I know this is a little off topic, but I would like to posit another important factor involving proper bone and joint development in large breed dogs, and I’ll post links to the research. This involves early spaying/neutering. Research involving Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds has revealed that early spay/neuter results in SIGNIFICANT increase in joint disorders. This is something that likely applies to most, if not all large and giant breed dogs. The largest increase in these issues occurs in dogs neutered before 1-year-old, although any sterilization prior to full size does increase the incidence of hip and elbow dysplasia. Many breeders are now recommending (and some, like my Shiloh Shepherd’s breeder, require it in their contract) that dogs not be sterilized before 18 months of age. Link: Early Neutering Poses Health Risks for German Shepherd Dogs, Study Finds. This study also mentions the Golden Retriever study.
There are also additional reasons to avoid early neutering, but I won’t go into those in depth. There are some benefits to it as well, and I will never admonish a person for sterilizing their dog. It’s simply a choice that involves weighing the benefits and risks regarding the specific dog and situation… and whether there is a choice at all, given that rescues are generally neutered prior to adoption. Spaying and Neutering: New Warnings About Health Problems
In my choice, I have carefully weighed the risks and benefits in relation to my particular dog and my specific circumstances. Given that my young Shiloh Shepherd is training as a service dog, and especially because many of his tasks are mobility related, I have chosen to neuter him later, after he turns 2. I would have delayed neutering him even longer, except he has cryptorchidism (undescended testicle), which significantly increases the risk for testicular cancer if not neutered before 3 years of age.
