When to Neuter Your French Bulldog?

Neutering is a topic that always comes up among new Frenchie parents sooner or later. If you’re one of them, you have probably been doing some research and been reading some conflicting opinions regarding the best age to have the surgery done and whether it is recommended at all. In this article, we address these important questions as well as share some information and advice about the surgery and recovery period. We also bust some common myths that are often associated with dog neutering.

Why neutering your Frenchie is recommended?

If you’re not planning on breeding your Frenchie, we highly recommend that you consider neutering them. In our experience, it has a number of benefits that will improve your puppy’s life as well as yours, no matter their gender.

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Here’s a list of the main advantages:

• In male Frenchie puppies, castrating is the only solution to stopping the yellow discharge constantly dripping from their genitals. No more stains on your furniture!
• Neutering can significantly reduce problematic behaviors in Frenchie boys like humping and marking their territories.
• In female Frenchies, it will put an end to heat cycles which occur two times a year and come with a bloody discharge lasting for about 2-3 weeks.
• You won’t have to worry about your Frenchie girl getting pregnant unexpectedly.
• As their bodies stop producing sex hormones after neutering, they will be less driven by their instincts, making them more manageable and obedient (it won’t solve all behavioral issues though, for that you need to become your Frenchie’s pack leader).
• They tend to become friendlier and less aggressive with other dogs.
• Your puppy will be less prone to infections, inflammations, tumors, and even cancer, so their life expectancy will be largely enhanced.
• Your Frenchie will be less in danger of getting stolen by thieves, who would be using them for breeding purposes.

Please keep in mind that these are only suggestions which can help you prepare for some issues that you might encounter with your puppy. In the end, you should always listen to your instincts to make a decision that you think will work best for you and your baby. Our Frenchie parents have also shared their views about the topic, if you’re curious about them, you can read them here.

When is the best age to neuter your Frenchie?

Once you have made up your mind about having the procedure done, this is usually the next question that comes up. Most Frenchie parents have a really hard time deciding when they should do it, simply because there are so many different views and opinions out there.

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The majority of vets usually recommend neutering when your Frenchie is 8-10 months old. By that age, they reach their sexual maturity and go through the major hormonal changes affecting their growth. Doing the surgery a bit earlier may be justified if your puppy is showing problematic sexual behaviors. If you decide to wait for longer, that’s completely fine as well, it’s never too late to have the procedure done.

Every puppy is different, so the best you can do is to make sure that you have a reliable vet having lots of experience with Frenchies, and consult them before making your decision.

What does the surgery look like?

Neutering is a routine surgery which involves having a dog’s reproductive organs removed. When castrating male puppies, the vet will make an incision on the scrotum, remove the testicles and saw it back up. When spaying female puppies, the ovaries and sometimes even the uterus is removed by cutting their abdomen and closing it back up. In both cases, your Frenchie will be anaesthetized so they will feel no pain at all.

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Tips for the recovery period

After the surgery, your Frenchie will need to wear a cone so that they can’t reach and harm the stitches. It’s also essential that the scar is kept clean to avoid any possible infections. Many of our Frenchie parents have shared that they put a surgical suit on their babies instead of a cone, which is an excellent idea as those tend to be much more comfortable and even more effective. In female puppies, the sutures are usually removed after 10-12 days.

Your vet will also prescribe some antibiotics and painkillers for your puppy. Be prepared that these can make them a bit lethargic and cause lack of appetite for a day or two, which is completely normal. The main thing is that your Frenchie gets plenty of rest and love from you! They are usually back on their paws very soon without experiencing any problem.

Common misconceptions about neutering

There are some common misconceptions about neutering dogs which you have probably heard yourself. We thought it was important to address these and shed some light to the matter.

“My Frenchie’s personality will change.”

Some people are afraid that their Frenchie’s personality will change after neutering and they’ll end up with a wishy-washy dog. That’s simply not true! The only thing that may be affected are the unwanted behavioral patterns such as mounting, spraying and fighting in male dogs.

“Mating is a basic need for dogs.”

Mating is not a basic need for dogs, they don’t do it because it brings pleasure to them. They’re simply following their instincts which go away once they are neutered.

“My Frenchie will become fat and lazy.”

Neutering itself doesn’t make a dog fat, but causes some hormonal changes which result in a slower metabolism while increasing their appetite at the same time. This means that they will need fewer calories or more exercise to maintain a healthy weight and not become obese.

There are some great foods on the market that are specifically designed for neutered dogs. As a responsible parent, you should also make sure that your Frenchie gets enough physical exercise, read our tips about how you should play together with your puppy.

If you’d like to learn more about Frenchies, join our Facebook group called TomKings Frenchie Family to read our Frenchie parents’ experiences.

The article is based on the expert knowledge of the TomKings Puppies team who have been breeding French Bulldogs for 10 years on their farm. All the pictures in the post belong to them and their customers, and show puppies from their breed. Check their available French Bulldog puppies, or if you have any questions or comments let us know below the article.