Willow acting out advice needed

[lauraxxx29]

I am getting concerned about Willows behavior some may remember about me saying when she was coming into heat she was snapping at other dogs then she came in heat all seemed fine.

Well today i had a meet with Emma ( Elmo ) she is new to the forum with her furbaby Vixen. Well Willow at first seemed ok but then went for Vixen in a way I have never seen before. We walked next to each other so they calmed down like you do when you first meet a new dog.

Everything seemed fine they just walked. We stopped on the beach to let them have a run about Willow was then offleash, Vixen had her long lead on they both seemed ok and went in play bow but then all of a sudden Willow just started on Vixen again and Vixen was brill tryed to ignor Willow but

Willow seemed so mean she caught Vixen on the nose poor girl. it was all over in seconds as i told Willow off and put her back on lead. But now I feel really bad why is Willow being like this.

We have had some upset in our house the last few weeks As my sister-in-law past away so atmosphere not been good, then Akia goes and cuts her foot and Willow has been very quit. But i feel this has been building up sence her last heat as she seems to become very nervous again.

Sorry prob not makin sence you now how i ramble on trying to explain myself......lol But I feel really really bad and upset that I must be doing somthing wrong to make Willow feel that she needs to be nervous and anxous of new dogs.

I am now worried that she may really hurt another dog so going to get her a muzzle for her to wear when I know i am going to walk with new dogs as she is fine with dogs normaly so am i rushing into it but now she done it once I am going to be scared she will do it again.

What do you guys think and what would you do I so want to do the right thing.

Thanks all one very worried Laura and a limpy Akia and nervous Willow.........lol

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

have you had her checked over at the vet? make sure theres not something else going on? instead of a muzzle y dont you try a head collar, they cant open their mouths as much to bite , and the muzzle might make her worse if she fights to get it off, are you getting her spayed as that might help too, keep us posted hun

ETA: youve heard what Blaze is like with other dogs, when i meet up with other dogs he wears his head collar, if he makes a wrong move i can move him away with the head collar on and then let him sniff again, and he isnt too bad, i have more control over him with it on

[Kells xx]

is the other bitch intact?

daughtry got very snappy and bitchy when she was in heat.

and ive heard that bitches to act u just like the males do when the same sex dog near them is intact.

a muzzle might work but it might make her more anxious....you really need to see whats causing the aggression and deal with that first

i hope you sort it hun

[madmally]

I would say get her neutered, could be down to a whole host of things but i would say neuter as first thing hopefully get those hormones balanced and then go back to basic socialisation training its nothing you are doing wrong it is just getting her to behave around other dogs more appropriately. I would say it was the season throwing her out of balance but im sure with a bit of training etc things should start to be ok. xx

[lauraxxx29]

She is going to be spayed in the next month as she finished her heat about a month ago now. I am at the vets with Akia on friday will take willow so they can check her over incase it is somthing else. I knew she was a fearfull dog and thought i got her out of this but somewhere things changed and i did not react I surpose

[Elmo]

is the other bitch intact?

Yeah she is intact. A contentious issue in this house. I want her done, OH insists not at all.

I must say, this little incident was only that, a small incident. Both dogs broke apart easily when told to, which says a lot in the training of both dogs in a positive manner.

Like I said at the time, at least this has come to light in an organised meeting than a chance encounter with a strangers dog.

No harm done, Vix just looked at me saying "what have I done wrong?" when I put her back on her normal lead, and her confidence was knocked a little but she got that back after a fuss in Cat's Whiskers!

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

why is it always a man thing about getting dogs fixed, my dad didnt want us to get blaze fixed either lol, skylas turn when she is 2

[Elmo]

why is it always a man thing about getting dogs fixed, my dad didnt want us to get blaze fixed either lol, skylas turn when she is 2

Dont get me started on that, his bottom line is "oh, all my dogs never got done so why does she need to be"...

He dont have a problem with the rabbits getting fixed though....

Grrr...

[Kells xx]

my dad is the opposite he is all for spaying and neutering

they need to stop thinking about the op and think about the benifits for the dogs and the fact that they dont have puppies or bleeding females and getting them fixed lowers some of the hormones and so fights lessen somewhat.

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

show him this

A spayed dog will not menstruate or get "periods." When a female dog goes into heat, she will menstruate. Caring for a menstruating dog can be messy and inconvenient. Spaying a dog eliminates the dog's periods by lowering the hormone levels that trigger menstruation in dogs.

A spayed dog will not go into heat. A dog in heat can exhibit an array of undesirable behaviors. A dog in heat will often "call" and vocalize as a way to signal potential mates. A female dog in heat will also be more prone to wandering or running away when she's in heat and she may return pregnant, which brings with it a whole host of health concerns. A female dog in heat will also be attractive to male dogs, who will detect her elevated hormone levels from quite a distance; it's not uncommon to see male dogs hanging around the home of a dog in heat.

A spayed dog cannot get pregnant. It's an obvious benefit, but a significant one. Terminating an unwanted dog pregnancy can be expensive and risky. A pregnant dog can be difficult to care for and once the puppies are born, they will require at least eight weeks of intensive care. Proper veterinary care for a pregnant dog can also be very expensive, particularly if complications arise. In some cases, a female dog may die during pregnancy or during the whelping process. Anyone considering breeding a dog should remember this rule of thumb: Don't breed a dog unless you're prepared for the possibility of losing her.

Spaying a dog makes her less attractive to pet thieves. Unfortunately, there are many cases when an intact dog will be stolen from a yard or kennel and used for breeding. Clearly, it's easier to determine whether a male dog is intact, but many dogs are also stolen from kennels and boarding facilities, where a quick look at the dog's file will reveal if she is spayed. A spayed dog is useless to a dog thief who is seeking a "breeder."

A spayed dog is a healthier dog. Higher hormone levels are associated with a higher risk of developing cancer and other diseases. Spaying or neutering a dog lowers hormone levels, thereby reducing the dog's health risks.

Benefits of Spaying or Neutering Your Dog

• Reducing the problem of pet overpopulation. This is a serious problem in today’s society. There are too many pets and not enough homes for those pets. This ends up resulting in a lot of stray pets that don’t have a home. Most of these end up in places like The Humane Society where they have to be put down if they can’t quickly get adopted. This means that there are a lot of dogs that are already out there which are being killed. If your pet makes puppies then you’re contributing to this serious problem. The problem of pet overpopulation is the core reason that it is highly recommended by animal experts that you spay or neuter your dog.

• Prevents a lot of health problems that your dog might get if you elect not to spay or neuter the pet. There are a lot of different medical problems that dogs can get if you fail to get them spayed or neutered. For example, female dogs are highly likely to develop tumors in their mammary glands if they aren’t spayed before the first time that they go into heat. Diseases of the uterus and testicles in your pet (such as cancer) are also prevented when the sex organs are removed.

• Your pet will be calmer. Removal of the sex organs results in changes to the hormones of the dog. This results in having a calmer, less aggressive dog. This is particularly true for male dogs who have been neutered but is also true of female dogs once they have been spayed.

• Your dog will be cleaner. There is actually a lot of mess associated with a dog going into heat (such as discharge or blood from female dogs). If you spay or neuter your dog then the dog isn’t going to go into heat. You avoid the mess.

• You will probably save yourself some money. A lot of people who fail to get their dog spayed or neutered do so because they don’t want to spend the money to get the procedure done. However, the cost is minimal in comparison to the cost that you’ll experience if you don’t spay or neuter the pet. Those costs include the cost of puppies if the pet gets pregnant and the cost of ongoing health problems such as uterine cancer that wouldn’t affect a dog who had been spayed or neutered. (Learn more about the costs of owning a pet.)

[lauraxxx29]

Oh Emma you so sweet. To me it seemed big but as you put it like you did I surpose i am worring to much just never seen willow like that.... Back to basic training me thinks.