# Aggression towards 5 month intact male



## Henning (Jun 26, 2013)

Hi all,

August is now 5 months and intact (I intend to keep him that way for the foreseeable future). We take regular off-leash walks to a park and dam nearby for training and socializing etc. 

In the last week other dogs have suddenly become aggressive and dominant towards him, one even bit him on the muzzle. As far as I can see all the aggressiveness has been unprovoked. Some of the dogs in yards on the way to the park can't even see him yet when they start barking and freaking out.

He goes to daycare while I am at work and the lady there says he is the most affectionate and loving dog there, no signs of aggressiveness from him at all. 

Is this normal and can I do something to stop this?

*EDIT* 
Not all dogs are aggressive towards him, I'm not sure if it is just other males nor whether they are intact or not.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

It's their problem, whenever other dogs are less than friendly toward my dog I sometimes let them sort it out. But, more of often, depending on severity, I choose to keep moving and away from the problem (sometimes owner ignorance/incomparability, also) 

Constantly frequenting the same place at the same time of the day, may give rise to some territorial disputes, IMO. 
We alternate places almost daily. 

Socialization, the way I see it is not just about meeting other dogs. It is having the dog calm and under control, focused on me in a given environment.


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## Watson (Sep 17, 2012)

We dealt with this too when ours was young (5-8 months). I agree with datacan that it's their problem, but would also remove my dog from the situation. I wouldn't let him sort it out at that age, but also wouldn't make a huge deal of it. I've had to shoo other dogs away from my pup and casually walk away from the situation. I saw it as unstable dogs picking on my little puppy who was still learning the rules. Ours is 14 months now and still intact. He can spot a "mean" dog from far away and doesn't even bother with them.


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## Henning (Jun 26, 2013)

Thank you both for the feedback. 

Personally I just want to bark at the owners to keep their dogs in check (pun intended!) but we can't effectively handle difficult situations like that by losing our heads. Unfortunately :

I will just be smart in choosing who he plays with, I am also beginning to identify when the other dog/owner is a potential problem or whether they are just playing rough.

Henning & August


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## esslevy (Mar 23, 2013)

I have an intact 9month old. Our vet, who was actually a proponent of keeping him intact, did warn us that an unaltered male will be target of aggressive behavior from other dogs (whether those other dogs are intact or not). His explanation was that they will scent that he's unaltered and view him as a threat as he's giving off more testosterone or what ever pheromones they put out so will try to dominate him on meeting regardless of my dog's temperament. 

With my dog's regular buddies there is no issue, but occasionally he'll be among other unknown dogs in a public place and it does seem that some make a bee line to single him out for what seems to me like aggressive "play". Initially my dog will be receptive (he's still young after all and happy to play), but the play will sometimes quickly escalate and mine will try to escape. This is the only time I've seen my dog back into me and bare teeth at another dog.


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