[Hbomb]

Hi everyone

So it’s Ozzys 18 month birthday today!

He is growing into a handsome Boy, but then I think I am biased haha.

when we had Hercules, we neutered him young- probably too young- but that was the vets advice at the time. So this is our first experience of an intact male V at this age.

Oz is good with most other dogs but he has had several other males- usually young, usually neutered, try to dominate ie mount him. On 2 occasions he has given a warning bark only to result in the other dog being quite aggressive towards him. If the dog goes for him he’ll definitely react growling and snapping but if I can get him to me he will come and hide behind me!

The second time this happened was with a collie and the owner couldn’t control it- it had no recall- and I had my son with me at the time so was all a bit stressful.

today Oz was at dog sitters and a Dalmatian aggressively went for him- the dog sitter separated them immediately and they were ok but each time this happens he won’t eat his dinner as he’s quite a nervy boy.

when I am walking him I usually recall him and leash him if I see a young male as the interactions aren’t always great. Or if both meet off leash I call him quickly if the body language goes stiff- he comes immediately as he wants to get away- the problem is if other dog follows him…

I asked our dog sitter if she thought we should neuter/implant- she said no as he’s a bit nervy- but she would let us know if he had any issues.

I just don’t want him to become nervous of other dogs as he seems to be a bit of a target for young, boisterous males.
Any advice would be very welcome!

pics below are with 2 older male labs that he’s absolutely fine with

 

[Bob Engelhardt]

I have seen this quite a bit ... where a neutered male is aggressive towards an intact one. Of course it's not the intact male's fault & his owner shouldn't have to be the one who fixes it. But the reality is that the easiest, surest, way to stop it is to neuter him. Otherwise you're going to have to be vigilant to anticipate hostility and be defensive. That's no fun. At 18 months, Oz is fully developed and his important need for testosterone is behind him. 'Twere me, I'd get him snipped, just for your own sake.

BTW: your sitter's comment: " she said no as he’s a bit nervy ". I don't know what that means - what "nervy" has to do with it. And what nervy means.

 

[sandiegov]

We had the same problem. At off leash areas our intact shy Vizsla was always bullied by nuetered males. They would come up to him a bit aggressive and was nipped a few times. He was bit at the park and required several stitches, so at that point we decided to neuter him (14 months old). After being neutered, the bullying drastically reduced by at least 90%. He lived to 13.5 years old.

 

[Hbomb]

Thanks for the replies.
Sorry I think ‘nervy’ was the wrong word when I described what the dog sitter said.

She said he was quite timid -I think she was trying to say he wasn’t aggressive.

She doesn’t insist males are neutered but if there are problems with behaviour she will suggest it.
For example the Dalmatian I mentioned was quite aggressive to a lot of other dogs, now he’s been neutered he’s fine with everyone apart from poor Ozzy





I had asked her whether we should neuter and she has said he wasn’t showing aggression towards her other dogs but was a bit timid around the larger males and would come to her and lean on her leg if there were a lot of them around.

I think neutering is the way to go though as the more dogs that are aggressive toward him the more defensive he’s going to get.

Ive found myself relying on a long line when I am with my young son walking him just because I don’t want him being another target for a fight. ( Which isn’t fair to either as Ozzy is really good off leash in busy places - he’s got no interest in other people and their dogs- and just wants to chase his frisbee or my son on his scooter. )

I was thinking the implant may be worth doing first before the full snip?

 

[texasred]

It’s kind of 6 one way, and half a dozen the other.
Yes intact dogs are more of a target, for neutered ones. On the other hand you mentioned him being timid in some situations, and neutering him may (lack of hormones) make him more this way.
There is no easy answer, we just try to do our best to find the right solution for the individual dog.

 

[PhilipL]

My intact male Vizsla Rafa is 4 years old, he hasn't had any problems with neutered males unlike yourself, but he has had 2 nasty penetrating bites from aggressive non neutered dogs, one a Boxer the other a Malinois, but both of these dogs are well known locally for attacking other people's dogs neutered or not. Rafa plays with a visiting foxhound who is neutered and his owner said to me the other day that Rafa is the onlt intact male dog that her dog gets on with, so I guess all dogs are different and there is no one answer as others have said.