[Tollerowner]

Our 7.5 month old Toller went into heat. Her littermate joined her the next day.
Neither one has gained any weight in the last 6 weeks, though the vet says they are the perfect weight. I saw her 20 month old sister and they are exactly the same size and shape.

1) When should I spay her? I have read it can be done 8 weeks after the heat start, so that would be 8.5 months. Is there any reason to wait at this point. I really really want to avoid a second heat! I have read that they usually come every 6 months, but can be as short as 3 months. What is the latest I could spay her to avoid a second heat, and is there any advantage to waiting?

2) Is she fully grown now? She is very small for a Toller, but so is her 20 month old sister.

 

[gingerkid]

1) Waiting will allow her to finish physically developing with all of her hormones intact. If you know how far apart her mother's and sibling's heats are, you can make an educated guess as to how far apart hers will be too.

2) She is unlikely to be fully grown. She may not get much taller in terms of height, but she will probably continue to put on some muscle mass and mature mentally.

 

[LeoRose]

1) Definitely wait until she is out of season to spay her. If you can live with it, waiting until she is 18 to 24 months would be better, based on recent research. The recommendation is to spay midway between seasons. Bitches generally cycle every six months or so (but of course, some don't read the book), so three months after she is out of season would be the best time.

2) While she may have most of her height, she won't be physically or mentally "mature" until she's about two.

 

[Tollerowner]

I will definitely wait until she is out of season, but would like to do it before the next season. The breeder says her mother and older sisters are running 7 months.
So I am figuring she will be done at about 8 months, so keeping it to 5 extra months to be on the safe side would schedule spaying at 13 months.

We did the Toller on the left at 6 months, which I guess was universal 16 years ago, and she is doing great. but of course I want to give Chloe every advantage.

Interestingly, her older sister started the same day as Chloe, so all three of the girls are in sync!