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When to Fix a CMD

Around 11 months. The reason for waiting is that a fixed dog will grow faster, and this is not safe for joints. By 11 months, most of the growing is done. This gives owners only about 4 months when they will have to pen their dog tightly to keep unwanted breedings from happening.

Since LGDs are often kept in pastures, telling the general public to wait to fix an LGD is irresponsible. This puts unwanted litters in shelters. Most people who advise ages of 18 months to two years, are thinking of the pet dog world where dogs are managed more closely. All LGDs not intended for breeding should be fixed, and intact dogs should be suitably penned until they are fixed. Most people don’t have facilities for keeping a stud dog contained for two years. So waiting for a neuter surgery that long will mean unwanted litters. The number of LGDs in shelters because of late fixing, is heartbreaking.

When people are told to fix dogs at 18 months to two years, they are usually not told about stud traits which begin after 12 months of age, barking, spraying, wandering, and possibly increased aggression. These traits may or may not be reversed after fixing if the dog is older.

We live in a world when there is usually more than one thing to consider, and this topic has many things to consider.

The adolescent period is tumultuous, as young dogs grow into sexual maturity. It is the hardest period for owners to get through. So advising a two year fix age probably lands a lot of LGDs in shelters. This is sad because often people who intentionally keep a dog intact for studding, and have the proper facilities, will experience their male dogs mature beyond this into stability.

I definitely advise owners not to put their dogs through sexual adolescence and maturation only to fix them at two.

I am sure as time goes on fads will change and there will be more knowledge and we may update things as we learn. The later fixing fads are a reaction to the shelters who were fixing dogs at 8 weeks of age, and causing joint problems for them. 11 months is better for dogs and owners alike.