Hi, I have a 13 month male lab who is generally quite well trained. Recall okay, and we continue to work on it. Impulse control is generally very good but loses it when he sees dogs. He has always been a very excited pup and we have trained him in regards to this. However, past one month he has developed a new habit- he is mounting all dogs he is trying to meet or meeting them head on and being constantly told off. In some instances he growls back and I have to pull him away every time. He was sent off from day care because of trying to mount dogs and causing a bit of trouble. He used to always play tug with other dogs so every time he meets a dog he used to ask for the tug toy from us. Now, he seems interested in not playing as opposed to being dominant (?). We are not sure how best to deal with this( we plan to take him for excited dog training this week) and would like any suggestions or tips on how to avoid this. He is not neutered yet but I have heard neutering may not stop this. I don’t want to him to have a negative experience and frustration every time he meets a dog but he is not picking up on social cues when dogs tell him( we have always had this problem but he has been very socialized from young age). Any suggestion/advice welcome
We had similar problems with Toby around the same age. Neutering hasn’t stopped his desire to mount some dogs occasionally (male or female) which I believe to be over excitement/ dominance. However what it has stopped is other male dogs attacking him which he was beginning to retaliate to. That side was of enough concern to have him neutered and I am glad we did.There are arguments for and against and other threads on this site if you put neutering into the search box at the top.
Thank you. I realize that neutering isn’t a solution to most problems. Unfortunately, where I live (in london) dogs have to be neutered to be left in dog cares. Nevertheless, I hope his excitement level reduces as he grows and some of this behavior stops. Thanks for your response
Neutering may, or may not help, but from what you have said ("Impulse control is generally very good but loses it when he sees dogs) this is the part I would be focusing on. It sounds like he is overexcited as he has been allowed to rough-house with dogs previously. I would go right back to basics and nail his impulse control.
