Taking human castrati as an example, they often lacked muscle tone & became obese far quicker than normal men

I can't wait to see photos of him

These sites may explain it better than I can.

http://niceorg.wordpress.com/2009/02...causes-cancer/

http://niceorg.wordpress.com/2009/02...causes-cancer/

http://www.sheltieranch.com/articles...uterInDogs.pdf

http://www.associationofanimalbehavi...neutering.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hal-he...b_2790315.html

There are other problems that early neutering contribute to as well as slowing down the growth plates closing.

Of course it doesn't affect every dog but it has affected enough dogs for there to be research on.

Myra - no problem calling me jenny, I just didn't want my name 'standing out' so obviously at the top of my posts for various reasons.
I'm lucky that my two get on fantastically well. The worse they have ever done is 'shout' at each other and that is usually over food and very rare. Maybe when Nigredo calms down with age he will become more friendly with poor old Jade but as you say it is far more important that they can co-exist amiably than not at all.

Hi,your question about neutering, vet told me we could have our boy done from 6 months, he was done at 11 months. He's a ESS and hasn't affected his growth at all.

Yes, thank you everyone and thank you Mattie for posting those links. I will have a read (not skim) ASAP.

Since I was beaten with the irresponsible stick when I started telling people how early he'd been done (not here) I went and did a lot of reading on it. People didn't even realize the shelter I got him from already had done it when I picked him out :/

I never saw any links between it and the age at which the dogs mature, but I thought maybe someone else might have.

BTW... he's not fat, never has been fat, and won't be fat because I always keep my Labs/lab mutts slim (very easy). He's 9 months and doesn't have much muscle... which a vet told me might happen.

I really didn't think too hard about cancer as my previous Lab died of cancer and he wasn't neutered. My neighbor also had a Lab who got cancer, not spayed... but she didn't die from it.

I have only had one dog neutered and regretted it. Joe was going through his second fear period but in those days, early 90s, there wasn't the information there is now. From being a nervous boy Joe went to a nervous wreck, he was a happy little boy as long as he had his sisters with him.

If Cyril hand't already been neutered I wouldn't have him done unless there was a very good reason to like a health problem. Dogs don't get pregnant yet we are told neutering dogs prevents unwanted puppies. Spaying bitches does prevent puppies.

It is no more difficult to train an intact dog than a neutered dog, as we know many dogs are not trained.

Neutering may help towards a dog putting weight on but that can't happen unless the owner over feeds him/her.

To me early spaying and neutering is abuse and rescues should stop doing it.

Nigredo is my only neutered/spayed dog, too. I will not call it abuse, as many of these dogs do perfectly fine and suffer no ill effects. But it is in question and as it has health risks, it might be better to let adopters decide for themselves.

Nigredo was a bit bossy, but he is doing better now. I don't think he's an overly fearful puppy, either. He's also not fat at all.

I don't think he will be the beaming, confident, stand-by-your-side-until-death dog that my last Lab mix Brownie was... but he's a good dog nonetheless.

If it weren't for the overpopulation problem and pets dying all over the place from there being nowhere to put them... I'd not support spaying/neutering at all.

I think it's even stranger for people who breed a lot, especially common breeds such as the GSD. There are tons dying in rescues.... why add to the dog population? Oh, well... to each her own, I suppose.

I only have one spayed bitch & the rest are entire dogs & 2 entire bitches. The bitches will be spayed at some point-Keewee after her litter & Meggee when she has had another season-she has only had 1 since I got her over a year ago !!

Never had an unplanned mating let alone a negligent litter in all the 40 + years I have had entire dogs & bitches living together

Hi, Jodee. I've had only entire dogs before now, as well. No litters at all since all save two have been mutts and I don't supporting breeding and adding to the dog overpopulation anyway.

Even if I bought a pure bred dog (probably never would) I'd be sure to never breed it as it would only be because I liked the breed. I don't say bad things about people who spay and neuter, but I'd personally never do it.

In America, cropping and docking is done like it's a spay/neuter... except it's more useless. A lot more...