# Male Dog-To-Dog Aggression



## Rneshxo (Jul 3, 2015)

I have a year and 5 month old golden retriever. He is well trained, knows over a dozen commands, walks off leash politely, comes when called, loves people, children and puppies. But recently about a week ago he started getting dog aggressive, or dominant, with other dogs. I've seen it only really happen to other male dogs and as far as I can tell they are also intact males. Charlie is not neutered and I didn't plan on neutering him as we have a golden female who is also akc purebred. This sudden behavior has caught me off guard as Charlie was always friendly to any dog, I've been socializing him since he was 9 weeks old. He goes everywhere with me. If anything submissive. He would sometimes roll over and pee whenever other dogs at the dog park come to sniff him. Either runs away from dog fights or starts barking like trying to break up a fight but never jumped into one. Now he challenges other male dogs, walks around the dog park with head and tail up, constantly pees, (maybe marking??) and yesterday got into a full on teeth to neck fight with an intact male. It breaks my heart because we would go hiking, the lake, and for walks on and off leash and now I feel like I can't take him anywhere totally having anxiety. Has anybody else come across this??? Any help or advice would be appreciated!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Click it. 

A lot of the time this kind of behavior starts out very small - just the dog posturing. What you may see at this point is the head going up and the dog raising the hackles while doing a hard stare at the other dog. That is the point where I would check my dog, put a leash back on, and distract him from focusing on the other dog. 

Once a dog has gone to the next step which is charging the other dog or in other ways fully challenging the dog.... to the point where the other dog responds by attacking back... you are dealing with an escalated pattern of behavior with your dog who pretty much thinks he's out to take care of himself and manage all threats. 

A lot of the aggression stuff that you see with dogs (regardless of sex) is based on the dog seeing other dogs as threats or not. And you have very young dogs as well who do not always communicate well with other dogs. 

Sometimes when you have dogs meeting each other - you will have dogs staring each other down and posturing until they sort out the hierarchy between each other. If the dogs do not communicate very well and or they are "full of it" the subtle posturing escalates until whatever point one of the dogs backs down. 

The frustrating thing about dog parks and other places where people turn dogs loose together is the assumption is all dogs are like little toddlers in the playground and just want to play. 

Problem is these dogs are animals and even as domesticated pets who generally are bred to be social, you still have the hard wiring which leads to the dogs sorting each other out depending on where they are on the social scale of things. 

The genetics and breeding (purpose, etc) behind a dog also plays a role. Our collie, for example, was bullied at the rescue where we adopted him. Collies are gentle dogs and very sweet tempered with their owners and other dogs, but still have a control freak side to them. A lot of this is staring down other dogs and keeping them in order. Which either leads to scuffles when multiple dogs are trying to control each other (lol) and or they generally get attacked because they are staring down and challenging a more dominant dog. 

Anyhoo. All babbling aside - once your dog has shown it will attack other dogs and or it is constantly getting attacked because he doesn't communicate very well with others.... it's time to stop turning your dog loose with other dogs. You can still let him off leash for hikes and swimming - but you must have a good recall and click the leash back on the instant you see any other dogs in the area.


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## Rneshxo (Jul 3, 2015)

I've been hearing to get him neutered. Do you think it is possible that is why he is acting this way??


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Rneshxo said:


> I've been hearing to get him neutered. Do you think it is possible that is why he is acting this way??


I think the hormones probably have a big role with the dogs starting this pattern of behavior around other dogs... particularly if he was the dog doing the initial challenging and attack on the other dog. But I don't buy it that neutering him will make him an all new dog who can be turned out with any other dog without repercussions. Keep in mind he's already been in a dog fight and might not trust other dogs enough to think twice when he feels threatened. 

*** I made no comment before, but there are a lot more things besides AKC paperwork to sort out before breeding a dog to any other dog. Temperament is one issue - and if your dog has attacked other dogs, he should not be bred and should not even be considered. Other things that need to be sorted out are health clearances (meaning you have to pay to have both dogs hips and elbows cleared via OFA, get their hearts checked with cardiologists and have that OFA clearance, and get their eyes checked every year at a specialist who will do the OFA's for you).... and then beyond that is you need more reason to breed these dogs together than just them being the opposite sex and the same breed. A lot of dogs are great pets, but don't have enough qualities to overcome the faults they have... and in addition to that, there might not be anything known of their pedigrees, which compounds the health concerns as far as bettering the breed and doing your part to responsibly breed.


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## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

Rneshxo said:


> I've been hearing to get him neutered. Do you think it is possible that is why he is acting this way??


Neutering, imo, won't do anything to correct or prevent this from happening. My Bear is neutered and he can get testy with male dogs (intact or not).


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

Neutering can have a big positive impact on male to male aggression. I agree with neutering him before he practices/ rehearses this behavior and sets it in stone. In all the goldens with whom I have shared my life- 16 since childhood, 10 all my own, I've only had one dog aggressive one. All the others, including my kind diplomatic intact male, are very gentle with all living things. My one male dog who was intolerant of other intact males improved immensely when he was "tutored" at 27 months, but he is not bombproof and tolerant like the others even so.


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## Elsa (Sep 10, 2013)

He's reaching maturity and living with an intact female, maybe he's now seeing other males as competition? Is your bitch due in season by any chance? (He'll know before you do)

Elsa x


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## lloyddobler (Nov 30, 2014)

I don't have any advice, but wanted to share that my 9 1/2 month intact golden boy has recently demonstrated some aggression specifically towards boxers. He also had an experience today where we were swimming at the beach and another golden came up to him. The sniffed and it seemed like it was a little prolonged... as soon as I went in to break it up, the other dog pinned mine on the ground and mine was squealing. The other owner apologized and asked if mine was still intact. She said her golden is intact and often reacts that way to other intact males. 

I'm trying to figure it out and am hoping that I notice a difference once my boy is neutered. He was always a joy to bring places and everyone commented on how friendly he is/was. He always gets down low for little dogs and greets them at their level and rolls over and lets them sniff him. So, this recent behavior change and odd reaction from other dogs is extremely concerning for me.

I live in a city environment and don't have a yard, so I am hopeful that I will be able to bring him to off leash areas once he is neutered and take him on hikes, etc. Right now I don't feel it would be safe and that makes me very sad.

So, I understand where you are coming from and look forward to reading answers from others who have been there.

Did anyone notice a shift once your pup was neutered in terms of how they interact and are received by other dogs?


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## lloyddobler (Nov 30, 2014)

I don't have any advice, but wanted to share that my 9 1/2 month intact golden boy has recently demonstrated some aggression specifically towards boxers. He also had an experience today where we were swimming at the beach and another golden came up to him. The sniffed and it seemed like it was a little prolonged... as soon as I went in to break it up, the other dog pinned mine on the ground and mine was squealing. The other owner apologized and asked if mine was still intact. She said her golden is intact and often reacts that way to other intact males. 

I'm trying to figure it out and am hoping that I notice a difference once my boy is neutered. He was always a joy to bring places and everyone commented on how friendly he is/was. He always gets down low for little dogs and greets them at their level and rolls over and lets them sniff him. So, this recent behavior change and odd reaction from other dogs is extremely concerning for me.

I live in a city environment and don't have a yard, so I am hopeful that I will be able to bring him to off leash areas once he is neutered and take him on hikes, etc. Right now I don't feel it would be safe and that makes me very sad.

So, I understand where you are coming from and look forward to reading answers from others who have been there.

Did anyone notice a shift once your pup was neutered in terms of how they interact and are received by other dogs?


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## Rneshxo (Jul 3, 2015)

lloyddobler said:


> I don't have any advice, but wanted to share that my 9 1/2 month intact golden boy has recently demonstrated some aggression specifically towards boxers. He also had an experience today where we were swimming at the beach and another golden came up to him. The sniffed and it seemed like it was a little prolonged... as soon as I went in to break it up, the other dog pinned mine on the ground and mine was squealing. The other owner apologized and asked if mine was still intact. She said her golden is intact and often reacts that way to other intact males.
> 
> I'm trying to figure it out and am hoping that I notice a difference once my boy is neutered. He was always a joy to bring places and everyone commented on how friendly he is/was. He always gets down low for little dogs and greets them at their level and rolls over and lets them sniff him. So, this recent behavior change and odd reaction from other dogs is extremely concerning for me.
> 
> ...


When is your golden due to be neutered?? Both my goldens show aggression toward boxers as both of them have been attacked by them and every boxer we meet starts a confrontation so I understand that. I am not sure if it is a neutering is a solution or a thyroid problem, maybe medication will mellow him out(though I don't know how I feel about drugging my doggie up) or something I'm doing on my part? But I've acted the same as I always do when taking him out. So hopefully we get some answers soon!


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## Rneshxo (Jul 3, 2015)

Elsa said:


> He's reaching maturity and living with an intact female, maybe he's now seeing other males as competition? Is your bitch due in season by any chance? (He'll know before you do)
> 
> Elsa x


She should be due in a few months but he has started licking her so we're going to get her checked as well! That is also a possibility. She is also my sisters dog so unfortunately I can only speak for Charlie in terms of neutering as she wishes to leave Bella intact.


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## lloyddobler (Nov 30, 2014)

I wanted to wait to get Lloyd neutered around 14 - 15 months as I understand their growth plates are usually closed by then. But, it there is a chance neutering earlier would be better for him so as to avoid ingraining aggressive behavior and having to restrict the places we can go and things we can do for the rest of his life, I'd rather move forward now.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

At his age it is hormones, young adult male feeling his oats. Don't give him opportunities to practice bullying other dogs, that may mean no more dog park. You should also give some serious thought to whether this is a temperament you really want to reproduce. Breeding two dogs is a lot more involved than just having a male and female. You are responsible for what you produce.


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## LUCKYme (Mar 29, 2015)

Here is my two cents... I am a FIRM believer that only the best of the best should be bred. And what I mean by that is overall exceptional behavior, anatomy, and health. I am by no means saying your dog is not a great companion but by showing aggression toward other dogs... I would consider getting him neutered. With that being said... being neutered will not fix the issue but it may help to make the aggression more manageable. Secondly, my neutered male became dog aggressive around the same age. From this point forward I would not trust him off leash.


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## Coopsmom (Jan 13, 2015)

Rneshxo said:


> . .....*Charlie is not neutered and I didn't plan on neutering him as we have a golden female who is also akc purebred.* .... Has anybody else come across this??? Any help or advice would be appreciated!


Others are offering excellent guidance about the behavior issues. Because you asked for advice, I am suggesting that you please not consider getting involved in breeding until you thoroughly research it, understand the importance of clearances, etc. Simply breeding because a golden is purebred is contributing (i think) to some of the problems we have with the breed. Best of luck with Charlie!!


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## Rneshxo (Jul 3, 2015)

i have gotten Charlie evaluated by a dog behaviorist and he is not aggressive. Whew! It is dominance. As aggression usually is general and aggressive dogs go for the bite without hesitation. Charlie is showing dominance. I'm sure that is normal with his age as he is not the only one. Dominance is easier to handle than aggression. With that being said, both our dogs are the all around typical golden retrievers with the expectation of his testosterone surging. We know what comes with breeding dogs and the responsibilities it entails and weren't going to breed them until Charlie was a bit older but if neutering him will tone this dominance down then that is what needs to be done. Doing what's best for the dog comes before deciding to breed them. With that also being said, we are going to get him medically evaluated as well and do some training before neutering, as a last resort. thanks everybody for your advice! It's given me different perspective to consider


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