Dominant male - Balls off?

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FestiveBoomBoom

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Feeling really down, don't know what to do for the best.

I have a 3 yr old entire male Lab that is used as a stud dog. He has always been the dominant sort with other males (fine with bitches) and has never shown any hint of aggression but I fear we may be on a bit of a slippery slope.

I never let him run up to another dog on walks, however if we are out and another dog approaches us, he will display very dominant body language and will try to mount the other dog. If it's a bitch he is happy as larry, waggy waggy no problems. However the past few days he has started growling at other dogs. Tonight we met a young male lab, just neutered. I stopped and started chatting with the owners and this young lab desperately wanted to play with my boy but mine got SO dominant, started chest barging him, growled at him a few times and then started humping him non stop. A couple of months ago this wouldn't have happened.The other dog quite rightfully got really peed off with this so growled at mine and he backed down, I then dragged mine away.

I'm now in a situation where I am seriously considering having his balls off to try and curb this behavior but have I left it too late? Will he always be like this? His Mum is a dominant bitch so I do think some of it is just down to his personality but surely it's made worse by the fact that he is entire? I don't want to put him through an op if it's going to make no difference. I'm getting to the stage where I dread running into other dogs on walks for fear of how mine will behave and how they might react. Advice would be appreciated on this one, many thanks!
 
What are you doing, when this happens?
I would not even let it get to the stage where he is humping if the behaviour is starting off, obviously dominant, you need to step in when you see the warning signs, not when he is in full flow - too late.

At three he is mature now and to be honest as well as the neutering, you may have to put in a lot of training as well to curb this.
He needs to be on a lead until this is sorted.

Also, if his mother is dominant, this will have been a factor. People go on about the influence of the sire all the time, but it is the dam who raises the pups and her genetic and nurturing influence is just as strong, if not stronger, and people (not talking about you specifically) need to bear this in mind if they consider mating a nervous, aggressive or dominant female.


BTW, hope he is hip and elbow scored with low scores, if he is being used as a stud dog :)
 
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Hiya thanks for the reply

His hips and elbows were both 0/0 which I was over the moon about! He is a great gundog, has a fab temperament but there is just this one blip.
You're right, he does need to spend more time on the lead though. If another dog runs up to us on a walk I'll usually try and assess it quickly to determine whether I think it's friendly enough to say hello! Sometimes it works and all is well and sometimes it doesn't like tonight. Tonight I was really embarrased, apologised to the owners, dragged him off the other dog and told him off. I think what I worry more about is other dogs running up to us and what situation might unfold. I can pretty much always keep him in check and I'm constantly looking out for other dogs but unfortunately there are quite a lot of numpty dog owners round here that will quite happily let their dog come bounding up regardless if yours is on a lead!

I have been thinking recently should I even be using him as a stud dog if he is overly dominant? Maybe not however good his hips,eyes,elbows,working ability is :(
 
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Also CC any training tips for dominance? Currently if he spies another dog and gets fixated I try and turn his attention away with treats, this pretty much always works! But will I ever be able to train this immediate 'tunnel vision' reaction out of him? If so, how do I go about it? I just want him to ignore other dogs and not grow several inches in height giving it 'i'm the big man' when he sees one!
 
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I wouldn't say that, if everything else is tip-top and he has never shown aggressive or dominant behaviour in the past - I am not to sure of your sport but in mine, the males and females both need to be a bit cocksure to do what they do, not aggressive but certainly full of themselves! It's just a matter of controlling and chanelling it, which you've not had to do before with this dog.
If he is a quality dog, a good producer and puppy buyers have not complained thus far then I wouldn't feel too guilty.

It's just a matter really of keeping an eye on him and looking at the warning signs, my boy is neutered but he still has his moments - for instance the moment I see the hackles go up or the tail start to fly, even if his ears go forward and he gets a certain look in his eye, then nope, fun times are over, you're outta here, and when he starts to calm and focus on me, he gets a reward.

If you're anything like I was, your tension and fear will filter through to the dog, put pressure on him and he will be even more likely to explode - try to remain calm and think 'oh well, it's just another dog' when you do see one.

If he does get fixated, don't be afraid to apply a little pressure/compulsion when you see those warning signs, be that a sharp vocal command or a lead check (obvs a check/half check/slip lead/slip collar will be more effective in those circumstances) and when focus returns to you, reward, he's a big fella, I'm sure he can cope if you have to go 'tough mammy' on him!
But make sure you check at the point of him starting to fixate - any pressure after he has already started to misbehave will reinforce that misbehaviour and hype him up more.
 
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Thanks for your advice. I definitely tense up now, which even my husband pointed out the other night saying oooh don't do that it'll only make him worse!

With your boy, when you see the warning signs and it's game over, what exactly do you do to get his attention back on you? I'm at my worst when another dog comes running up to us, we've had 2 dogs have a go at us in the last couple of weeks, totally unprovoked, my dog was on a lead they just came charging up and went for him so maybe some of this current behaviour is him on the defensive, I tense up and it escalates. If another dog approaches us and he starts to get dominant should I just turn and walk the other way? Or stop dead, ignore the other dog and tempt him with treats? I'm pretty sure if another dog was that close to us treats prob wouldn't work actually, he'd be too desperate to get to it

I do need to work on my timing as well. If we are out walking in the field and there is another dog on the other side and mine is off l, if my timing is on and I call him back he is fab and comes back BUT if I'm off, he'll leg it with me hollering after him which again no doubt escalates the situation!

Urgh sorry for all the Q's
 
No worries and please bear in mind these are only ideas, someone on here or a pro trainer might have different ideas which might work better for you and your dog as individuals.

The fact that two other dogs have had a go at him would certainly be a factor.

I find applying a lead check if he gets looky, walking either away or past is better than stopping dead, simultaneously, if I have to, I will act like a bit of a plonker, run, skip, whistle, sing, do ANYTHING to get him watching me.

If he is calm and the other dog seems OK then sure, he can have a sniff and a hello.

If a dog charges up to us, because my dog is actually a bit insecure, I will stand in front of him a little and tell him it is OK.

I think the thing to change first is your outlook, with the best will in the world you sound a bit nervous and scared of his reaction - change your attitude to 'it's going to be fine, he's a dog, he's not in charge, I won't tolerate any nonsense' the bigger a deal we make of these things, the bigger a deal they become :)
 
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It does sound like he is being a little defensive and rightly so if other dogs are barging right up to him inc the dog that was initiating play, do u think he possibly would have ignored had it not pestered 1st? as suggested I would be going about it in a firm manor and you certainly need to remain firm and calm (use the correct training impliment in the correct hand) a good leather training lead, dog on left lead in right hand, a check (check chain) make sure loop is running theright way, a check would be fine for his type, a sharp check and move right on out of there no lingering about and giving him time to think of his next move, it should be over with in minimal time with minimal grapple, then treat for focus once he focuses back on you.
Only stand to talk when there are other dogs around that are no so in your face, as a positive reinforcer and offer treats for focus, but where another dog in not under control then the situation will exculate and he will retaliate when other dogs are being OTT in his face.
 
I have stopped tensing when I see another dog by singing, so can vouch for that working.... Dex thinks Im nuts
 
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