Castration and behaviour issue

Sealine

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Hi

I have a two and half year old entire male GSD. He is a lovely boy with not an ounce of aggression in him but we have one problem. My friend has a castrated springer which apparently smells like a bitch in season. My dog will not leave him alone and tries to hump him constantly. This is the only dog he has ever demonstrated this behaviour towards. He isn't the first dog to do this to the springer who has had the same problem with other dogs in the past.

My friend also has two other dogs (staffie and a pom) both spayed bitches which my dog isn't interested in but we have to keep the two males apart. I have seen my dog mounting other dogs before when they are visiting our house but what I have seen before appears to me more a playful type of dominance behaviour and not sexual. With the springer it is different and mine gets a real grip on the him and pins him down.

My question is, am I right to assume if I get my dog castrated it will stop the behaviour? If so will the behaviour stop immediately or do hormones take time to settle down. It would be so nice to be able to visit my friend and walk our dogs together.

Thanks for reading this far. :)
 
Castrating will not necessarily stop it, all it will definitely do will remove two items under his tail - training him that it's rude and absolutely not OK will be much more successful!!

It might help but you def need to marry it with training.
 
ALL my Collie dogs have ALWAYS viewed other castrated males as they might the village bike.

Castrating dogs all so often, and contrary to the veterinary advice offered, doesn't make one iota of difference to the castratee's behaviour.

Alec.
 
Thanks for your replies that's very useful.

My friend was told by the trainer at gun dog class to either spray the springer with spray used to mask smell of a bitch in season when they dogs are together or castrate mine. I don't have any objection to having mine castrated but wanted to hear others thoughts. I'm not convinced the spray will work for any period of time.

I completely agree CC training is best option but the circumstances don't make it easy. If my friend was local or it was any dog it would be easier but my friend lives a couple of hours drive away. I'm planning to stay with my friend for Christmas but it's probably not the right time/environment to address the issue with lots of people around and lots going on. It could get a bit stressful.
 
Castrating will not necessarily stop it, all it will definitely do will remove two items under his tail - training him that it's rude and absolutely not OK will be much more successful!!

It might help but you def need to marry it with training.
Couldn't agree more. Regardless of any hormones and smells involved, training is needed. No guarantees with castration.
 
Has he been crated before? I'd keep him in a crate (seeing as it's someone else's house) or keep him in the car or a separate room to the springer and allow them out separately. Done it before in a friend's house and it's not that difficult to do.
Or if they have to be in the room together, be prepared to use yourself as a barrier to the other dog, keep a line on your dog, make sure there is a physical way of preventing your dog from humping the springer. Just do not allow it to happen the same as you would not allow one kid to thump another.
 
No CC I don't think he has been crated before, at least not by us but we aren't his first home.

In a previous visit to my friend we kept the dogs in separate rooms and only let them out supervised and I kept mine on a lead out walking. The behaviour was prevented but it didn't make for a relaxing visit.
 
Don’t know if anyone on here advocates it or not but my friend’s young Malinois has been completely transformed by chemical castration (implant one), he was humping and showing a tendency towards aggression as his hormones kicked in. The jab one is very short term and may be worth trying but there are pros and cons so you would need to research fully. At circa 30 quid it's an option.
 
I read an article somewhere which said early neutering does predispose the dog to being attractive to other dogs, I cant link it as I forget where I read it but thought at the time that was interesting. All my dogs have been neutered, but late so they had time to mature and Ive never had a problem with other entire dogs trying to hump them. It wouldnt have been a good idea given their breed as they would have taken a very strong exception to this. They have always regularly mixed with entire dogs belonging to shooting friends who have on occasions tried to hump each other(the dogs that is lol)

I must admit the pluses for neutering is what swayed me, they dont mark, they dont stray after in season bitches and they are less likely to be stolen for breeding.
 
I have never noticed heightened humping by entire males to neutered males and I deal with a lot seen as we are constantly getting entire dogs in (all end up neutered) apart from Labradors, all dogs seem to want to bonk Labrador dogs be they entire or not, I agree with CC, its best if you stop the behaviour and let him know its not acceptable and wont be tolerated or if you want to try the castrate methods then as suggested try a chemical one via injection, sometimes they work sometimes not.
Infact interestingly I board an ENTIRE springer spaniel and all dogs try to hump him, to the point if I let them out to the toilet I keep him separate, if im there the other dogs get scolded if im not I separate as I hate dogs humping each other, and his owners also say it the same on walks, he is a target for serial humpers and he is ENTIRE, so it obs happens the other way too, maybe its just a certain alluring smell.
 
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