Overly amorous pup.......HELP!!

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Ocelot0411
Posts: 593
Joined: Thu May 24, 2007 7:30 am

Overly amorous pup.......HELP!!

Post by Ocelot0411 »

Hi all

Help please! The first thing to say is I have never owned a male dog before, I have only ever had bitches, so please forgive my ignorance and bear with me.

My pup Berkeley has just turned seven months old and literally in the last week seems to have discovered that he is a boy and also that Bella (now four) is a girl. Obviously he is a hormonal adolescent and I expected a phase like this to some extend but OH.MY. GOODNESS. he is relentless. Bella is sick to the back teeth of him, he tries to hump her 24/7 and I can't take my eyes of him for a second or he is at it again. She growls, snarls and snaps at him but he is completely undeterred.

The only way I can manage this at the minute is to put him in his crate when I can't watch him, which is not at all what I want to have to do but he just will NOT STOP. Obviously I can't get him neutered at the minute but to be honest I didn't really want to get him done this young anyway.

Bella was spayed when I adopted her from the RSPCA, BUT I have to say she attracts male dogs like a ***** on heat, where they ignore other bitches. I can't imagine why this would be? Obviously I think this is adding to the issue with Berkeley as he is just obsessed with her.

Any thoughts / ideas / suggestions? Both Bella and I are at our wits end with him!

Thanks all
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Nettle
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Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2008 1:40 pm

Re: Overly amorous pup.......HELP!!

Post by Nettle »

He's just entering adolescence and he's just found out it isn't for stirring his tea with. Neutering now would fix him in this state and he would become a nuisance to other dogs all his life.

So relax! 8) It's a phase and it WILL pass. But he has to go through it.

I always recommend providing a huge cushion or big soft toy and redirecting him onto that every-single-time, then leaving him to it. If any household members or visitors are liable to be reactive, make sure he and his humpy toy are in another room, otherwise he may use the behaviour as an attention-getter. Always intervene before he starts to hump your female dog. I know it can seem relentless, but it WILL stop.

As for why your female is so attractive to male dogs - there may be a scrap of ovarian tissue left from when she was spayed, or she may just be a very attractive gal. I believe there are sprays you can buy to disguise the scent of an on-heat female, so it would be worth your while to try one and see if it brings about any changes.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

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Ocelot0411
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Re: Overly amorous pup.......HELP!!

Post by Ocelot0411 »

Hi Nettle

Thanks very much for your expert advice which I have implemented to the letter and I am pleased to say things are much improved. He has his humpy toy (pug / unicorn type thing from Tesco), I got the spray and separate them as and when I have to which I am pleased to say is now much less frequent.

On a slightly separate note, and I know this is a controversial one but when do you think is the right age to neuter?

Thanks

Donna
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Nettle
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Re: Overly amorous pup.......HELP!!

Post by Nettle »

Thank you for your feedback :) . Neutering as you say is controversial,and you will get many opinions. Around 2 years old is best in my opinion, because then the growth plates will have capped off and hormones will have settled.

If you don't want to neuter him at all, you don't have to. Most entire males are sensible around other dogs once mature. Think of the difference between teenage boys and men in their 30s. Some neutered males can get reactive around entire dogs, but that sort is usually dodgy around any male.

Healthwise, entire dogs tend to develop testicular tumours while neutered dogs develop testicular cancer, so you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. But it isn't a given to develop either, and if it does happen, it's in old age when health problems happen anyway.

I kept a stud dog all his life - 16 years - and he was an absolute gentleman. So even when they know all about breeding, they can still have manners.
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JudyN
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Re: Overly amorous pup.......HELP!!

Post by JudyN »

My experience is a little different to Nettle - I've found that entire dogs do tend to get attacked by other male dogs (neutered as well as entire) more, even (or maybe particularly) when the entire dog is very easygoing and submissive. This is certainly the case with my neutered dog, who reacts to entire males (mostly nowadays he gives them a thorough sniff and a hard stare), but also is what other owners I speak to have found.

In an ideal world other owners would control their dogs so this doesn't happen, but personally I'd probably neuter a male once fully mature just so he didn't get attacked and possibly then become fear aggressive.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
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