How can I reduce my dog's reactivity towards other entire males?

Sorry to cause any concern, and it’s very kind of you to warn everyone about my skills. I know a few people on here have a bit of an issue with dog trainers, but that’s fine. Obviously, the main issue is linked to females being in season. That said, when you're out and about, dogs don't exactly wear signs telling you whether they’re in season or not, and I could tell you plenty of stories where two intact males have fought over Aby, even though she was spayed 11 years ago. We’re all entitled to our own views on neutering, but in my humble opinion, having a male dog neutered does get rid of a fair few behavioural issues.

I think it’s a shame to suggest that the person solved the issue solely through neutering.

On the contrary, she explains that it wasn’t just the castration that fixed the reactivity; she worked with a dog trainer and put in a lot of hard work herself over time.

The subject is always a bit of a minefield and, like many things, I’m always surprised by how dogmatic people can be about it.

Of course, neutering won’t get rid of aggression in some dogs, but it’s quite a leap to suggest that two entire males won’t show more aggression when there are females around.

It’s lovely of you to pop back and give us an update, thanks!

You’ve mentioned Neels' behaviour, but have you noticed any difference in how other males (especially entire ones) are acting towards your dog?

People often talk about the impact of neutering on the dog itself (with the much-debated idea that it might reduce aggression), but we rarely hear about how it affects the way other dogs perceive him.

And yet, in my experience, that’s actually where the main effect lies.

I live with three males, all neutered. Because they’ve been "done", they very rarely get hassled by other males.

It was particularly striking with my Poodle, as I left him entire until he was a year old. As soon as he hit puberty, other males started attacking him for no reason at all (a bit like Neels lunging at an entire male during agility classes just because he "smells too much like a male"). Neutering him (chemical at first, now surgical) drastically reduced these types of situations and allowed him to regain his confidence around other dogs.

Honestly, I think neutering is almost essential for sorting out these male-on-male aggression issues. It’s not enough on its own, obviously; once a dog has picked up bad habits or had bad experiences ingrained, there’s always a fair bit of retraining and desensitisation work to do—which is even longer and harder if the situation has been left to fester. But it helps, I think, if only by changing how other dogs perceive him. Because trying to retrain an entire male when his very scent can trigger hostility in others... well, I think that can turn out to be quite a challenge.

Quite the adventure! ^^

Regarding the market, he was probably already on edge (the crowds, the noise…) and the dog under the stall must have been the final straw. As a result, he wasn't in the mood to sniff other dogs at all. Perhaps try moving away to a quiet spot so he can calm down next time?

As for the beach, you did the right thing by distracting Neels from what looked like a very tense situation (if you’d tried to grab him, it likely would have triggered him). However, he was clearly still stressed when it came to putting his lead back on—being restricted by a lead often makes dogs more nervous and prone to reactivity.

About the local dog: putting a head or paws on another dog's back can be taken very badly in dog language, which explains Neels' reaction.

And he seems to like the female! ^^ Mounting can happen regardless of gender; it’s not necessarily sexual (especially as they’ve been neutered ^^), it can just be down to play or over-excitement…

Right, I’m carrying on with my progress log.

We’ve been away on holiday and Neels experienced loads of new things:

- the beach

- the sea and what happens when you drink a bit too much of it...

- canoeing

- wild camping out in the sticks

- paddleboarding

- night markets

- sitting out at pubs and cafés

-...

Overall, everything went well, but there were a couple of times where Neels kicked off, and I wanted to share those with you:

1/ At the market, in a really crowded area, there was a big dog hidden under a stall that startled him (I don’t know if it was a dog or a *****). Neels was scared at first (he jumped), but then he went for it! So, he didn’t exactly "react" out of the blue, but he responded quite aggressively. After that, he barked at every dog we passed in the market, whereas before that incident, he would just pull towards them.

2/ On the beach, we met a Great Dane; Neels was off-lead and so was the other dog. The Great Dane went stiff and so did Neels, but he didn't dare do anything. However, his tail was right up in the air and his ears were alert. I encouraged him to keep moving to get out of what felt like a bit of a dodgy situation, and he followed me. Once we’d passed the Great Dane, I put Neels on his lead because we were coming up to an area where they have to be kept on-lead, and then—bang—he reacted, even though the Great Dane was already further away and completely out of reach. He only kicked off for about 3 seconds...

3/ Back in our own neighbourhood, out for a walk in our usual spot, and we bumped into another entire male Aussie. Neels was off-lead and the other one was on a long lead. I let them have a sniff to see how it went while staying alert. The meeting seemed a bit tense, so I didn't hang about; I kept moving and called Neels to come with me. The other Shepherd, who didn't seem dominant, rested his head on Neels’ back and that’s when Neels lost it. The other dog moved off and Neels chased after him, but surprisingly, my recall worked first time.

Another thing I found surprising: we spent a fortnight with some friends who also have a female Aussie. She’s spayed and eight months older than him, but smaller and slighter, and she completely dominated him. She was mounting him—yes, actually humping him as if they were both unneutered and the roles were reversed—and Neels didn’t bat an eyelid.

As always, your comments are very welcome.