Best Mate Attacks After Jesse Is Neutered

[Aleksandra 157]

Jesse (my 13month rough collie) was neutered 3weeks ago.His best mate ,Teddy,my sisters standard poodle and he are only 2weeks apart in age and have loved playing together since small puppies.Sunday we were all at a car show,big day for Jesse as he's still quite timid and there were a lot of people.He behaved really well,no reactivity,So pleased about that!We were all shocked when we met.Teddy (until tomorrow,unneutered )and he lunged,snarled and started to attack Jesse.Fortunately they were on short leads and no physical harm was done.Teddy was put in the car and remained head down and seemed to realize what he'd done.Jesse was puzzled and quiet ,still is.I would so appreciate any advice,comments,on whether this aggression will continue after Ted is neutered tomorrow,and what would be the best way to reintroduce them,so no long term affects spoil their friendship.Thanks so much

[Simply Grand]

Hmm, tricky situation. It may be something to do with Jesse's desexing but I suspect it's more likely to be something else that's triggered this, neutering one entire male doesn't generally prompt another entire male to become aggressive towards it. Could be that Teddy was feeling very overwhelmed and Jesse was the easiest target to take it out on, could be that Teddy is feeling unwell, could be that Jesse inadvertently did something that you didn't see, could be that they have reached sexual maturity and their relationship is changing, which may or may not be affected by whether they are entire or not.

I'd suggest next meeting be in a neutral place like a park they haven't been to before, and where it's pretty quiet so there are no overwhelming distractions or stimuli to affect their interaction, then start off walking alongside each other, gradually getting closer. Allow some brief greetings (on lead) at first and see how they go.

If all goes well, continue managing interactions in busier situations, don't just assume that one ok interaction means everything is fine, but if it appears to have been a one off then I would look into the possibility that Teddy was/is affected by something I mentioned above (or something else).

If they do have the same issue the next time they meet I'd suggest a behaviourist who can watch the interaction and see what actually happens, ask questions etc as there could be all sorts of things going on.

Good luck with your boys :)

Edited January 21, 2014 by Simply Grand

[Aleksandra 157]

Thank you so much for your reply! I also am thinking now something happened to Teddy before we arrived,as he has not been himself since the incident.Excellent advice for the reintroduction thank you. :)