It is part of our health guarantee that our male puppies must be neutered after 18-24 months of age and our female puppies must be spayed after 12 months of age. A spayed female will have a lower risk for developing Pyometra(deadly infection) and Mammary Gland Tumors. If you prefer to neuter your male puppy, it is a requirement to wait until at least 18 months old(preferably 24 months old). We find that many Veterinarians are pushing for puppies to be spayed/neutered after the puppy’s first heat or around 6-12 months of age to prevent unwanted pregnancies however this is not the best practice for a large breed dog such as a Golden Retriever; when wanting to prevent issues with the dogs overall health and behavior. While we do agree with the strong need to prevent unwanted pregnancies in pets, we also believe that pet owners should be educated on ALL risks of sterilization(removal of the gonads) before they make that decision early on. We believe that part of responsible dog ownership is to learn heat cycles, learn how to manage an intact dog and to train the dog to behave in the way that you expect them to. It is a myth that sterilizing your dog will fix behavioral/training issues, 9 times out of 10 it does not. Please conclude your own research before spaying or neutering. In the findings linked down below.. early spaying & neutering has been studied and found to cause an increased risk of:Several types of Cancers, Elbow Dysplasia, Ligament tears, Orthopedic Injuries, Hip Dysplasia, Obesity, Urinary Incontinence, Hypothyroidism, Behavioral issues, Poor Conformation and more. We strongly urge our puppy owners to do as much research as possible and weigh out all of the risks before making this decision early on. If you are unable to control an intact dog to prevent pregnancy, we recommend for you to seek dog training help immediately from a professional before spaying/neutering when the dog's growth plates are fully closed at physical & sexual maturity.
Spaying or Neutering one of our puppies before the age of 12 months old will VOID our health guarantee completely unless the sterilization is due to: a life threatening condition requiring the removal of the gonads, Ovary Sparing Spay(Hysterectomy) or Vasectomy.Written documentation by a licensed veterinarian is required.
Breeding without approval on limited registration will also result in a VOID health guarantee completely and may result in litigation including taking possession of the litter and the dog. We have a strict NO BREEDING contract that is enforced, we absolutely do NOTcondone the breeding of puppies from our program unless discussed during the application process and approved to a responsible program.
Links with more information of the risks of early spaying/neutering: