Female dogs can go into heat at 9 months but it is more likely it will be around a year or later. If you feel it is necessary for your dog to be spayed, please wait until they have gone through 2.5 heat cycles before you bring them to get spayed. Female dogs’ heat around every 6 months and often it is a longer time between heats. So let’s say you dog heats around a year. Then her next heat may be around 18 or 19 months. Then wait another 5 months as to avoid the next heat and then spay her. She will be almost 2.5 years old and be full grown or close enough.

When a female pup goes into heat, it will last approximately 14 days. She will release tiny drops of blood for another 7 days, and then it will go clear. During this time she will clean herself, and you might not even know your dog is in heat. If you are concerned about the tiny droplets of blood in your home, we suggest you get doggie diapers and diaper liners. Some diapers are reusable and washable, and they also have disposable versions.

Please do not feel that neutering your puppy will lead to him marking your home, displaying aggressive or hyper behaviors, or humping. If your dog is displaying any of those tendenceies, simply correcting the behavior with propier training will resolve the issue. Neutering will not resolve these behaviors but simply put him at risk for all kinds of health issues. 

If your dog fights with another dog, it is related to pack order and has nothing to do with the fact that your dog has testicles. People have been very misinformed on this subject. Simply state to the other owner that you are thinking about showing your dog, if you are looking for a way out of a difficult conversation with someone who is uninformed about neutering. Show dogs are not allowed to have their testicles removed, and that will end the discussion.

Spaying or neutering your dog before they turn 2 years old can lead to critical health issues for your pup. Different forms of cancer, hip dysplasia, tears in the cruciate ligament, and more have been shown to be the result of early spay or neuter.