Unhealthy Attachment

[minioncookies]

We were watching a family's dog for a while.. and the dog went into heat... Well that drove both of our male dogs crazy.. and got them into fights  but what was really strange was the attachment the small dog had.

He  would not eat, He would not leave her side.. He would be overly Protective of her if anyone touched her or came around her..  He pretty much either chewed through the bottom of the door or clawed through the bottom of the door to get to her(because we seperated them  due to his strange behavior)

He wouldn't listen and was highly tempermental
even bit his owner a few times trying to get him to leave this dogs side..

We figured he might have got her pregnant from the way he was acting.. but.. you know we are not vets so we don't know...

Long story short.. we gave the dog back to the family because we could no longer keep her... and  eventually the family found a house.. so everything worked out in the wash..

Does anyone have or have experienced this problem? Do you think he could have got the dog pregnant and this was why he was acting this way? What are your thoughts?

[BlackSheepNY]

It sounds like it's pretty much a typical male reaction to a female in heat, especially if there's more than one male around.  You know, the "I'm macho and this is MY woman so steer clear" kind of thing, LOL.  I'm assuming from what you said that the males weren't neutered, either, so the reaction you saw in the dogs sounds very normal to me.  Gotta keep the species going!

[CharmedPhoenix]

I agree, it's normal behavior for un-neutered males.  The protective one was just protecting his female and insuring no other males got to her.  Whether they mated or not he was protecting his interests.  If she got pregnant she would have come out of heat, but he might still feel protective.  It's his natural instinct.

This is why pets need to be spayed and neutered.  If your dogs aren't purebred breeding dogs neutering will solve the aggression problem.  We have a big problem with unplanned pups and kittens.

[sgluckadoo]

I have never had pets that were not "fixed" so I am not familiar with this issue. Maybe he was just being territorial.

[countrygirl12]

I agree, it's normal behavior for un-neutered males.  The protective one was just protecting his female and insuring no other males got to her.  Whether they mated or not he was protecting his interests.  If she got pregnant she would have come out of heat, but he might still feel protective.  It's his natural instinct.

This is why pets need to be spayed and neutered.  If your dogs aren't purebred breeding dogs neutering will solve the aggression problem.  We have a big problem with unplanned pups and kittens.

If every dog and cat is neutered/spayed then the species will die out.  And pure breds are not always the best dogs.

[countrygirl12]

I have never had pets that were not "fixed" so I am not familiar with this issue. Maybe he was just being territorial.

All of ours are fixed as well.  And right now they are all boys.  But I don't want to deal with the issues that come with not being fixed.  Unfixed pups and cats tend to want to roam.