@johnm8269 No it's not! Lol. I was told you can do it whenever. Most vets recommend earlier because they prefer to have sterile pets in the world, and it probably is a bit easier on the dog's recovery to do it younger, but there are also negatives to outweigh.
I chose to wait 1 yr for my large breed dog to help make sure his bones were strong and healthy. I got cancer and got poor though so we went ahead and waited another year. He just had his second birthday and we'll do it this year. No real difference, and neutering isn't much for behavioral changes unless it's done super early which I think is bad for proper bone growth.
Spaying is a different story though. That should be done before the first heat usually.
I also recommend asking to get your female giant breed's stomach stapled during spaying. They can flip upside down and kill quickly. We almost lost a St. Bernard to this, but got him surgery in time. Cost thousands. Worth it, but stapling during spaying should be worth the extra cost.
NOTE: If you aren't going to be a responsible pet owner and let your male dog off-leash or be around unspayed females, then YES, NEUTER (or SPAY) ASAP. There are organizations that have cheaper surgery options. Also Care Credit can help with vet costs.
I chose to wait 1 yr for my large breed dog to help make sure his bones were strong and healthy. I got cancer and got poor though so we went ahead and waited another year. He just had his second birthday and we'll do it this year. No real difference, and neutering isn't much for behavioral changes unless it's done super early which I think is bad for proper bone growth.
Spaying is a different story though. That should be done before the first heat usually.
I also recommend asking to get your female giant breed's stomach stapled during spaying. They can flip upside down and kill quickly. We almost lost a St. Bernard to this, but got him surgery in time. Cost thousands. Worth it, but stapling during spaying should be worth the extra cost.
NOTE: If you aren't going to be a responsible pet owner and let your male dog off-leash or be around unspayed females, then YES, NEUTER (or SPAY) ASAP. There are organizations that have cheaper surgery options. Also Care Credit can help with vet costs.