The best age to spay or neuter your Portuguese Water Dog is a bit different from the age recommended for many other breeds. Accepted wisdom is that you spay or neuter your dog at about six months of age. Portuguese Water Dogs, however, are slow maturing, and don’t reach full growth until around 16 months of age. Most breeders recommend that you wait until your PWD is at least a year old, and waiting four more months is even better. This gives the dog’s growth plates a chance to close and for full muscle development.
Why should I spay or neuter may be your next question. If you’re not planning to show in conformation, or to breed, your PWD will be much more settled once he or she is neutered or spayed. Your neutered male will be less inclined to roam, and less inclined to mark his territory inside. He’ll pay more attention to you and less attention to females in the neighborhood.
Spaying your female ends twice-yearly heat cycles and means no canine Casanovas will camp out on your doorstep. It also means you’ve eliminated the possibility of pyometra, an infection of the uterus, as well as any chance of an unwanted litter of puppies.