What age should I have my GSD neutered?

Full Question:

We have a male GSD from German working lines (not Leerburg, unfortunately). He is almost 6 months old, already quite large, about 70 lbs, but thin! I don't plan to breed him, as his hips are "iffy." At what age should we consider having him neutered? We were considering working on protection training with him, but I'm not sure if this will be feasible. Will neutering him before age 1 year have a detrimental effect? Any advice you have would be appreciated greatly.

Also, do you have any advice about keeping his hips as strong as possible? We've been feeding him Iams large breed puppy food and keeping his rations down (he has a pronounced waist), keeping his activities somewhat limited, and supplementing his food with a glucosamine supplement.

Andrea

Ed's Answer:

If you want the dog for any form of personal protection, do not neuter the dog before 2 years. Do not listen to a vet on this because 99% of the vets in this country do not have a clue on personal protection training. This is not a slam on vets, but simply a fact. A lot of vets have egos that do not allow them to consider the fact that they do not know very much about dog training (also a fact).

The dogs need the hormones to go through puberty. After 20 months there is not problem.

I would also be giving the dog a good quality vitamin and make sure to keep him wormed. This will also insure his health. After that you are doing everything you can. The only thing left is to see where his genes take him.

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