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Intact male - What to expect/how to manage?


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Just curious since o heard it mention before about making sure your dog is minding it manner with other dogs... can anyone explain what you mean? I realize it seems like it should be a no brainer I am just not following.

I always imagine people making their dogs sit to greet another dog or something.

 

My experience is limited, but I think people are talking about greeting other dogs with good doggy manners, not good people manners. Sitting to greet another dog would be a strange thing in the dog world. What is appropriate (to my understanding) is approaching calmly and sniffing each other's rears. From there it might go to sniffing face to face and then into something more fun like a play bow followed by a game of chase or other play.

 

What would be poor manners in the doggy world would be approaching with hackles raised, a tall or stiff posture, having the tail way up over it's back, trying to put it's head over the other dogs shoulders, humping, etc. All of that posturing can be considered rude by many dogs and creates tension. I think this is what people are talking about on this thread when they say you need to make sure your dog minds it's manners.

 

ETA: I'm sure I missed many other behaviors that would be deemed "inappropriate" in the dog world, but I'm still learning them myself. My dog seems to think he's a lab... running up to other dogs and getting right in their face, throwing out a quick play bow and then wanting to wrestle. Sure it's all friendly, but it's obnoxious as hell (considered extremely rude by dog standards) and he's been checked for it more then once. I do my best not to allow this type of greeting and he's been getting better, although it's a work in progress...

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Yes, mind your manners mean no raised head/stiff neck, no raised tail, no stiff posture, no staring, no pouncing/body slamming/mounting. Dog's posture should be relaxed and the dog should wait to make body contact until the other dog invites them to do so. Dogs should not follow one another around marking on top of each others pee (pissing contest, these can turn into fights).

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Guess I never thought about it. I just correct them verbally. They start to posture and I say the dog's name but use a "what are you doing" tone (so the correction is directed at the correct dog). Never had a problem with them being confused. I start verbal corrections for being rude as soon as the behavior kicks in (as adolescents). They sure seem to know what I mean and knock it off right away. If they don't, they get a time out. They learn pretty quickly that acting like a jerk ends the game.

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The issue of marking has come up several times in this thread, so I don't feel it's too off topic to ask this question...

 

How much marking (outside, obviously) is considered appropriate? My neutered male will mark when we are on an "explore" walk. He tends to mark more at the beginning. The marking is always accompanied with sniffing around and generally exploring the area. He does not mark when other dogs are around/approaching... he's far more interested in meeting the other dog and hoping he'll get to play. :P

 

Just as a point of context we'll say on a 60 minute walk he marks about a dozen times.

 

The "dominance" people would have you think any marking is absolutely unacceptable, but isn't it a pretty natural thing for dogs to do? I'm curious what members here think of as "appropriate" when it comes to general marking on walks. If this is completely OT I apologize...

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Just as a point of context we'll say on a 60 minute walk he marks about a dozen times.

 

My boys will mark only as much as I allow. Typically I'll let them get it out for about the first half mile when we start and then the power walk is on!

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My departed Shoshone used to mark like mad. I remember seeing her almost standing on just her front paws, while trying to raise the business end to an appropriate height to mark a bush.

 

I let Gibbs pee/mark anywhere outside with a few consistent exceptions. When we're out walking, he doesn't get to go into someone's yard, or pee on a sidewalk flower bed, or gate into a yard. He can pee on hedges that line the sidewalk, or trees. No marking of tires or other items, I wouldn't want dog pee on my lawnmower or wheelbarrow or child's toy that's been left in a front yard, so I don't let him do it.

 

Other than the exceptions mentioned above, he gets to pee where he wants to.

 

Ruth and Agent Gibbs

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It's a dominance thing when one dog marks over another dog's urine immediately after the first dog urinated. I've seen it cause plenty of fights.

 

I do teach my boys that marking is only ok if they are on free time (they have a release command). When walking them on a leash I don't want them peeing on everything. They also have a go potty command. If they are on a leash I will stop and say "go potty" so they know it's ok to urinate on whatever bush or vertical surface is nearby. This comes in handy when in more urban areas, in public, in a pet store, etc. They know they can't just lift their leg on everything.

 

One of my biggest pet peeves is people who let their males loose at trials to piss on other people's cars, tents, coolers, RVs, etc.

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This is a very interesting topic. I wanted to leave Tobias intact too until he was fully mature but still unsure. We live on about 15 acres and the yard is not fenced. He's only 10 weeks and hasn't really wondered off but as a mature intact male wouldn't he be more likely to stray? There is a high way maybe 100 yards from the house that doesn't have much traffic but people do go fairly fast when the roads aren't slick or icy.

 

For our Great Dane we altered him when he turned 6 months and he is still dog and people aggressive regardless. He also never filled out and is on the skinny side but for such a large breed being a under weight is probably benifical for his joints but I kind of wanted Tobias to fully fill out and mature if possible.

 

My toy poodle male I kept intact until he was 3 or 4 years old. Although he was always on the more dominate side he was always friendly with other dogs and people male or female. For over a year I had two intact toy poodle males living on my house together and never had an issue with marking in the house or fights. They we good boys. However when a family member brought their stupid unhousebroke male who had a male diper band on he marked in the house and then it up set my males who didn't appreciate this stranger marking in territory that they couldn't mark on. I when a head and neutered after that just because my boys started acting weird.

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as a mature intact male wouldn't he be more likely to stray?

 

The dogs I've had who were most likely to go walkabout was a neutered male (retriever/pointer mix, neutered at 9 months) and a spayed female (border collie/spitz-type mix, spayed at ~ 6 years).

 

The one who never wandered was an intact male border collie.

 

Here are a few things you might want to read as you consider your options.

 

ttp://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf

 

http://news.ucdavis.....lasso?id=10498

 

http://www.dogsnatur...b876d14a40bf5f5

 

Personally, if I had the choice today (I adopt rescues, and the choice hasn't been mine for some time) I wouldn't neuter a male unless there were behavioral or health issues that supported the decision.

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My departed Shoshone used to mark like mad. I remember seeing her almost standing on just her front paws, while trying to raise the business end to an appropriate height to mark a bush.

 

I let Gibbs pee/mark anywhere outside with a few consistent exceptions. When we're out walking, he doesn't get to go into someone's yard, or pee on a sidewalk flower bed, or gate into a yard. He can pee on hedges that line the sidewalk, or trees. No marking of tires or other items, I wouldn't want dog pee on my lawnmower or wheelbarrow or child's toy that's been left in a front yard, so I don't let him do it.

 

Other than the exceptions mentioned above, he gets to pee where he wants to.

 

Ruth and Agent Gibbs

 

I have pretty much the same standards regarding marking while we're out on a walk. While I know the rules, I'm sure it seems completely arbitrary to Camden. I'm thinking about putting a cue on it. Something like "uh-oh, not there", just so he doesn't think he's done anything wrong. I figure in his brain he'll think "I'm not in trouble or anything, but mom made a random decision and I just have to go along with it". I dunno', maybe that's silly, but this dog seems to always be trying to figure things out and that would at least give him something to work with. :P

 

I do teach my boys that marking is only ok if they are on free time (they have a release command). When walking them on a leash I don't want them peeing on everything. They also have a go potty command. If they are on a leash I will stop and say "go potty" so they know it's ok to urinate on whatever bush or vertical surface is nearby. This comes in handy when in more urban areas, in public, in a pet store, etc. They know they can't just lift their leg on everything.

 

Camden only gets to sniff and mark on his own terms when we are on an "explore" walk. It's on leash, but most of our walking is because we live in the 'burbs, so it's the best way to allow him some time to do his own thing. When I ask him to walk "in line" (our loose heel) he never tries to mark... ever. I think the key to this really is allowing him plenty of time to just be a dog (even if it is on leash) and not always requiring him to be right next to me on a forced march.

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It would be hard to put in words just how little sense this women had... I don't think she even knew that you called it being in season as she just looked at me blankly.....

 

 

"I do know the bitch is now spayed as I met her another time being walked by the ex-husband."

??? omg, it's Friday and I must be exhausted because I'm falling off the sofa, laughing :)))))
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