Should I neuter my male corgi? What's removed, effects, and best time?

If a dog is neutered while juvenile, ie not yet sexually mature or grown up, then the neutering will impact skeletal development. It means that it will take longer for the dog to become a mature dog, and some research shows there may be also a mental development deficiency. However there is no time at which a dog "must" be neutered. I would do that before he gets the idea of roaming, as this can become a habit and then neutering will not influence this behavior. so 1) there is no need to neuter a dog at all unless you want to keep it from learning how to roam or keep it from breeding. Not neutering will not influence his health negatively. 2) if you have your dog neutered you can have that done at any time in his life.

Great question! There are pros and cons to neutering at different ages, so ultimately it comes down to your personal preference. The biggest advantage of neutering around six months or so, is that this will normally prevent the development of problematic "boy behaviors" such as urine marking, wanting to mount other dogs, not getting along with other intact males, and wanting to roam constantly in search of female dogs. There is some evidence that early neutering (before the dog is finished growing) can increase the risk of certain orthopedic issues like hip dysplasia or cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures later in life, especially in large-breed or very athletic dogs. So, this is something to take into account as well. Personally, I have always neutered my male dogs at around 10-12 months of age, when they're still fairly young but finished growing for the most part. Most of my clients choose to neuter around 6 months of age to avoid the behavior issues mentioned above. But ultimately, the choice is up to you :)

Withering of male dogs is advised between 4 and 6 months of age. Here is wonderful resource to explain the many benefits; https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-great-reasons-to-spay-or-neuter-your-pet/ The only behaviors that will be affected by castration are those that are under the influence of male hormones. So for example, a dog’s temperament, training, and personality, are related to genetics and upbringing, not hormones. Neutering does not “calm” an excitable dog, and unless a castrated male dog is overfed or underexercised, there is no reason for it gain weight or become inactive. The undesired traits which are related to male hormones such as sexual behaviours, aggression, and urine marking will change over the course of a few days to a few months. I hope that is helpful information!

Neutering is safe and is very highly recommended. Simba likely is cryptorchid, which means one testicle is retained in the body and hasn't descended. Leaving it leads to a higher incidence of cancer and testicular torsion later in later. You can wait until he is a year old to neuter him.

Now is the best time to neuter them both. Neutered males are more docile and make better pets. When they reach sexual maturity at around 6 months and their hormones go into full swing so to speak, they may act aggressive toward other males and want to become dominant in the household. If you wait too long, neutering will not help. I suggest neutering all dog sin the house as soon as possible, then the hormones will die down in a few weeks. At this time, implement a training program with a trainer or by doing some research. The behavior will most likely get better, but that is not definite. Neutering with combined training is your best plan to change his behavior. .

There are some studies that recently may have found a correlation between earlier neutering and an increased risk for joint issues. This is pretty new evidence and at this point I think it's not really clear what the risks and benefits are. I typically recommend waiting until a male dog has reached his adult size, usually around 1 year, to neuter BUT in situations where the dog is showing undesirable behaviors potentially related to sex hormones I strongly recommend neutering earlier. If you were planning on having him neutered by 8 months I doubt 1.5 months of growth would make much of a difference for his bones and joints, so I would considering scheduling the neuter now. You could always talk to your veterinarian about pros and cons as well.

It can take up to one year or even more (in certain cases 16 months) before the testicle are completely dropped. I would recommend to wait a bit longer before consider him cryptorchid. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.