We are going to be out of town when our pom puppy is 6 months. We could get him neutered 2 weeks early (at 5 1/2 months) or 3 weeks late (almost 7 months). Our vet recommends neutering at 6-7 months so there is enough time for all baby teeth to come out; otherwise, they can extract the remaining baby teeth while he is under anesthesia. Also, of course, to avoid marking and leg-lifting while peeing. We are going to board him at our breeder's house while we are on vacation. She says this is fine because she has no females in heat during this time. However, since there are two un-neutered males at the breeder's home, she said that he may begin to mark territory (although she said she'd keep a close eye on him -- which is sweet but she has a toddler and a house full of pomeranians so I'm not sure how realistic it is!). I'd like to wait to neuter him until after we get back from vacation, but I don't want him to start marking if he boards. I don't know if he would stop marking after he gets neutered. I'd love any suggestions! Thank you!
All my neutered dogs have still marked. I have a different breed, but I think all dogs mark, nurtured or not, same with leg lifting. Why would the vet extract teeth that will fall out on their own when they are ready
I can tell that you are trying to do the best thing for your boy and I'm sorry but I disagree with almost all of the suggestions made in this post. Milk teeth are designed to be shed when the adult tooth below them are ready to break through - exactly as in humans. Very occasionally, there may be a problem with a retained baby canine tooth. This usually resolves itself, but if there is a problem it can be easily resolved at the time. In the thirty or so dogs I have owned, this happened just once, and as it had no real roots, the tooth was removed using a spot-on local anaesthetic. I do not believe in the neutering dogs before they have reached maturity. Though I have kept mainly bitches, I have had one Golden Retriever, three Cavalier, two Löwchen, and one Beagle males. Only the Beagle was castrated, (at 15 months), and none of them ever marked in the house - even living together with girls. Yes, males will mark outdoors, but that is a normal function of inter-canine communication. Indoors, I would say that my boys learned continence far quicker than the girls did. A dog's sex hormones have a secondary function in regulating the growth of the long bones by determinating the time when the closure of the growth plates takes place. Though toy dogs will never need to work for their living, and therefore not need to have strong joints for performance, they do have tiny joints that are prone to injury, the most common one being patellar luxation. Avoiding too early neutering will give a dog the best chance of developing its strongest natural skeletal form. Please read around this subject before making a hasty decision. See, www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/three-reasons-to-reconsider-spayneuter/ You will find lots more info like this on Google.
