considering spaying or neutering.

Overall, it is best to consult with a veterinarian to determine the optimal time for spaying or neutering your rottweiler based on their individual health, age, and breed-specific factors.

Pros and Cons

Like I mentioned before, there are many reasons why someone chooses to spay or neuter their rottweiler. When done at the proper time, there are many pros to performing this procedure. There are still many cons that come with it at the right time. Understanding both the benefits, the risks, and the cost is important when going forward with this.

Spaying costs $50-$175. It is a more extensive surgery, which is why it costs more than neutering which ranges from $45-$135.

Pros of Spaying or Neutering at the Proper Age:

• Helps regulate the pet population
• Can prevent certain types of cancer
• Prevents urinary tract infections
• Save money of paying for unwanted puppies

This is the easiest way for you to not end up with an unwanted litter of puppies. It is a good idea to do this, especially if you are not a trained or professional breeder. There are many things to know about breeding besides just having the puppies. This can keep the pet population under control.

Spay and neutering your rottweiler once they have reached 24 months can actually help to prevent different types of cancer. In females, it can prevent uterus and ovary cancer. In males, it can prevent tumors from growing on or around reproductive organs.

This can also prevent urinary tract infections. As we can see, there are many health benefits to spay or neutering your rottweiler. If it is done at the proper age it can actually provide more good than bad.

Cons of Spaying or Neutering:

• May cause rottweiler to be agitated
• Some risk of hip dysplasia
• Risk of infection after surgery

Aside from the fact that you won’t be able to have any puppies from your dog, which can be a big deal if you are an experienced breeder who paid a lot for your Rottweiler, there are other concerns with neutering, especially at an early age. In addition to the risks that come with spay or neutering at the wrong age including bone cancer, hip dysplasia and other orthopedic issues there are a few other risks that accompany this procedure.

Spaying and neutering actually can change your rottweilers personality, not in too drastic of ways, but it can alter it.

It is a procedure that is done and that brings the risk of infection and other complications that come with surgery.

Things to Consider

It is important to be very careful when spaying or neutering your rottweiler. The age is absolutely essential to consider if you want your rottweiler to live a happy, healthy life.

Remember these tips when choosing when to spay or neuter your rottweiler:

• Wait until your rottweiler’s growth plates have closed. If you do it too early, the lack of sex hormones in your rott can negatively impact the physical development of your rottweiler.
• Your vet’s opinion is very important but so is your breeders. Your breeder knows your rott’s specific bloodline best because they bred him or her. Make sure when buying your pup you know everything about the history of the parents, such as when they stopped growing. This age may be similar for when your rottweiler will stop growing.
• Your vet can run scans to find out when your rottweiler is done growing. This is usually around 24 months, but if need be you can spay females at 12 months and neuter males at 18 months.
• If you choose to go forward with this procedure, it needs to be done for your rottweiler. Be sure his or her best interest is in mind. Do not jump the gun just because you are anxious for your rott to be sterile. If you spay or neuter your rott too early, there are a long list of risks that come with that, including bone cancer, hip dysplasia, and other orthopedic issues.

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• Early spaying or neutering of Rottweilers is not recommended as it may cause health issues like bone cancer, hip dysplasia, and other orthopedic problems.
• It is best to wait until a Rottweiler is at least 24 months old before neutering, while spaying can be done at 12 months, but 24 months is safest.
• The decision of when to spay or neuter a Rottweiler should be based on the breed and its specific characteristics.
• Rottweilers take much longer to grow than other breeds of dogs, so it is important to wait until they have stopped growing before considering spaying or neutering.
• Removing reproductive organs from a Rottweiler too early can affect their growth and development, including bone growth and hormone maturity.
• Orthopedic problems such as hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia may develop as a result of early spaying or neutering, which can affect a Rottweiler’s ability to walk or run.
• 1 in 4 Rottweilers spayed or neutered too early may develop bone cancer.
• It is recommended to consult with a veterinarian or breeder about the appropriate age for spaying or neutering your Rottweiler.