What Is The Best Age To Neuter A Cocker Spaniel

Updated July 28, 2022

Whether you call it neuterspaycastrate or desex, the right time to get it done in dogs is a subject of much debate. This is because it varies from breed to breed. Recently, a study was published on the best age for neutering in Cocker Spaniels.

While the paper isn’t perfect (more on that later), it does provide the first evidence for Cocker Spaniels on choosing a time of desexing with the fewest health problems. The study compared dogs neutered at different ages for their rates of:

All of these have been suspected to be linked with the age of neutering. Here’s what they found (only bold values are significant, my summary to follow):

HDCCLEDAt Least One
Male < 6 months0/20 (0)2/19 (10.53)0/20 (0)2/19 (10.53) †
Male 6 – 11 months0/32 (0)1/32 (3.13)0/32 (0)1/32 (3.13) †
Male 1 year0/20 (0)0/20 (0)0/20 (0)0/20 (0)
Male 2 – 8 years0/35 (0)0/35 (0)0/35 (0)0/35 (0)
Male Intact0/71 (0)1/71 (1.41)0/70 (0)1/71 (1.41)
Female < 6 months0/23 (0)0/23 (0)0/23 (0)0/23 (0)
Female 6 – 11 months0/36 (0)0/36 (0)0/36 (0)0/36 (0)
Female 1 year0/12 (0)0/12 (0)0/12 (0)0/12 (0)
Female 2 – 8 years1/51 (1.96)0/51 (0)0/51 (0)1/51 (1.96)
Female Intact0/61 (0)2/61 (3.28)0/61 (0)2/61 (3.28)
Joint disorders. For ages 1 through 11 years and for each neuter period. Bold values indicate significance over the intact group. The dagger (†) indicates significance over the intact group when the early groups (< 6 mo. and 6-11 mo.) are combined.
LSAMCTHSAOSAAt Least One
Male < 6 months1/20 (5)0/20 (0)0/20 (0)0/20 (0)1/20 (5)
Male 6 – 11 months0/32 (0)0/31 (0)0/32 (0)0/32 (0)0/31 (0)
Male 1 year1/20 (5)0/20 (0)0/20 (0)0/20 (0)1/20 (5)
Male 2 – 8 years0/35 (0)0/35 (0)0/35 (0)0/35 (0)0/35 (0)
Male Intact3/69 (4.35)1/70 (1.43)0/71 (0)0/70 (0)4/67 (5.97)
Female < 6 months0/23 (0)1/23 (4.35)0/23 (0)0/23 (0)1/23 (4.35)
Female 6 – 11 months0/36 (0)0/36 (0)0/36 (0)0/36 (0)0/36 (0)
Female 1 year0/12 (0)2/12 (16.67)0/12 (0)0/12 (0)2/12 (16.67)
Female 2 – 8 years0/51 (0)1/50 (2)1/51 (1.96)1/51 (1.96)3/50 (6)
Female Intact0/61 (0)0/61 (0)0/60 (0)0/61 (0)0/60 (0)
Cancers. For ages 1 through 11 years and for each neuter period. Bold values indicate significance over the intact group.

UI was not reported in any of the spayed females.

Summary: The Best Cocker Spaniel Spay & Neuter Times

Male Cocker Spaniels may be at risk of cruciate ligament problems if desexed at less than 6 months of age. Females desexed between one and two years had an increased rate of mast cell tumours

Recommendation: between 6 and 12 months for males and one year for females.

This allows for the general trend of later times with higher body weights. It is older with females as they will come into season at 7-9 months, and we want this to settle down completely before surgery.

This is so far the only science we have for the best desexing age in Cockers. Your vet, breeder or online group may have a different opinion based on their experience or personal beliefs. It’s perfectly reasonable to take their advice into consideration as well.

The decision may also be based on other factors such as:

Problems With This Study

In the original paper, the authors appear to make some recommendations based on very limited evidence. I have published the original study data so you can see the actual numbers involved and decide for yourself.

The authors also do not mention the well-known increase in lifespan associated with desexing male and female dogs, which tends to counteract most concerns about specific cancers. The following comment in the paper is a clue that it might also have been true for this population:

Across all breeds the mean age of last entry in the record for neutered males was 5.5 years (range 3.71–6.54), for neutered females 5.7 years (range 4.21–6.97), for intact males 4.9 (range 4.15–7.11), and intact females 4.7 (range 3.41–6.32)

The study tries to also look at the rates of mammary cancer & pyometra in females, but cannot give an accurate assessment for two reasons:

  1. the mean ages listed above are far too young to pick up most cases
  2. pyometra and mammary cancer are rarely referred to university hospitals

Regardless of any concerns, the authors are to be applauded to bringing into focus one of the most common questions from dog owners. For the Cocker Spaniel at least, they’ve made the decision a lot easier.

(By the way, please don’t throw sticks for your dog like the picture!)

Related: Best Desexing Age For 35 Breeds | Desexing Choices For Dogs | Costs Of Desexing

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

12 Replies to “What Is The Best Age To Neuter A Cocker Spaniel”

  1. I have a 15 month female cocker. She is scheduled for a laparoscopic spay which only takes the ovaries. Would leaving the uterus cause her health problems? Is 15 months a good age to have her spay? Also she went into heat in November and had an unusually long false pregnancy that is just this month (April) completely gone.

    1. Hi Hanah. It’s generally considered that leaving the uterus will cause few or no problems as long as the ovaries are completely removed. As for the discussion over the recommended age of desexing, you’ll find that in the article above.

  2. In the study you’ve said “at least once” having a high score. Does “at least once” mean having come into season? or does it mean something else?

    1. Where it says “at least one“ it refers to a dog having one or other of the cancers.

  3. I recently adopted a 6 year old male cocker spaniel – he has not been neutered but needs to do because of cryptorchidism.
    He barks at 80% of the dogs we meet, is sometime mounting young male dogs and is sometime agressive with other males.
    Will neutering make these behaviors worse?

    1. Hi Marie. Nothing is ever guaranteed, but there is no reason he should get worse. And you will probably save his life from testicular cancer.

  4. I have a mix cocker and golden retriever. She is almost 1 year old. Looking at her mom, she should grow more. She weight 14 kg, her mom 25 kg. Should I wait while she finish growing?

    1. Hi Olga. I think it’s safe to follow the 1 year guideline, bearing in mind that it’s very hard to judge the weight of a cross breed by looking at their parents.

  5. Hi there, my dog cocker spaniel just turned 1 year old but she hasn’t been in season yet, is it ok to have her desexed now?

    1. Hi Carolina. Yes it’s fine to desex now as it’s more about the age than whether they have had a season or not. The only problem you might face is if she comes into season between now and the time you’ve booked it for which will mean a necessary delay.

  6. We have a male American cocker spaniel born August 20, 2020
    We want to get him neutered. He’s 7 months old and I’m still leary about the timing. I want to wait until he is full grown with everything I have been reading about their bone development. He is not aggressive nor marking territory or humping. He’s actually a bit of a scaredy cat. We live in the country with extra property to run and not too many neighborhood pups around. I would greatly appreciate any advice. We just want to do what’s best for a healthy, happy life together. Thank you

    1. Hi Rick. I don’t think you’ll have any concerns as long as you wait until physical maturity. Therefore, if you go for the 12 months recommendation you should have a very low risk of trouble. However, if you live in an area where neutering is optional you could quite happily choose not to do it if you can’t see negative behaviour as the health benefits are small.

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