Standard Poodle Heat

Question
I have a standard poodle female.  Her breeder recommends spaying at 12 months or later.  She says her females typically don't go into heat before 12 months.  Is there an age that standards usually go into heat?  My vet recommends spaying at 6 months to avoid any chance of mammary cancer which increases when the dog goes into heat.  But I have read of long term problems from spaying at an young age.

Answer
Hello Olivia,
A female dog can go into heat as early as 6 months of age, though this is not typical.  9 months to a year is more typical.  Some people like to wait until they are a year to give them time to mature before being spayed, but it is personal preference as to when.  I would wait until at least 6 months though, because they benefit from the hormones they recieve before spaying.  The problems due to spaying young come when you spay at a very early age, such as 8 weeks to 3 months or so.  

I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions about this or other Poodle questions in general, please feel free to ask me.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim