Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 2yr old sighthound that seems to have fear aggression issues. He will growl but not attack and at times wag his tail while growling. He never likes males and he is intact he does not like face to face contact at times though he will walk with the other male after initially growling upon meeting him. This past weekend was the first time he went after another male but once he got to the dog just face bumped him nothing more. He is a competition racing hound and has always run with males cleanly until this past weekend.

Any thoughts or questions that could help me? Thanks
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Denise
"I am I because my little dog knows me"
- Gertrude Stein

Aggression in dogs can peak when an intact male dog gets around 3 years old. If you can possibly have him neutered, do it right away. Your time may be nearly up.

If he has to stay intact until some level of competition is completed, consult with your veterinarian and then probably with a specialist about medication--hormonal--that could help reduce the problem. But neutering would be preferable for his health. Dogs need it later due to enlarged prostate which nearly always happens as intact male dogs age.

You are right to be concerned about this. It is likely that you are running out of time to deal with it.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

It seems some of the behavior I witnessed in him recently was due to severe misaligment he saw a chiro and even his jaw was dislocated. I am not taking any behavior issues lightly but it did explain the sudden change.
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Denise
"I am I because my little dog knows me"
- Gertrude Stein