Spaying and Neutering German Shepherd Dogs
If you spay or neuter your Rosehall puppy prior to 13 months, you will void your warranty. However, we recommend that you do not spay or neuter your puppy until it reaches at least 18 months, preferably 24 months, as it affects their growth plates and increases the risk for hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia and cranial cruciate ligament tears and ruptures.
If you have extenuating circumstances and are considering spaying or neutering your puppy prior to reaching its 13th month, please contact Emily to discuss your options.
We are providing this information to help you make informed choices. The external links throughout the piece will lead you to more information and our research on spaying and neutering.
The topic of spaying and neutering dogs, especially large-breed dogs such as German shepherd dogs, is often one of contention. Some believe that neutering males reduces aggressiveness. Others believe spaying or neutering—or not—has health benefits. Some are more concerned with population control. Still, others may have a mix of males and females and do not want the risk of an accidental litter. Regardless of your reasons, spaying and neutering has its place and time.
What is Spaying and Neutering?
Depending on the type of spaying or neutering, the veterinarian removes your dog’s reproductive organs. Both sexes have options.
Spaying Female German Shepherd Dogs
The three types of surgical sterilization for females include:
- Ovariohysterectomy: The procedure is the ‘typical’ spay. The veterinarian removes the uterus, fallopian tubes and the ovaries. It is the ovaries that are the source of the hormones that determine the heat cycle and breeding instincts.
- Ovariectomy: This procedure only removes the ovaries but leaves the uterus.
A hysterectomy is an alternative to spaying. Only the uterus and the fallopian tubes are removed so the dog cannot become pregnant. However, she may retain her breeding instincts and behaviors.
Neutering Male German Shepherd Dogs
Dog owners have two choices for male dogs. An orchiectomy is the typical neuter. A veterinarian removes the dog’s testicles, which prevents reproduction and eliminates most of the reproductive hormones. It may or may not reduce or eliminate breeding behaviors.
You can also request a vasectomy for male dogs. In this surgical procedure, the veterinarian removes all or a portion of the vas deferens, the tubes that transport the sperm from the testicles.
Nonsurgical Sterilization
As of early 2025, researchers are developing infertility methods that do not require anesthesia or surgery for dogs and cats. These methods are not “routinely” available for companion pets as of the time of writing.
Methods such as subcutaneous hormone implants, anti-fertility “vaccines,” and intratesticular sterilants may become available as those drugs are approved.
What Are the Health Benefits of Spaying and Neutering?
According to researchers, spaying and neutering may have health benefits for dogs. However, you should do extensive research on all the pros and cons of spaying and neutering prior to making any decision.
The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) found that spaying and neutering too early not only causes joint issues but also increases the risk for certain cancers.
When comparing the chances (percentages) of your puppy developing cancers and joint issues, you must also take into account other higher-risk diseases, such as pyometra.
Cancers
Neutering and spaying larger breeds, in general, come with a higher risk of certain cancers in dogs, including:
- Osteosarcoma (OSA): Studies found that spayed and neutered dogs doubled the risk of developing OSA.
- Hemangiosarcoma (HSA): Spayed females are four times as likely to develop cardiac HSA and two times more likely to develop splenic HAS than intact females.
- Lymphosarcoma (LSA): Studies found that the risk of developing LSA was higher in spayed females than in intact females.
- Mast cell tumors (MCT): Spayed females are four times more likely to develop cutaneous MCT than intact females.
Studies also found that spaying or neutering at any age through 8 years increased the rate of developing at least one of the cancers by three to four times. The NCBI also found two additional and more recent studies that showed an increase in cancer development in spayed and neutered dogs.
These studies also looked at mammary cancer. It found that the disease occurrence was low in intact females and was not significantly reduced by spaying.
Cancer Numbers for German Shepherd Dogs
Table 2 shows how often German shepherd dogs develop various cancers in relation to spaying and neutering. We added the various ages to form one percentage. If you wish to see what percentage of each age bracket could develop cancers, see Table 2.
- Neutered males are nearly 3.5 times (339 percent) more likely to develop LSA than intact males.
- Spayed females are about 50 percent (slight chance) more likely to develop LSA than intact females.
- Intact males are 45 percent (slight chance) as likely to develop MCT as neutered males.
- Spayed females are over 100 percent (a little more than a slight chance) more likely to develop MCT than intact females.
- The incidence of neutered and intact males developing HSA is zero.
- Spayed females are over 65 percent (slight chance) more likely to develop HSA than intact females.
- Neutered males are nearly four times as likely to develop OSA than intact males.
- Spayed females are over twice as likely to develop OSA than intact females.
When all cancers are compared, neutered males are nearly twice as likely to develop any one of the above cancers than intact males, and spayed females are over six times as likely to develop one of the above cancers.
Joint Disorders
Of even greater concern than cancer—but only because of the higher incidences—joint disorders have been linked to spaying and neutering in larger breeds. Neutering and spaying in the first year—prior to the dog’s 13th month—caused significant increases in joint disorders, including:
- Hip dysplasia (HD): The increase in HD in neutered and spayed dogs of certain breeds was less than CCL but still quite significant.
- Cranial Cruciate Ligament tears and ruptures (CCL): Neutered males and spayed females are two to three times more likely to develop CCL than intact dogs. The study also showed that neutering and spaying increased the risk of excessive tibial plateau angle, which is a risk factor for CCL, threefold.
- Elbow Dysplasia (ED): The narrative does not include ED.
Joint Issues for German Shepherd Dogs
Table 1 shows how often German shepherd dogs develop joint disorders after neutering and spaying. To show this data broken down into age brackets, see Table 1.
- Neutered male dogs are nearly 4.5 times as likely to develop hip dysplasia than intact dogs.
- Spayed females are nearly 7 times (700 percent) more likely to develop HD than intact females.
- Neutered males are over 49 times more likely to develop CCL issues than intact males.
- Spayed females are over 32 times more likely to develop CCL issues than intact females.
- Neutered males are nearly 10 times more likely to develop ED than intact males.
- Intact females are over 60 percent (slight chance) more likely to develop ED than neutered females.
It is nearly 9 times more likely for a neutered male and nearly 10 times more likely for a spayed female to develop any one of the above joint issues compared to intact males and females, respectively.
Ovarian and Uterine Cancers
Ovarian and uterine cancers are rare in dogs, presumably because many are spayed at an early age. This study found that ovarian tumors were found in 6.25 of the dogs, usually found in older dogs or those with ovarian remnant syndrome.
Ovarian tumors are more common in German shepherd dogs, boxers, Yorkshire terriers, poodles, Boston terriers and English bulldogs.
Table 3 shows the occurrences of mammary cancer, pyometra and urinary incontinence in German shepherds. On average (all age groups combined), a female GSD is:
- A spayed female is about half as likely to develop mammary cancer than an intact female.
- Intact females are nearly 2.5 times as likely to develop pyometra than spayed females.
- Spayed females are nearly 16 times as likely to develop urinary incontinence than intact females.
The study found that females spayed between 6 and 11 months of age are seven times more likely to develop urinary incontinence. Females spayed between 2 and 8 years of age are nearly five times more likely to develop mammary cancer than females spayed at less than six months of age but have nearly zero percent of developing pyometra when spayed at any age.
Testicular Cancer
Various sites state that testicular cancer in intact male dogs is rare, though it can happen. However, we hesitate to quote any of those sources as they are not backed by numerous studies.
Does Neutering and Spaying Affect Behavior?
Yes, in some ways. Many people believe neutering is an instant fix for aggressive behavior. It’s not. Neutering a dog may help reduce it if the aggressive behavior is related to females in heat. Some behaviors neutering or spaying may help include:
- Roaming: Your dog may not roam as much, as he or she will not be looking for a mate.
- Marking: Male dogs may mark less, though this is not something you should count on. Basically, it depends on the dog and, to some extent, the age at which you had him neutered.
- Calmer Demeanor: Only in the sense that they are not as distracted by their mating instincts and can focus more on their training.
Debunking the Myths
Myths about spaying and neutering float around. Here are a couple we will debunk:
- Weight Gain: As long as you ensure your dog has a proper diet and enough exercise, it should not gain weight due to spaying and neutering. Depending on your dog, there’s always a possibility, so keep an eye on weight, especially with German Shepherds, as they are prone to pancreatitis.
- Personality Change: Spaying or neutering your dog does not change its personality. However, it can affect behaviors that are influenced by hormones.
If you have any questions about when it’s best to spay or neuter your German Shepherd, speak with an experienced dog breeder. Rescues and most veterinarians will almost always recommend spaying and neutering too early, as they are concerned with the overpopulation of dogs or “mistake” litters.
If you have males and females, you can learn to manage them to keep them apart during a female’s heat cycle.