[Rachael1983]

One of my collegues breeds Great Danes. He and his wife show and I would consider them responsible breeders. I think their stance on the spay/neuter in larger breed dogs is to wait until at least 18 months to allow for growth plate development. Based on research, it seems as though large breed dogs may have some difficulty since they grow to adulthood longer by 2-3 years old.

For yorkies or other small breed dogs I'm not sure how altering the dog prior to 18 months will change the outcome of the health of the animal.

This surely has been an interesting thread to read. I now have a female dog and I don't ever want to deal with a dog in heat so I plan to spay by 6 months (plus it's part of my breeder contract). This is my snobby thing, I don't want to deal with anyone's menstrual cycle but my own.