I advise my owners to wait until after the first period to spay the bitches. For the mailes I tell them not to neuter unless the dog becomes a nuisance and then to wait until 18 months. In my first litter a very irate Dad called me to say his young son had taken the bitch to the park when in season and she had been taken. He oversaw the whole pregnancy and got good homes for the pups but then spayed so his son learned a lesson. All my buyers keep in touch with me over the years and many got more than one from me. The "company" factor was a big seller for me. They were so happy with the dogs that some had another one from the next litter. You know you are doing something right when that happens. Marie K. Hicks Hightor German Shepherds Acton, CA www.geocities.com/hightorgsd ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2005. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://www.showgsd.org ============================================================================