Your dog will reach sexual maturity around 5-12 months of age. During this time, you may notice a change in his behaviour! Follow the tips below to help manage your intact male dog:
Seperation
- If you have an intact female dog at home, try and keep the two dogs separated to avoid mating
- Use kennels, other rooms, or a garage to keep the dogs seperated
Control
- Keep your dog indoors or on a leash if outside
- Prevent free roaming by building a fence around your property
- Avoid dog parks, dog classes, or other highly populated dog areas
Behaviour
- Watch for certain behaviours intact male dogs may display such as:
- flirty ears
- licking
- pawing
- nose poking
- If you see these behaviours you may be able to intervene quicker and potentially stop your dog from mounting a female dog
Protection
- Half-body wraps can be used to cover your dogs genitals
- This will stop your dog form being able to mount a female dog, but separation of females and males is still the best course of action
Training
- Urine marking: try redirecting or distracting your dog as soon as you see him sniffing or about to mark indoors (clap, shake keys, etc)
- Clean previously marked areas with enzymatic cleaners to avoid repeat marking
- Aggression: try distraction techniques (use of treats or commands to distract from the situation)
- Allow socialization with neutered or spayed dogs
Neutering
- Book your pet in to be neutered by a licensed veterinarian when possible
- Keep an eye out for NECO clinics that may be coming to your area!
Additional Resources:
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For more information on managing intact male dogs, visit these ASPCA websites:
https://www.aspcapro.org/resource/behavior-tips-intact-male-dogs
https://www.aspcapro.org/sites/default/files/behavior-2020-intact-male-dog.pdf