My male dog licks himself raw near a female in heat. What to do?

Are any other behaviors abnormal? Is he acting painful or sick? Maybe take him for a walk and see how he does away from the female. If you are still concerned that there may be a medical problem then I would recommend having him evaluated by a veterinarian. If it is just the female bothering him you may need to keep him somewhere else for the next 2 weeks or so. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

You cannot make her stop licking him, as this is a natural instinct. You could put a T-shirt on Bently, or put a basket muzzle on Nala. However, the best way would be to separate them, e.g. let them roam in separate areas of the house, or one in the house, the other outside, and then switch after a few hours.

It can take many weeks to even months for the hormones that are created by the ovaries to stop circulating within the blood stream. But then, some boy dogs are just obnoxious sniffers. Neutering the male may help with this behavior.

Hi and thanks for you post. Male dogs do not go into heat as females do. Females go into heat twice a year as part of their normal estrus cycle. Males do not. If he is not neutered, the testosterone he has pumping through his body can cause the behaviors you have described in more frequency than neutered males. Neutering Cecil is the best way to help decrease these behaviors as well as prevent testicular cancers and prostatic cancers. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

You can try the calming treats but they may not help much. Vigorous activity every day like running or playing fetch will likely be most beneficial for him. Spaying and neutering provide health benefits for both sexes and I recommend to have both pets fixed. Henry can be neutered at any point but he will still have sperm in the reporoductive tract for about a month so he can still impregnate a female in heat. Bailey should be spayed 2-3 months after the last day of her heat cycle. She will come into heat about every 6 months. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Unfortunately you cannot unless you have him neutered. Because she is in heat, he wants to mate with her, and even if he mates with her again, he will continue this behavior as long as she is in heat. My advice is to have him neutered after her heat ends. If you cannot stand this noise, it may be best to have him stay at a friend's house until her heat is over. Best of luck.

Since he is unneutered he may be picking up on her scent even if she is spayed, it's also a way to show dominance over other dogs. If you don't plan to breed him I suggest getting him neutered. This will help the behavior lessen over time and will also prevent some potential health problems as well as reduce the urge to roam and possibly get injured if he escapes looking for a female in heat. You can try getting him obedience training so he will be better behaved and more likely to listen when you try to separate them.