Offshoreorca
Whale Whisperer
For smaller breeds, spaying after the first heat or around 9 months is recommended. For breeds between 30 and 50 lb waiting at least a year is recommended. And for breeds over 50 lbs waiting closer to 18 to 24 months is recommended. I don't think that all of the adoption organizations really understand the importance of sex hormones on the proper development of a dog. And it is not just related to the bone growth plates.
The same goes for the recommendations to regularly vaccinate your dog when they do not require it! In my opinion Piper was improperly and over vaccinated. The only thing she's had since I got her is that rabies vaccine. One of the reasons she's going into the vet on April 3rd is to get a tighter test done to make sure that she's immune to distemper and parvo.
Ironically I was just chatting with my father about vaccinations yesterday. He’s a vet (so is my sister) and he thinks they over vaccinate with the DHPP vaccine these days - in his opinion, one shot at 7-8 weeks and a second at 12 or so, should be enough for immunity.