Question regarding neutering GSD - Page 1

First time poster to this great forum.

I have a 4 month old German Shepherd male puppy that I had planned on neutering when he reached about 15 months - and certainly not earlier than 12 months. The timing is based on various articles I have read including past threads on this forum.

Here are a couple of links that address this issue of timing:

www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html

www.showdogsupersite.com/kenlclub/breedvet/neutr.html

My question: the vet has urged neutering when he reaches 6 months which seems contrary to the advice on the above links and other articles I have read. One can be cynical and view it as a "business" decision by the vet though it does not make sense to me since the vet would get to provide the service when the dog is a little older. So why does this vet - and I understand many other vets - recommend neutering at 6 months despite the sound reasons not to do so for a larger dog until they are older?

I know that rescue associations do require early spaying and neutering at an early age even for larger dogs because the concern regarding unwanted litters trumps other considerations but I would have thought that vets would be more inclined to focus on some of the detrimental effects caused by early neutering.

That is what they have been taught.

Just tell your vet no, I'd rather wait and that should be it. 

It's totally up to you when you neuter/spay your dog!  Don't let your vet force you into anything.  They only thing that I will tell you is that most vets go by age and weight of the animal when they perform the surgery.  Just something more for you to think about.

my breeder recommended i wait as long as i could (before he started lifting his leg to pee) so that he'd get his male bulk in the head and chest. because he had to have another surgery at 11 mos, i elected to do it then so he would only have to undergo 1 surgery. my vets also kept asking me if i was going to have him neutered and i kept telling them, yes, but that i wanted his male growth to have as much time as possible. one thing i noticed; when i had a jack russell and had him fixed at 6 mos, he had no balls, but after angus was fixed at 11 mos, he has a ball sack (not real full - lol). i'm sure he doesn't care, but he looks like he's got something. i don't know why that matters to me but it kinda does. i've read on diff threads here that spaying/neutering seems to affect the later growth of a dog or bitch (not "male" enuf or leggy). even tho i had to keep repeating my intentions to my vets, it is your choice, not theirs.

how old is angus now?

i hate to tell ya, but if he's still young enough, they will prolly shrink up.

we have one set neutering price, BTW.  the only thing that might change is that it might take a few minutes, we are talking very few minutes longer, when it's done when they are a little older.

angus is almost 15 mos. i hope they stay, but if they don't, well, thats the way the balls bounce (sorry, bad joke). when he had elbow surgery the surgeon did the neutering for almost nothing. considering the cost of the surgery, it was a small blessing. he's a long coat, so you can't see them unless he's rolling around on his back anyway.

I had one vet tell me they prefer to neuter at 6 months before they have any "aggression problems", which kind of pissed me off because it is just assumed that if it's a GSD there will be.   Now, she wasn't breed specific but because we were talking about my GSD that's how I took it. I also wasn't asked IF I was going to neuter, but WHEN. I'm changing vets once again. Is it hard to find a good vet anymore or is it my imagination?? The only ones I really KNOW are good are too far away.  I also like the vet to get to know my animals on a personal level so I don't like the larger clinics. One vet I WAS pretty satisfied with found out I was using a pinch collar and all but told me I was being abusive!! I told her the spca endores their use and she said F%#K the SPCA!

Wow, was gonna say, I hope that you are changing vets!

Some people are just so non educated when it comes to our breed.  The vets I work for, might not be big fans, but.... they do like mine.  Which makes me happy because it's what they should be!  And we do see a few very nice ones, and also a few not so nice ones.  :(  But, overall we do not see all that many GSD's. 

OMG on the pinch collar!  One of the older vets that I work for didn't like them until he actually used one on his very rambuctious Old English Puppy!  But, he would always leave the pinch collar talk to me.  However, can't tell you how many times I have to refit the pinch collars in the exam room!

We usually say "If you are going to neuter, you can do it then"  well with the dogs anyways!  The cats it's a different story!

Thanks for all the responses.

My vet's reaction has been similar to that of sparrow's vet - the  assumption that I would neuter and that it should be done when the pup is 6 months. It was only when I began to research the issue that I found it to be inadvisable to do so for a GSD, or for that mattter any of the larger breeds, until they are older for sound scientific reasons.

I remain mystified why vets - who presumably should be well informed of the downsides to premature neutering - would continue to recommend early neutering. It almost seems like a blind-spot when it comes to this subject.

I have every intention of waiting until he is older - and so I will not be railroaded into any such procedure.

It is usually recommended at such a young age because the majority of the general public does not want a male dog going through puberty.  Also, if done before puberty all the people who let their dogs "run free" because they are "country dogs" (BTW, definatly not endorsing that!!  A common way of life in the rural area I live) don't have to worry about their males causing unwanted litters.  There are also a lot of people that if they don't have it done when the dog is a pup they never "get around to it."  I personally wait will always wait on male dogs and feel if people are responsible they should too but the sad fact is most people are not responsible enough to have an intact male dog