Hiya all, I've not posted on here for a long while but would appreciate a little advice as you have all been so good in the past.
I was finaly able to introduce a new pup to the home last November, with your help and a lot of patience with Sassy I became the proud mam of a stb little boy ( who I hasten to add is the naughtiest and cheekiest pup i have ever known, lol ). What i would like to know is what age would you recomend castration, I have had a lot of different opinions on the age ranging from 6 months upwards.
Thank you for your time as like I havesaid I always appreciate your advice
Gail

A few friends of mine were having a similar conversation about early castration last week, a breeder friend said that its better to let the dog mature and do it after 12 months, the Vet we used advises 9 months. Another has hers done at six months to avoid problems when they hit the teenage period around 9 months.

I think six months is a little young and had my lad done at 18 months because I wanted him to mature properly.

Thank you k92303, I was thinking to wait until he was over 12 months as I wouldnt want him to be too young. Sassy was speyed at 3 yrs but she had a litter at 2yrs and I wanted her to fully get over that before having her speyed and as she wasnt the most maternal of mothers I had no intention of breeding from her again.

Been loads of threads about this if you put age - castration into search

Try printing this off if your vet tries to "persuade" you

Thanks Moonmaiden thats a really interesting read and I appreciate it, my vet did try to persuade me to have early castration when I took Charlie for his jabs and checkups and i told him that I would give it some thought but it wouldnt be at 6 months. The reason I have started thinking about it again, is there has been a few intact dogs of the same breed stolen around where I live, also my daughters friends dog ( a bitch that had been spayed ) was stolen never to be found. My garden backs on to a carpark and I am constantly keeping an eye on my dogs, I know that it is not a sole reason for castration as I would still be keeping a watch over them but I dont want to breed from him either. The dilema is at what age but I have to be honest I am thinking more to waiting until he is at least 18 months old. 
Thank you again
Gail

I did exactly as Moonmaiden suggested with the article she linked.  I also found this one which you might like too.  Even though many of the ideas and research that the two papers are derived from are the same or identical my Vet was a bit more receptive to this one as it is compiled by a Vet.

http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/pdf/10.2460/javma.231.11.1665
Determining the optimal age for gonadectomy of dogs and cats,
Margaret V. Root Kustritz, dvm, phd, dact

thank you, all this information has certainly given me something to work on

I wouldnt let the fact that entire dogs get stolen influence you too heavily, its also a fact that dogs get stolen, and then when its discovered later that they are neutered, they are ransomed, dumped or killed...

You cant win, so do the best for your dog that you are happy with, to my mind that would be to leave him until he is 12 + months old and done growing, but thats just my opinion.