Of course, it is unquestionably ethical for the species capable of ethics to make the decisions regarding what should be allowed in terms of breeding. It does seem, though, that better-informed decisions could be made. The knee-jerk propaganda that breeding dogs per se is bad and, therefore, neutering is the best decision regardless of the situation or breed of dog does not necessarily follow. In fact, pet overpopulation is not a given. In some locations, there aren't enough puppies for everyone who wants a puppy to actually get one. Also, neutering which exposes a dog to unnecessary health risks for purely ideological reasons seems to be a less ethical thing to do. In the United States, neutering is encouraged and sometimes required in various settings or locales. This viewpoint is not universally shared. In Norway, it has been illegal to castrate a dog without a medical reason. The law was revised in 2010 to expand the situations allowing castration but the common view is that the surgery should not be used as a substitute for training.