# Young male golden whining and howling



## Gingerkidsmom (Jan 1, 2013)

Sounds to me like there is a female dog in season somewhere close enough for him to smell. Keep him on a leash when you are out, or he may run off to find her. Males are impossible to deal with at this time. Everything you said explains to me what's going on. I forget how long females are in heat for, but I am sure someone with un-spayed females can answer that. Good luck!


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## Tanyac (Jun 18, 2008)

Sounds typical for a dog which can smell a bitch in season nearby. I wouldn't encourage any humping, although understand its not always easy to stop.

Poor boy, he's obviously feeling desperate!!

Agree you should keep him on the lead for the time being unless in a secure space where he can't run off.


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## PACman (Dec 5, 2012)

*Sensitive Nose*

Thanks for the advice. It seems to fit with my thinking too, but he must have a very sensitive nose as he even does these things in a closed house too, and at this time of year with outside temperature around freezing, all the windows are closed up. I wonder if he has too much testosterone and would benefit from neutering, although I have never liked to interfere with the natural way of life and to me it seems unfair to have him neutered just because he is reacting naturally.

He is a very different dog from our previous golden (Kye) who never had any of these issues, and I can only assume it was because Kye never had the same level of testosterone that Kobi has.

Hmmm....so, to Neuter or not to Neuter, that is the question.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*PacMan*

PacMan

Keep a very close eye on him especially when he is out of the house, so he doesn't take off to find the female! That is so dangerous!

In my opinion, neutering and spaying are the way to go. Unless you are going to show a dog, they should be neutered/spayed.


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## PACman (Dec 5, 2012)

Karen519 said:


> PacMan
> 
> Keep a very close eye on him especially when he is out of the house, so he doesn't take off to find the female! That is so dangerous!
> 
> In my opinion, neutering and spaying are the way to go. Unless you are going to show a dog, they should be neutered/spayed.


Assuming I have no intention of breeding from Kobi, are there any negative aspects to neutering, or is it just a win-win situation? I am loath to interfere with the natural course of life, but if Kobi is going to be better off for doing it, then I would definitely do it...just want what is best for Kobi; I'm not worried for myself.

Are there pros and cons, or is it all pros?


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

My dogs are intact, have never done any of that, even around girlies in heat.... but seriously if they exhibited behavior like that - it would drive me NUTS and I'd neuter them in an instant. It's not interupting any natural course of life or anything like that.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

PACman said:


> Assuming I have no intention of breeding from Kobi, are there any negative aspects to neutering, or is it just a win-win situation? I am loath to interfere with the natural course of life, but if Kobi is going to be better off for doing it, then I would definitely do it...just want what is best for Kobi; I'm not worried for myself.
> 
> Are there pros and cons, or is it all pros?


Neutering is a mixed bag for health outcomes. The stat that might interest you most is that neutered dogs do live longer, overall. That may have something to do more than just health, like behavior (less likely to fight or roam) or with the cultural practices that tend to go along with neutering (i.e., people who neuter may correlate with people who give more vet care). So it's hard to tease out exactly why neutered dogs typically live longer and whether you can get some health benefits by waiting.

There's some research out there about how it affects long bone growth and even the rates of certain cancers. There are some concerns about neutering on the early side, but the research is hardly conclusive, so the benefits are minor if they exist at all.

The general consensus is that you can achieve most of the theoretical benefits by waiting until a dog is sexually mature (which Kobi clearly is) and then neutering. That way, you get the benefits of neutering along with the benefits of allowing the dog to develop to maturity with the full suite of hormones.

I consider any age after 6 months to be normal and appropriate for neutering, and the 18-24 month window is where you'd do it if you wanted those theoretical benefits of delaying. With girls, just FYI, you'd typically spay a bit earlier, since the health benefits are much clearer there.

If he were my dog, I'd neuter him soonish.


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## Tanyac (Jun 18, 2008)

He will be able to smell a bitch from a long way off to be honest. Even with doors/windows shut the bitch will be going outside to toilet etc.

I had an entire dog his whole life and now have a castrated one who's 7. Can say it definitely takes away the "desire" and unwanted behaviour, although most dogs will learn to cope with their urges (unless there's a bitch in season nearby). More importantly, what is he like with other intact males? Is he friendly with everyone or does he try to dominate or cause trouble with males?

He's right at the peak of his "manliness" at the moment, and if left unaltered would more than likely learn to temper his reactions.

Nobody can tell you what to do in this situation, as you have to live with him. What's more important is that he is a happy boy who doesn't feel he needs to push other dogs/people around. Only you can make the decision as to what is best for him.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Sounds exactly like how Tito acts when he smells a girl in season!
What amazes me is that he can sniff a girlie, through all the other smells, at a huge all breed dog show in a building that is probably about 50,000 square feet, even though she is on the other side of the building.
Their noses are amazing.


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## Tanyac (Jun 18, 2008)

hotel4dogs said:


> Sounds exactly like how Tito acts when he smells a girl in season!
> What amazes me is that he can sniff a girlie, through all the other smells, at a huge all breed dog show in a building that is probably about 50,000 square feet, even though she is on the other side of the building.
> Their noses are amazing.


Have to agree!!

My previous male once ran to the other side of a 450 acre airfield to a lady walking her in season bitch. He must have been a mile away (small dog on the horizon). Not an ideal situation as the lady was not best pleased. Thankfully my dog came back eventually with no harm done.

This incident helped me realise just how helpless the boys are to their hormones! As the owner of entire bitches now, I always give the "heads up" if meeting an entire dog when one of the girls is not long out of a season, just in case they lose control. 

Basically, if you can't bear that your male is humping, chasing after all the girls or you find it inconvenient having to keep your girls out of general population for several weeks at a time, then spay/neuter is probably the right option for you


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