Well yes, they can, and you seem to be getting all the right advice -- I think you are looking for a straight answer that isn't actually there. The jury is absolutely out on this one -- you are basically weighing one thing against the other, so go with whatever you feel comfortable with, and what you feel you can manage. Some people really do not like dealing with the changes in males between six months and a year old, as this is when a lot of the behaviors people consider undesirable and hard to manage begin. If males are not neutered before these behaviours start they may become lifetime behaviours -- which for some is not an issue and easy to manage, and for others can be a leading reason why so many male dogs end up in pounds.
There are increased lifetime cancer risks for females that aren't neutered before their first heat -- if you do not neuter a female before the first heat she has about a one in 11 chance of mammary cancers during her lifetime, and these are already one of the most common tumors in dogs so the risk is by any measure significant. Personally, I've also yet to see anything convincing to me about a neuter having any significant effect on bones being fully formed etc and do agility with a perfectly sound male neutered at 9 months who has never had a single issue with bones and joints but I know plenty of intact dogs that have major problems with knees, hips etc. I think this is a negligible point, having looked at some of the available studies, but others have different opinions so it may be a concern for you. I also think legginess tends to be more genetic as I have several quite compact cavaliers that were neutered before a year old and only one that has longer legs (and again -- they certainly are beneficial to him for agility as the cobby compact ones do not have his flexibility and agility).
So really I would just weigh up what you feel you could manage and also keep in mind that if you have a male he is going to go into testosterone overdrive starting at about 5 to 6 months and will have a very strong drive to get out if he smells females in heat andcan start to challenge other males as well. In some males, this can be hard to manage and if your dog gets out, he can be stolen, killed or lost, so I do consider that an issue as well that is particular to males. Every dog and owner is different.
There is a whole section on neutering and the health issues in the library section of the site and you can see many previous discussions of this issue if you use the search function, so that might be useful to you as well.
Mindysmom-- many older (age 7 plus) intact male dogs I get into rescue are already beginning to have prostate problems because they weren't neutered and there is a cancer risk. Because they have prostate problems I end up having to neuter them when they are old guys which always really annoys me as they'd have been spared this needed preventative surgery that I now absolutely have to do, had this been done years ago. Almost all male dogs mark, regardless of a neuter -- but believe me, the unneutered ones mark *incessantly* and also inside the house, so this is what about two thirds of neuters prevent, but not always. In either case however it is basically a training issue and is totally normal behaviour for the dog; you manage it pretty much the same as housetraining (all mymales mark on walks and so on but not constantly and never in the house). You can also expect to have much smellier urine, more humping behaviour, and a lifetime disposition to get out and disappear. In my local pounds about 80% of all dogs found straying are unneutered males. Almost never does a neutered male come in. And if you don't like the maleness of marking you are going to get a whole lot more very male behaviours from an intact male. :lol: On size -- my neutered males are both on the small side (17 and 15.5 lbs) and well within their family size and breed standard, but again as with kids in a family you can get offspring larger or smaller (more typically, larger it seems!). Weight gain is a matter of feeding less and exercising more (as with us!).
Neutered dogs sometimes have a slight drop in metabolism and thus can be fed about 20% less -- cost savings for you! But adults also have a slower metabolism and often, unless very active, need less food than puppies (the case with all five of mine) -- most adults need LESS than they were fed as pups so if you keep feeding the same amount, they will gain regardless of neutering. PS - also a possible consideration is whether your breeder has a neuter requirement in the homing contract? This is pretty much standard with good breeders in the US and must be done.
