Dealing with a "horndog"

[Labradorks]

Linus finally showed me what it was like to try to work with an intact male dog in a room with someone in season or something... All was well, then he was in a down-stay while I was a figure-8 post. When I went to get him, he was obsessively licking the floor and doing that thing with his head muscles when they smell something that "moves" them. The rest of the night he spent trying to smell/lick the floor and obsessing over a female Aussie that the owner swore wasn't in season. He also slightly obsessed over the rest of the dogs in class, regardless of gender. He whined and was very distracted. I told him he was getting a cold shower when we got home.

I asked my trainer about it and she said that a female had been there earlier with the other trainer and when she got there she found drips all over and thought that the dog may have had a UTI and was leaking. She had also peed in that corner and all dogs near it were interested. They cleaned the floor, but I guess it needed to be cleaned with something stronger.

How do those of you with intact males deal with these types of distractions? I would have him do the sit-down-stand routine, and basically kept him busy when he'd get distracted. It did help, but boy, was it a lot of work!

[Snowshoe]

Oban was not that distracted. In class I could still get him to focus on me and I don't think I ever saw him lick the floor. It wasmore work though, but only if an in season girl was in the room. Then, really, all the dogs were antsy.

But our Rally trainer had such a hard time she ended up neutering the boy, a very promising stud with multi titles in conformation, agility, rally and hunt tests. He would lick the floor any female, entire or not, season or not, had walked on. She got him to pay attention and get those titles but it was so much hard work for her she deemed it not worth her while. He was still pretty bad, neutered at 3 years old, she still had to work very, very hard.

I know, I didn't say anything that would help you. I wish you could visit our trainer, she is just wonderful.

[Labradorks]

I guess I will just be more careful about keeping an eye on him and keeping his face off of the floor. When he's in a down-stay, I'm usually watching and not allowing him to sniff and lick the floor, but this time I wasn't paying attention, being a post and all. Otherwise, he's really great in class. That said, I just got into this class. Previously, I took a class in which we were the only performance pair, so being that the rest of the dogs were pet dogs, they were fixed with exception of maybe one other dog. Then, when I found my new trainer, we were taking private lessons. I JUST got into her novice class -- the first opening in five years! -- and it is all performance dogs, with several doing conformation as well. So, there are girls, girls, girls! The class is a tad intimidating and the people in class are all at least 20 years my senior and have been doing this forever.

Your trainer sounds awesome! Have to say though, I have found a gem in my new trainer as well. She doesn't have Labs -- but she has a Toller and does field trials with her as well as agility and obedience. We are having a lot of fun PLUS seeing much improvement.

[Berna]

I guess that Linus is very young, it gets better as they age (if you plan to keep him intact). Females in heat are not something you encounter every day, so you get used to it. When Cookie was younger I had to put extra pressure to pull him away from a female in heat or the smell that she left. Training helps a lot.

[Snowshoe]

LOL, my trainer's dog is a Toller. While her first love is performance competition, especially agility where she is a judge, I know it was a hard decision for her to neuter her boy. She bred him, he was outstanding in the conformation ring, but too much work to get to performance level in other venues where he had more room and was off leash. To be fair I should say he has another foible. He's fear aggressive. No one is allowed to pet him, we keep our dogs away from his crate, which is covered by a blanket when we train. Reason enough right there to never breed him. Neutering didn't do much for that problem either.

[Annette47]

Lots and lots of "LEAVE IT" practice, LOL. As Berna says though, it does get better as they get older, although at our training center's holiday party in Dec, Mulder at 15.5 and still intact was STILL going after the girls.

[Berna]

Lots and lots of "LEAVE IT" practice, LOL. As Berna says though, it does get better as they get older, although at our training center's holiday party in Dec, Mulder at 15.5 and still intact was STILL going after the girls.

Of course, they never lose interest. But I remember myself running and yelling and Cookie going completely berserk after a girl in heat. Now a simple "leave it" or "sit" is enough. He stops and looks at me. I put a leash on him and we're off, no problem. And he forgets about it. I wish more people would give me a heads up when they walk a female in heat off-leash though.

[barry581]

Of course, they never lose interest. But I remember myself running and yelling and Cookie going completely berserk after a girl in heat. Now a simple "leave it" or "sit" is enough. He stops and looks at me. I put a leash on him and we're off, no problem. And he forgets about it. I wish more people would give me a heads up when they walk a female in heat off-leash though.

Why anyone would allow a bitch in season to be off leash is beyond me. I was at the Yellow Lab Club Championship Show while in the UK back in September, and someone had brought a bitch that was in season. The boys around her were going nuts. A lot of exhibiters were pretty upset. In that situation, many of these dogs are regularly used at stud, and when they smell a bitch, they know it's time to get to work, and they are highly distracted by it.


The two times Sophie went into season, we went out on leash in the neighborhood, and that was it. I would have never even considered taking her where any intact males would be. I did not fear an accidental mating, I just didn't want to torture the poor males.

[dxboon]

Why anyone would allow a bitch in season to be off leash is beyond me. I was at the Yellow Lab Club Championship Show while in the UK back in September, and someone had brought a bitch that was in season. The boys around her were going nuts. A lot of exhibiters were pretty upset. In that situation, many of these dogs are regularly used at stud, and when they smell a bitch, they know it's time to get to work, and they are highly distracted by it.


The two times Sophie went into season, we went out on leash in the neighborhood, and that was it. I would have never even considered taking her where any intact males would be. I did not fear an accidental mating, I just didn't want to torture the poor males.

My feeling is that shows are for evaluating breeding stock, and sometimes there is going to be a bitch in season exhibiting. That's just the way the cookie crumbles. At one of the recent shows I was in, that was the case and the judge just had the bitch owner stack their girl a bit to the side of the ring on the opposite end from where he placed all the male dogs being exhibited. Bitches in season are just another distraction to train my boys against IMO. It definitely can be done, and I don't think my guys feel "tortured" when they can't mate with every bitch in heat. :-)

[Snowshoe]

My feeling is that shows are for evaluating breeding stock, and sometimes there is going to be a bitch in season exhibiting. That's just the way the cookie crumbles. At one of the recent shows I was in, that was the case and the judge just had the bitch owner stack their girl a bit to the side of the ring on the opposite end from where he placed all the male dogs being exhibited. Bitches in season are just another distraction to train my boys against IMO. It definitely can be done, and I don't think my guys feel "tortured" when they can't mate with every bitch in heat. :-)

This is what our obedience trainer said, it happens, and that's why she encouraged folks with an in-season bitch to bring her to class. Maybe the girl would stay in a crate but we'd all get some exposure to how our own dog was going to act and how to work with him. Or how to work with her, some girls really reacted; most of the dogs did. Boy, dogs are bad enough, try riding a stallion in a show competition with the mare in front all of a sudden flagging in his face.