For a working dog/protection/sport/police etc I would wait till 3+... well, I wouldnt do it at all, but if I were to, then at 3+. For a pet, it doesnt really matter that much because physical structure, dominance, aggression and maturity to handle the stress of work are not factors to consider.

I agree with Mike.

 Quote: mike j schoonbrood

For a working dog/protection/sport/police etc I would wait till 3+... well, I wouldnt do it at all, but if I were to, then at 3+. For a pet, it doesnt really matter that much because physical structure, dominance, aggression and maturity to handle the stress of work are not factors to consider.

I also agree with Mike, but I think you need not worry.

My dog was "altered" very young (6 months) and I will tell you that he maybe taller and finer boned than he may have turned out, but still has more bone than his unaltered male littermate.

He can eat twice what other dogs his size do without gaining weight, and has ample energy.

His leg lifting/marking habits and drive to hump dogs that may let him was not diminished by loosing his "stuff"

And he manages to work for a living where the reward is based on prey drive.

Though I would never alter a dog that early again (if at all), I know a bunch of SAR dogs altered early and I do not see that their performance differs from those that are unaltered overall. If they had it before, they will have it after. MHO, related to SAR dogs, not sport or PSD.

Many of us seek out a breed for behaviors and appearance and physical aptitudes which come from selective breeding. The predominance of early neutering changes what we expected from the dog in many ways.
I have dogs come to the sport club all the time and I can see as I walk towards the field the neutered males among the malinois and GSD's that show up. No muscular thickening of the neck that usually appears about 3 years in the males, long legs and thinner bone structure.
We have yet to have one demonstrate much on the field in the form of doing combat with a decoy, yes some will grip a sleeve but little more.
The reasoning behind cutting these dogs is some social well being.....apparently dog owners can't control their critters and let them run about and breed endlessly making more mutts to need care or be euthanized.
Although my experience is that sport enthusiasts are the last to contribute to the problem.
The spay neuter laws that are running accross the nation are such a BS means of limiting animal ownership by radicals it infuriates me. But, even more than that are the people that are sucked into believing it and support it for the good of the dogs and society.
Hell, we'd be better off with preventing human reproduction without a license for the good of the population.
I jumped on my soapbox here because I am hoping that the underlying goals of those promoting the spay neuter laws in the local animal control laws have an entirely different agenda than human treatment of animals and that is anti animal ownership.

 Quote: Kevin Sheldahl

The reasoning behind cutting these dogs is some social well being.....apparently dog owners can't control their critters and let them run about and breed endlessly making more mutts to need care or be euthanized.
Although my experience is that sport enthusiasts are the last to contribute to the problem.
The spay neuter laws that are running accross the nation are such a BS means of limiting animal ownership by radicals it infuriates me. But, even more than that are the people that are sucked into believing it and support it for the good of the dogs and society.
Hell, we'd be better off with preventing human reproduction without a license for the good of the population.
I jumped on my soapbox here because I am hoping that the underlying goals of those promoting the spay neuter laws in the local animal control laws have an entirely different agenda than human treatment of animals and that is anti animal ownership.

Ditto and AMEN! Thanks for saving me the task, Kevin.

 Quote: Kevin Sheldahl

Hell, we'd be better off with preventing human reproduction without a license for the good of the population.

I second that!

Dealing with a good-sized cross-section of Dobermans (I know, different breed but maybe relevant), these are the pros/cons I have observed over the years:

The intact males and neutered males had very similar temperaments in terms of drive and trainability; HOWEVER, the intact males had an edge and a determination that the neutered males did not. The physical differences have been barely perceptible, though the neutered dogs are slightly longer of limb and have heads that are a bit narrower. I haven't seen any difference in the heft of bone. The biggest disadvantage to the intact males has been prostate issues requiring surgery and neutering. The biggest advantage to neutering, besides avoiding prostate issues, has been preventing that 'edge' (which some want to keep, but some can't handle) from developing in adulthood, though it doesn't always work that way. My current Dobe is neutered, but he is INTENSE, trainable and quick. I like him better than both of his parents. I won't go into what I think of neutering a dog just to make them easier to handle; that's a rant for another day.

I don't have a strong opinion one way or the other about this issue, other than I don't believe spay/neuter should be mandatory or done without taking your plans for your dog into consideration. For me it depends on the dog, and the dog's future career. I will say though, that my neutered dogs have lived a year or two longer on average than my intact dogs. Other breeds/people may find the opposite is true.