Oscar update

An update for Oscar came in the middle of June. Oscar is from ​Ernest and Rosie's amazing litter of eleven pups born April 2021 

Oscar

"Hello Jane,
Really hope you are keeping well and enjoying the addition of Peaches and Brimble to your pack.
I meant to send an update for Oscar around his 1st birthday but family events took over.
What Can I say about Oscar? What a beautiful, sensitive, comical, loving little dog he has become.  Our first venture into dog ownership had been a VERY steep learning curve but we’ve certainly put as much time and effort as humanly possible into raising him. 
It’s not all been plain sailing, he has some challenging behaviours; he has a pathological fear of any harness despite us following the text book to the letter for early desensitisation and he is constantly on high alert, a real sentry dog who feels he has to let us know about ANY potential threat. He is also pretty hyper-attached to his humans which we probably should have addressed sooner so an ongoing project.
In all other aspects though, he has really settled down and is very much more of a dog than a puppy now.  His quirky personality never ceases to make us laugh and his Chit-Chat leaves us in no doubt what mood he is in.  We still get at least one attack of the Zoomies every day and he really can run like the wind (usually grunting like a deranged pig at the same time)!
We are starting to get some good off-lead walks now.  His recall and proximity are pretty good except when a squirrel or a bird present themselves and then his self-control goes out of the window.
We've decided not to castrate just yet.  There's lots of conflicting advice out there but, overall there seems to be little to gain and it could potentially dent his limited confidence.
I'd appreciate your thoughts on his weight.  He peaked at just under 10kg at about 11 months but has since gradually lost 0.5kg.   Does that seem reasonable?  
Kind Regards
Lynn"

Oscar

"Hello Lynn, 
Thanks for the update. Great to here how things are going and your dedication as first time dog keepers to learn and help Oscar.
The weight thing is him most probably reaching maturity and fining out. Losing the puppy fat and with sexual maturity he will burn a few more calories. If he keeps dropping weight, it might be a good idea to adjust his food. Testicles burn calories and during puberty they will of grown and now use more calories than before. 
Hence if you remove them you would need to reduce calories. It's often why neutered dogs gain weight, if the diet is not reduced after being neutered because the sexual organs burn a significant amount of calories and also for males reduces the urge to be thinking and on the lookout for the ladies. Which also burns calories.
Hope that's of some help.
Kind regards
Jane"