breanna89 Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 Hey everyone :) I have a 3 year old alaskan malamute called Mello, who is a gorgeous boy and normally a really well behaved dog..But lately, probably the last week or so he has been acting crazy! Barking and whining constantly, hasn't been eating much, when inside he just stares out the window..and the other day he actually barged through the fly wire front door, ripping a hole in the flywire and started to run away!(its an old door so no metal, just soft flywire so not much damage done to him thank god!) luckily when we called him he came back. He just seems really preoccupied.. the only reason for his behavior that I can come up with is that one of the dogs in the street is on heat! I have booked an appt with the vet next week to look into neutering him - which is something I probably should have done a long time ago! Do you think his behaviour sounds like there is a female on heat around our area? And is there anything I can do for him in the meantime before we go to the vets? He is just so stressed and it's really hard to see him like that.. poor boy Any advice would be appreciated! thanks, Breanna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyBlue Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 Someone else on here would be able to offer better advice Im sure, but my understanding is that it takes a few weeks for the hormones (and sperm count?) to die down after neutering. So it probably won't help this time anyway. I don't know how quickly acting the hormone implant would be but doubt it would be any quicker. A typical heat cycle is about three weeks I believe. You are probably best to make sure he can't get to her and wait it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 It sounds like there is a girl in season somewhere close by. Just make sure he cannot escape because some dogs will do amazing things like ripping wooden gates off their hinges or eating through fencing to get to a girl. By the time you see the vet the girl is likely to be out of season but if he is going to carry on like this in future then neutering might be for the best. A lot of males are no trouble at all, some whine and go off their food for a few days to a couple of weeks but the odd one gets really agitated over the whole thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyeopener Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 Sounds quite typical of male behavour when bitches are in season around them. Be careful they can n will eat through walls n doors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimax Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 If you're worried about him getting to her, can you get a belly band on him to stop him actually doing anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyeopener Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 If you're worried about him getting to her, can you get a belly band on him to stop him actually doing anything? belly bands are as good as useless on larger breeds & I would never use 1 as a prevention to mating. Best thing you can do is crate him when your not supervising him fully & do on leash exercise n walks till the bitch finishs her cycle. Then get dog desexed as desexing now wont help much as it takes 6wks or more for all the hormoune levels to change fully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Sounds like he knows there is a bitch on heat. You could try putting Vicks vapourub on his top lip 3 times a day. He wont be able to smell the girl for the vicks and may give up, but be very careful that he doesn't escape Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 No use crating him if he is not used to it, he may damage himself, rip paws etc trying to get out. He will become Houdini. Desex him now anyway. Vets can give desexed male cats a hormone shot that settles them quicker after the operation. maybe they can give them to dogs too ? Ask. Meanwhile get some Tranquil Paste from a fodder store. This is harmless & can help a lot in settling them but it won't take the drive away. Just calms them somewhat. I use it on my male poodle when the girls are in heat & it works well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breanna89 Posted September 18, 2012 Author Share Posted September 18, 2012 Thanks all for your advice :) I understand that getting him desexed won't stop the behaviour straight away , but by doing that at least this won't happen again in the near future!! I'm a bit apprehensive to try crating him as being so large, and so used to having ALOT of space to run around in I'm worried this will stress him out even more I might try the vicks vapour rub and keep a close eye on him at all times to ensure he is not attempting escaping - our yard is pretty escape proof but you never know..considering he is a very keen digger hehe ;)!! I just hope the female comes off her cycle soon! Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizT Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 The thing too is the bitch in season does not necessarily have to be living close by...they can carry a scent on the breeze quite a way. Do be careful as Malamutes are very good at escaping under any circumstances...this is a huge incentive to go wondering for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MishB Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Do desexed males react to bitches in heat too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyBlue Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Do desexed males react to bitches in heat too? Depends on the dog I guess but my last dog did. He was desexed at 3. I wouldn't say he went over the top like the OPs dog is doing but he certainly was persistent in trying to mount. Recently a guy brought an bitch in season to the local dog park....My desexed female went nuts with the mounting behaviour, very unusual for her. Trying to explain to someone why it was inappropriate to bring his dog to the park when he doesn't speak a word of english...urgh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 If you're worried about him getting to her, can you get a belly band on him to stop him actually doing anything? I don't think a belly band would last long on a large dog who may dig/jump/climb to get out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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