Need some advice! aggression/dominance problem

hi all,

Really need some advice on what to do. i have 18month old male rr and 6 month old female rr. We think she is coming into her first season but have not noticed any bleeding yet so think shes not quite there yet. (Once she does she is going to stay with my nan.) For 2 weeks or so my male just hasnt been himself. He growls at myself and my husband if we go to stroke him. If we tell him to do something and he doesnt want to he growls. He isnt really eating much but i did mangage to get him to have something today with some wet food. (he usually just has dry)

Took him to park today to meet a friend with her dog and they just got into a big scrap. Neither was hurt but they couldnt be around each other. Neither dog is neutured. (my bitch isnt spayed yet either)

Is this just going to be a faze and he be ok after her season? or do you think this will continue?

Has anyone ever had problems like this? Any advice would be great.

My male is still very obedient in the house and both dogs do listen, its making me really confused about whats going on as sometimes hes great and then others he isnt

might be wrong, but seasons can start a few days before blood is evident. is she swollen?

have you had him vet check?

he was in the vets recently over somethin else and was checked out then. all ok so i know its not health issue.

maybe is should seperate them now then?

did the vet check for thyroid, arthritis, pain centres, faculty function?

coinciding with her season seems like a good bet.
was she with you when he had a scrap with the other unneutered male?

Am not too sure on this but if it is because she is coming into season then i have all that 2 go through, as i have a bitch and a male, bitch not had 1st season yet as 10 weeks, but my male is neutered so not sure if that makes a difference.
Please keep us informed of there progress though.
Hope he gets better soon.

Sarah

yeah she was there too.

Hi Gadge bitches can secrete hormone in their urine some days before they come into season so other dogs can be aware of a coming event long before we are .

I am not convinced your bitch coming into season is solely the cause of the problem here. Sudden changes in behaviour should never be ignored, I would not rule out a health problem/pain of some kind and would want the dog checked over by a vet.

For now I would call your dog to you to be fussed rather than going to him. What are you asking him to do that he is not happy with?

hi
as everyone says about the season also,your lad is becoming a 'grown up' at 18months - 2years testostorone levels rise as he becomes a mature male this is when he starts testing his boundries its not going to be helped much if your bitch comes in to season as well(sorry) if for whatever reason you didnt want to castrate him you may want to consider the new hormone implant,it lasts 6months and may help him through this phase

sorry me again
do you pat/stroke him on the head? this is quite an intimidating thing to do ,more so if you are standing up/over him at the time.if he is feeling unsure of himself because of his hormones it doesnt suprise me if he may growl.(im not saying its right for him to growl)just my take on the information.

If you are unsure of your dog you can keep a short lead on him in the house so you don`t have to risk your fingers.
Good advice above.
Your dog is a maturing male with an unspayed bitch confusing things further. Guarding `his` bitch and seeing off rival males is a totally normal behaviour for him. You can have him neutered, but it can take 6 months for the hormones to settle so you`ll still have a problem in the meantime.
If I were you I`d walk the dogs separately and do a lot of positive training with your dog. Joining a training club will help as he will learn manners around other dogs.