shepherd size

Question
I have a male gsd he will be 4yrs old in june 2010. He is only about 21.50 inches at the shoulder and weighs about 54 lbs. Every one tells me he is very small, even that he is a toy gsd,I know that is not true but I also think he is small.I also have a female who is 16 months old and she is about 23" and 59 lbs.I had her spayed at almost 6months and now am told that slows growth.Are my gsd real small or am I over woried? I have read alot about the breed and cant seem to get the size answer correct.Also,does spaying befor first year,slow growth?My vet says they are vey healthy.Thank you for your time.

Answer
What I have heard is that early, before maturity, spaying causes the dog to be taller and finer boned.  It seems when it comes to dogs, there are many more opinions than facts.  My book gives ideal as 24''-26'' for males and 22''-24'' for females.  By that, your male is smaller, but the female average.  I also think there is a tendency to breed larger ones than the standard because that is what people want.  

The internet contains a wealth of misinformation about dogs.  A couple of sites I put more faith in are www.avma.org and www.akc.org  I don't even accept everything I read there, but a least I know who is behind them and what their bias is.  There are many sites put up by an organization whose name sounds good, but who knows what qualifications agenda.  I am glad I have the service dog schools to provide me information I trust.