I am not intending on breeding her, so want to get her spayed. I have heard so much about early speying can stunt there growth and depress them if they havent been allowed to have their first litter. I have asked the vet and she told me the rumours were no way true - but if there not, then why do the exist in the first place??? A friend of a friend had his male boxer done @ 6 months and apparently due to testosterone and speying etc- his body grew normally but his head stayed puppy sized... now, I dont know if this is true...

Should I get her speyed after her first season, or would it be safer to wait till she is fully grown. She dosnt live with any other dogs and is always kept on a lead... so the chance of an 'accident' is quite minimal....

<<<his body grew normally but his head stayed puppy sized... now, I dont know if this is true... >>>

surely not - maybe your friend was exagerating  :)

quite possibly!!!! boxers have small heads anyway!!!! i though it was an exageration - but put it in just incase it rang any bells....

Because of how a normal dog looks as an adult is programmed to a certain extent by the dogs hormonal system it is more than possible, if a large part of a dog or bitches hormone producing glands are removed at a young age, that dog/bitch may not look when adult as you would expect. The most usual things to be noticed are the head not maturing and the individual being taller than the average adult with somewhat different amount of muscle development.

Hi,
I would personally wait until 3 months after her first (or even second) season, but there is absolutely no need for her to have a litter. It is often found that spaying/castrating before physical maturity affects the dog's normal development.
:)