When to Spay or Neuter an Australian Shepherd: Breed Facts & FAQs

There are many factors that weigh into when to spay/neuter your dog. Sterilizing is such a common practice that few pet owners question it. It seemed like a unanimous decision by vets for years, and so a lot of pet parents spayed and neutered their dog as soon as they were able to undergo the operation at around six months. However, more studies have been conducted about what exactly happens should you decide to spay/neuter, especially that young, and the results aren’t as straightforward as we’d hoped.

Neutering doesn’t pose as big of a risk as long as your puppy is at least six months old, but studies¹ show that spaying a large breed such as an Australian Shepherd is linked to health issues. Some of these problems are tied to early spaying before six months, but others seem to be correlated with the procedure regardless of timing.

Why You Should Spay/Neuter

Again, the decision of whether to spay/neuter isn’t a light one. You might want to sterilize your dog in order to:

Even so, some owners opt not to spay/neuter their dog because the practice isn’t perfect and has been linked to some health problems. Other owners might want a litter of puppies, at least once.

Why Some Owners Prefer to Spay/Neuter Early

Owners who wanted to spay or neuter their dog often had the procedure done before their animal reached sexual maturity.  Even though we now know that there are some possible health ramifications of spaying your female Australian Shepherd before their first heat cycle, some still prefer to spay around six to nine months. This way there’s no chance of pregnancy, and there is a reduced risk of mammary cancer. But it still seems prudent to wait until at least after their first heat cycle, or sometime after their first birthday.

When Is an Australian Shepherd’s First Heat Cycle

Larger dogs often receive their first heat cycle later than smaller breeds. Nine months is a typical age for a female Australian Shepherd to go into heat for the first time. It’s usually within their first year of life, with the possibility of arrival as early as six months and as late as fifteen months.

Dogs go into heat twice a year, typically in the spring and fall. One reason your Australian Shepherd’s cycle may come slightly early or later may depend on the time of year they were born. For example, an Aussie born in June will probably go into heat for the first time in the next spring.

Why Late Spaying Is Recommended

In general, you can still neuter your Australian Shepherd male at around six months old if you want to, with no real advantage of neutering later instead. However, studies found some negative side effects of spaying females before six months, and even more reasons not to at all. Heavier breeds are already more prone to joint issues such as hip dysplasia and ACL tears than smaller breeds, but the risk seems to increase by 3-4 times if they’ve been spayed early.

A study by the Texas Tech Medical Center found that all spayed females were the most likely of the groups researched in the data to develop ACL tears. They were twice as likely to have this issue than intact males or females. This is likely due to the interruption of growth hormones due to spaying, which only intensifies with early surgery.

Another interesting study of 76 intact females and 136 spayed female Aussies showed that no intact females in the study developed mammary cancer, but 8 percent of females who were spayed at 2-8 years were diagnosed with the disease. Since spaying is often recommended in order to prevent mammary cancer, this is surprising news that might indicate sterilizing your pet doesn’t have as big of an impact on mammary tumors as we previously thought.

Final Thoughts

Although it was recently commonly suggested to spay/neuter your Australian Shepherd at around six months, veterinarians may recommend waiting until around 1 year for females, or at least after their first heat cycle. Spaying deprives your dog of growth hormones that impact their joint development, which studies have shown may lead to an increased risk of hip dysplasia and ACL tears later on. Males can be neutered at around six months since they don’t show as sharp of an increased risk, but you still want to consult your vet to see what they think. The decision of whether to spay/neuter your pet at all isn’t an easy decision, so be sure to research as much as you can before drawing your own conclusion.

• See Also: Male vs. Female Australian Shepherds: Key Differences (With Pictures)

Featured Image Credit: Fotoschauer, Shutterstock