So Blitz will be 2 on Christmas. We got him when he was declared a "stray" after being picked up by police and animal control over 3 times. I have no idea what kind of background he has. Since we got him from day 1 we had him around other dogs, but our friend's pitt bull mix attacked him when he was staying at their house before we got our house. Since then he has been very wary of other dogs. When we introduce him to another dog we keep him and the other dog on a leash and let them sniff, when he starts to growl or get tense I try and do a correction to snap him out of it. Once he realizes the dog is a girl he is fine and just wants to play, but if it's a boy sometimes he will be ok but sometimes he will not be good around them at all, they'll get into bad dog fights. I was thinking it was from his previous encounter PLUS he was not neutered. We got him neutered 2 days ago and I am hoping that will help me get him good around other dogs. Any suggestions as to how to go about training him to overcome this now that he is neutered? Thanks!

Here's Blitz with one of the only male dogs he gets along with: Another husky named Zeus!

having him neutered should help some but i think it does take some time for the hormones to work out of the system. making sure all his encounters with other males is a good experience, so if it means only setting up play dates with dogs you know he likes or ones that are not aggressive would be a good start.

OK good, that's what I did before, what's really funny is that every male husky that he meets he gets along great with, but other breeds he doesn't lol ... I want to be able to take him to the dog park with my other dog, but until I know he is going to be ok with lots of other dogs I'll just slowly introduce him to a few at a time, and then maybe the first couple times I take him to the dog park I will keep him on the leash with me. Until then it's playdates with only ladies!

jbealer wrote:

having him neutered should help some but i think it does take some time for the hormones to work out of the system. making sure all his encounters with other males is a good experience, so if it means only setting up play dates with dogs you know he likes or ones that are not aggressive would be a good start.

Yea it takes around 3 months for the hormones to leave the system, sometimes neutering helps, sometimes not, especially when a behavior is ingrained. Either way you can still train him that other males are fun! Definitely start setting up playdates with dogs you know he does well with, then maybe slowly introduce a new dog to the mix. If he starts showing signs that he might be aggressive, remove him before anything starts. Another thing to remember is that if you are tense, he will be tense. Dogs are very in-tune to energies, so take a few deep breathes and visualize a great outcome

haha yes I have been watching every episode of Cesar Millan and every time I go to introduce him to another dog I sit in the car and pretty much meditate before going in. I know that if they DO get in fights both dogs need to be laid down in a submissive position next to each other before being removed from the situation, BUT the other owner never does this so it's never really effective. I'll definitely be patient if it can take a few months for the hormones to go away. He's so lovable that I feel so bad that I can't take him to dog parks to run around and play.

hypers987 wrote:

Another thing to remember is that if you are tense, he will be tense. Dogs are very in-tune to energies, so take a few deep breathes and visualize a great outcome

This is so true and I'm sure that part of why Mya doesn't feel at ease at dog parks because I'm constantly nervous that she's going to get into something. I try so hard to just calm down and it doesn't work She's given me reasons to be freaking out though

MelissaI wrote:

She's given me reasons to be freaking out though

Exactly! I guess I am always just worried he will get hurt ever since the last fight when 2 big GSDs and 2 big boxers ALL ganged up on him. Thankfully he only came away with a little blood coming from his gums. I'll start slow by going to the park only when there are a couple dogs there and then work our way up!

KaylaNL wrote:

I know that if they DO get in fights both dogs need to be laid down in a submissive position next to each other before being removed from the situation,

This usually never works when done by someone other than a professional and I would recommend against it. It may backfire. Yes, I've had to do this a couple times before, but only when he was snapping at me while I had one of my cats in my lap, I've never done it since. Removing him from the situation before it starts is key.

And don't feel bad, I NEVER take Kale to dog parks, there's too many idiot owners and Kale has been pack attacked one too many times for my liking. The last time he was at a dog park he was 7 months and hes 17 months now. I do play dates with my boyfriends ranch dogs usually. Kale doesn't know the difference lol

We lay him down like that when he misbehaves in the house towards us or our other dog and it works great. I agree it is ideal to avoid a fight to begin with. Ok I am glad I'm not the only one whose dogs don't go to dog parks... everyone here does it so I feel so bad for keeping him home, but like you said other owners are never keeping an eye on their dogs and they just run around like crazy. My friend has a husky/fox terrier mix that Blitz is in love with, so we will just continue those play dates and then find more people to do one on one play with until we see if he is improving with liking others.