Will Desexing Stop Males From Fighting?

[MissMolly]

My sister has two entire males and since I have being staying with them with my girl dogs and one of my girls has come into season, the boys have been fighting, what started out as some growlling has gotten worse. Only one seems to be starting all the fights and even thou my girl has now been removed from the house they are still fighting.

My BIL has been bitten on the hand trying to break up one fight and today (with all my girls out of the house) there was another fight in the backyard and the smaller boy was injured.

My sister is going to book both boys in to be desexed but will this stop the boys from fighting?

[Guest Ams]

Probably not since it will take a few weeks for their homones to level out and in the mean time you still have a bitch in season for them to fight over. Is it possible to place the bitch in season into a kennel as it will remove the source of their fighting?

[MissMolly]

Probably not since it will take a few weeks for their homones to level out and in the mean time you still have a bitch in season for them to fight over. Is it possible to place the bitch in season into a kennel as it will remove the source of their fighting?

Hi Ams, my bitch has been removed from the house, she went yesterday to stay with a friend of mine.

[Guest Ams]

Sorry didn't read that bit. You will probably find the two boys will still fight as her scent is all over the yard and house. Is it possible to keep them separate for the next week? Desexing them may stop it from happening in the future but is unlikely to stop them short term.

[cvs]

Desexing the boys will not stop them from fighting. The older that the boys are desexed the more set in the ways they are.

The only option I see is that the girls must be removed from the boys, it is afer all the boys home and the girls are new to their territory. Not really fair that the boys should be segregated when they are only being boys. This is why most breeders do not have entire boys and girls together not really worth the stress and injuries to all parties.

Get some very strong disinfectant and spray everywhere where the girls have been. The smell will be everywhere and once there it is very hard to get rid of.

Good luck

[Erny]

If desexing does anything at all, it can raise the threshold to reactivity (ie they may still react but the 'fuse' might be a little longer, or the intensity of the aggression might be marginally reduced). No guarantees though. And the dogs do have a learnt behaviour.

Leadership and management is required here.

[MissMolly]

If desexing does anything at all, it can raise the threshold to reactivity (ie they may still react but the 'fuse' might be a little longer, or the intensity of the aggression might be marginally reduced). No guarantees though. And the dogs do have a learnt behaviour.

Leadership and management is required here.

I think this is more of an issue then just because my girl came into season.. The boys have had a few fights before my girls where here but they were not as intense. One is 13 years old and he is a cranky old thing (terrier x) and the other is just over 12 months (maltese x) and he is nasty.. At times when he doesn't want to be picked up he will growl at anyone who goes to pick him up and my niece who owns him sometimes has to usher him into the bathroom (where he sleeps at night) because if he doesn't want to do it he will growl and he does try and bite if you go to pick him up.

I am pleased that the young one is being desexed because my niece was going to breed from him (thank dog i have managed to talk her out of that)..

I just worry that my sister and her family are expecting all the issues to go away when the boys are desexed..

Edited April 18, 2010 by MissMolly

[MissMolly]

Desexing the boys will not stop them from fighting. The older that the boys are desexed the more set in the ways they are.

The only option I see is that the girls must be removed from the boys, it is afer all the boys home and the girls are new to their territory. Not really fair that the boys should be segregated when they are only being boys. This is why most breeders do not have entire boys and girls together not really worth the stress and injuries to all parties.

Get some very strong disinfectant and spray everywhere where the girls have been. The smell will be everywhere and once there it is very hard to get rid of.

Good luck

My girl has been removed from the house.. The boys have had a few fights before my girls came to the house, it is just more intense now..

[Scarlet]

Sounds like the dogs have a few issues - lack of leadership a big one.

Desexing is not a magic cure for badly behaved dogs, although IMO it is a start.

[Erny]

I think this is more of an issue then just because my girl came into season.. The boys have had a few fights before my girls where here but they were not as intense. One is 13 years old and he is a cranky old thing (terrier x) and the other is just over 12 months (maltese x) and he is nasty.. At times when he doesn't want to be picked up he will growl at anyone who goes to pick him up and my niece who owns him sometimes has to usher him into the bathroom (where he sleeps at night) because if he doesn't want to do it he will growl and he does try and bite if you go to pick him up.

As mentioned, leadership and management needed. But it's your sister than needs to want to do it.

I just worry that my sister and her family are expecting all the issues to go away when the boys are desexed..

You'll be able to let her down gently on that score once the dogs are done and come home.

[Dogsfevr]

I wouldnt be desexing a 13 yr old at his age now unless for medical reasons.

Unfortunately when you have a bitch in season it can cause all sorts of abnormal behaviour .

Not only the fact the girls are in season there home has also suddenly gone from 2 company to more of a crowd & are more than likely not impressed with there new friends especially the old dog who has had to put up with the most changes.

Agree with others that a better management plan needs to be addressed when the bitch comes in heat again.

You need to hose the yard & be prepared for a second round of squabbles when she comes home

Edited April 18, 2010 by showdog

[Erny]

I wouldnt be desexing a 13 yr old at his age now unless for medical reasons.

You're right, Showdog. I missed that point.

What about chemical castration?

[Crisovar]

Most normal living breathing male dogs will be driven nuts by the scent of bitch in season, you have given them something extra to become rivals over.

Good luck trying to remove the odour, maybe something with chlorophyll in it would be of some use.

I wouldn't be desexing the old dog, but Suprelorin implants could be useful.

Good management is needed now, sometimes you can settle to pack back down but I have also seen males continue to fight after they have got the hang of it.

[Rebanne]

desex the underdog only

[Jed]

Desexing only prevents pregnancy. It wont prevent them fighting. The fighting probably increased because of the in season bitch, but the tension and jealousy was always there, I suppose.

I wouldn't desex the 13 year old, and if the underdog is desexed, you run the risk that the entire dog who is the boss, will resent the fact that he is different, and pick on him more. It depends on his nature whether he does this or not.

It is about management. I have a couple of entire dogs here, and bitches in season. No fights. And previous dogs have had no fights either. They are not a "scrappy" breed, but dogs do tend to fight over bitches in season.

[persephone]

It is far too much risk,IMO, to castrate the older dog.... the younger one- a perfect candidate ! No- it won't stop them fighting,though. Training and management will help ..but with bitch scent everywhere- it will be hard

Edited April 18, 2010 by persephone

[BJean]

I wouldnt be desexing a 13 yr old at his age now unless for medical reasons.

Im surprised that a vet agreed to do it for behavioural reasons.

Desexing a 13yo dog will not achieve anything

but cease its ability to reproduce (if that was still functional).

[Dogsfevr]

I wouldnt be desexing a 13 yr old at his age now unless for medical reasons.

Im surprised that a vet agreed to do it for behavioural reasons.

Desexing a 13yo dog will not achieve anything

but cease its ability to reproduce (if that was still functional).

I guess many vets do things these days that you wonder about.

[sas]

Sounds like the dogs have a few issues - lack of leadership a big one.

Desexing is not a magic cure for badly behaved dogs, although IMO it is a start.

Big assumption considering the poster has not mentioned anything about how the dogs interact with their humans.

The OP brought a bitch who then came into season into a house wih 2 entire males...lucky they didn't kill each other. It's pretty understandable why they're still bitching at each other.

If the sole reason for their fighting is based around their hormones then yeah desexing is going to assist a bit if they're young dogs but a dog whose been entire for many years doesn't forget everything about being entire after being desexed.

The dogs could just be implanted rather than desexed, could help.

My 3 year old was desexed perhaps about a year ago it has assisted in some of his 'entire' male behaviours especially some of the aggressive ones, it not 'cure' for anything but has made him more managable, he still knows what a bitch in heat smells like. Understanding some dogs handle their hormones better than others, it's not a one fits all situation.

Edited April 18, 2010 by sas

[Erny]

Big assumption considering the poster has not mentioned anything about how the dogs interact with their humans.

You might have missed this post, Sas (refer under). I agree that leadership is a very necessary component in this situation.

I think this is more of an issue then just because my girl came into season.. The boys have had a few fights before my girls where here but they were not as intense. One is 13 years old and he is a cranky old thing (terrier x) and the other is just over 12 months (maltese x) and he is nasty.. At times when he doesn't want to be picked up he will growl at anyone who goes to pick him up and my niece who owns him sometimes has to usher him into the bathroom (where he sleeps at night) because if he doesn't want to do it he will growl and he does try and bite if you go to pick him up.

Edited April 18, 2010 by Erny