Overall neutering makes the guardian's life better, but makes the dog's life worse.
Hormones play important rules in the body. For some reason menopause/andropause is a bad thing, and we are inducing precocious menopause/andropause in the dogs.
Pyometras are over rated, yes they kill, but if they left unattended. If you clean your dog's butt you will notice the pyo in the early stages and a vet prescription will solve the problem in 3 days. Clean butts, living in a clean environment and no sex in the 2 months after heat will avoid it. If you leave the dog in the yard, unattended... well... what can I say..
Cancer is more related to food than anything else, avoid high grain food and nitrates. English bulldogs actually have high testicular cancer, but testicular cancer is of easy solution and rarely spreads. Mammary cancer is a bit more agressive. Play with your dog's balls and boobs to look for lumps, and take to a eco check up once in the while, early treatment is the way to go.
Spaying only reduces mammary cancer if done before the first heat, which causes a crazy amount of problems. Most vets today will not do this. Spaying after the 2nd heat will not decrease the mammary cancer prob.
Neutering increases many cancers that can not be treated by removing it (bone), increase cataracts, dementia, muscle atrophy (problem for seniors), ligaments become weak (in US is a 6k$ surgery), females have vaginitis and urinary infections all the time, males will need artificial lub on the penis, to avoid skin lesions. Fear aggression and anxiety increases.. many neutered dogs get better from anxiety after hormonal therapy (costs 1k per year).
If you really need to neuter the dog (shelter), there are hormone sparing neutering. The surgery for females is hysterectomy, which also prevents pyo. They keep the large pussies, they also keep the heat (no blood).
If a stud is too much for you at 1yr you have the implants, that reduce the testosterone to levels still above bitches, they become infertile too. Try stopping the treatment after the 2-3 yrs when they "speed down". If the energy level is still too high, stop at 8 yrs when they will need the energy boost of testosterone.