Interactions Between Males

[Guest happygrey]

So far Tatam and Bentley are doing very well integrating. As I type they are sharing a bed and are lying in mirror images of each other. Awwww Bentley even just gave a little groan. (Side note: He is the noisiest dog! He's constantly whining, groaning, coughing after water, making his little horsey puff noise, and digging around on his bed.)

 

But, that's not to say there hasn't been a fair amount of growling when Bentley annoys Tatam (trying to mount him, squishing him in the car, trying to shove him off the bed). From what I've read, this seems to be pretty typical behavior for 2 males trying to sort out who's boss. There's never been anything scary, and I muzzle them as needed, so for the most part I've just backed off and let them figure it out. There is a good 4 years between them (Bentley is not quite 2 and Tatam is 6 next month) so I figure it sort of like what I see when my daughter (8) gets annoyed with my 3 year old niece. At certain point when they play together my daughter will have had enough and says so to my niece. And of course my niece rarely gets it. So what does she do? She keeps pushing until there's a big drama.

 

Fortunately, there's been no dramas with Tatam and Bentley.

 

However, there is one behavior that I don't understand fully. I am assuming it's a submissive thing, but I am not sure because I'm not familiar with it. Bentley is sort obsessed with sniffing and licking Tatam's privates. He seems to do this especially after Tatam has had to growl at him. (an appeasement thing?) Tatam does not seem to mind. In fact he just stands there letting B. do it. And believe me, he's not shy about growling to let B. know if he's bugging him. This seems to rev B. up and often he will start chattering. Chattering happens after he sniffs Tatam's pee, too.

 

I can't find any references to this in the dominant behaviors I've been reading about. Does anyone have experience with this happening between their males? Also, does anyone know if this behavior (and some of the dominance plays in general) will subside after B. is neutered next Tuesday?

 

TIA.

Edited May 14, 2010 by happygrey

[TheFullHouse]

A few of my males will do that also. I'm not sure about the dominance part though because the ones that do it here are not necessarily submissive in nature. A lot of the behaviors you're seeing now are just the two working things out. Once your younger one is neutered a lot of that will stop. Your right in your analogy though, they are like an older child with a younger one. The more time the two are together the less growling and such you will see. That doesn't mean though that once outside and running all bets are off. I muzzle every one of mine when they're outside, whether two at a time or more because once they get running and playing they get competitive and that can lead to fights. My motto is better to be safe than sorry. You can't believe the number of people on this board who never muzzled their pups and the pups had been together for years and then one day outside playing one lets loose on the other and they've had an e-vet visit and a badly hurt dog.

[arandomchic]

I can't help much with the dominance / male dog question. But I can say that neutering doesn't necessarily guarantee a change in any dominant behavior. While neutering does reduce the production of testosterone, it doesn't eliminate it. Also, any behavioral changes resulting from the surgery will probably not be immediate. It can take several weeks for the current hormones levels to reduce.

[Guest happygrey]

Thanks for the info! Yes, I definitely do the muzzles when they are both outside and I crate Bentley when I leave them home alone. (I'm a SAHM and don't need to leave them solo all too often.) I prefer to crate Bentley when I can instead of muzzling because he's not yet housetrained and he's got some sores on his face where his muzzle rubs him that I am trying to heal.