EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

Does getting a young dog, under a year, nutered or spayed stunt his or her growth?

Yes and No. What I mean is, He will be as tall and all that but you are much better off letting him get fully
matured then fixin him. Let all the hormones do their thing to develop him into what ever he is capable of becoming physically, then get him fix.  It's like castrating a calf vs. castrating a bull. That bull is already developed physically. That calf will be a nice big steer but never develop physically into what that bull was.
Just my opinion. On the female side, I'm not to sure of. Maybe others know more about the female side of your question.

From experience, I can tell you that there is indeed a noticeable difference in the growth and physical maturity in regards to dogs fixed at a young age. I wouldn't say it will affect height, as I have observed that dogs fixed young do get leggy still, but I'd say the most significantly noticeable difference is lack of muscle definition, and being prone to be overweight. This is noticeable in both male and female, but I feel that it is more prominent in males specifically. They just have an underdeveloped look to them....

There is no simple answer on when you should spay or neuter, lots of different advice out there. I think that the main issue isn’t stunted growth but bone development.  If a dog is fixed before physical/sexual maturity some hormones that signal to stop bone growth are missed, they can continue to very slowly grow which can cause the density and length of the bone to change.  Large breed dogs have more weight baring bones and relay on them more, so it’s more of a concern. Don’t know as much about the smaller breeds. I'd let the dog mature first.

Well sadly I couldn't wait on getting her fixed she was 8 months old and the vet said she had 12 in her and that if she had them it'd possibly kill her and the dad was just a mutt so pups wouldn't be worth a damn so I got her spayed. But see the thing is she is 1/2 pit 1/2 dogo and she's 45lbs on a good day so I really think getting her fixed stunted her growth bcuz her litter mates are 60-70lbs and she wasnt the runt.. But thanks for the input !

Your vet is an idiot. The dog would have been fine. I hate it when vets say stupid stuff like that. I typically wouldn't breed on a first heat, but it isn't going to kill your dog. Ultimately, the dog would be in better condition having had the pups then being spayed at 8 months.

She wasnt ment too be bred. I had her kenneled and my mom let her out not thinking and well locked up with a mutt