Our 14 month old dog's behaviour seems to have changed recently.

He gets plenty of exercise and attention through the day and when nothing is going on, he would snooze on the couch or anywhere comfy waiting till something happens.

This past few days he prefers to be outdoors in the freezing cold and doesn't seem to snooze or relax at all.  Occasionally he will howl like a banshee, for no apparent reason!  He's a cross yorkie/pomeranian and is gradually becoming more aggressive.  For some reason, he doesn't seem to like many spaniels, and this morning would have tackled a GSD if given half a chance!

Obviously this is unacceptable behaviour on so many levels.  He is loved and well cared for, fed well, played with, exercised daily, and as my OH and I are both retired, has lots of company.

Regarding the occasional bouts of howling and wanting to be outside, my feeling is there could be a nearby bitch on heat causing this.  Would this be possible at 14 months?

I've just bought Barney in now, and am determined he won't be allowed out again tonight unless I think he needs to go.

Does anyone have any advice to offer or possible reasons for Barney's change of behaviour?

Yup - I would say you are spot on - a nearby bitch in heat.  Possibly all the foxes yelping & mating - it drives my bitch crazy.  Have you done much training with him?  If not - I would do a couple of short sessions a day - partly to tire his mind out, and partly because it will make him easier to live with as he is maturing.

I would also work on his socialisation.  I suspect he is just posturing with other dogs - does he do this off the leash, or just on leash?  If the latter, then the leash tension is dialling up his aggression & I would have him off leash with other dogs - but also work on counter-conditioning his reactions on the leash (learn to spot the earliest signs and teach him an alternative behaviour which you can reward him for - eg; touching your hand - this has the benefit of breaking his gaze which will reduce aggression).

I would not consider having him castrated (if you were thinking about it) until he is mature.

Good luck - hopefully this phase won't last too long!

Yes I'd bet you anything there is a bitch in season nearby! 14 months is plenty old enough -I have an 8 month old toydog who is bitch mad already. Your best option is to have him neutered as soon as possible -being such a small dog there is no problem with neutering now -bigger dogs are better left until 2 years of age as they mature slowly. I think you will notice a big difference. :)

Thanks very much for your replies, much appreciated.

I thought a local bitch in season might be causing Barney's behaviour change.  There are also local foxes which have been killing chickens, that's a definite possibility.

We have trained Barney in the basics, sit, stay, wait for tit-bits etc, although his recall is far from perfect, any distraction and he becomes deaf.  We could work on that a little more.

We take him either through the local woods or along the canal and river banks most days and let him off the leash, he meets and plays with other local dogs.  He's only aggressive when on the leash, and agree that he's posturing, showing who's the boss, although he must be almost the smallest dog in the village.  Off the leash, he's just one of the gang, eagerly trying to sniff other dogs, and getting under their feet.

It sounds a good idea to work on changing his reactions on the leash when I can see him becoming wound up.  Generally I either tighten the leash or pick him up to restrict him fully.  Will work on the behaviour techniques you mentioned.

About neutering - have considered this, but am reluctant so far.  It would be a last resort, would sooner see how he goes before considering this step.

Really appreciate your advice and comments.

Most males do get more sensible when they reach maturity, will still be interested in an in-season bitch but not for three weeks and not if they are not very near.

My small breed behave differently on the leash around other dogs, my thought is they feel vulnerable as they can't run away if scared, my old cocker was the same.

Just make sure your garden is escape proof as he may get desperate to go and find the bitch that has attracted him especially when she reaches the peak time for mating.

> There are also local foxes which have been killing chickens, that's a definite possibility.

At this time of year the dog foxes are out courting the vixens, and even in a city they will be roaming the streets and shrieking during the night, as well as upsetting every dog in a half-mile radius of earshot.

Thanks again for your comments, very much appreciated.

We're doing extra training and trying to distract Barney.  He hasn't been quite as aggitated today, possibly last night's rain has reduced the scents which are driving him crazy. 

I think some of his aggression on the lead is due to not being able to run away when meeting other dogs.  Apart from one incident when Barney was a pup and another dog quite badly bit his nose, luckily we haven't come across many other macho dogs ..................... as yet, that is! 

Really appreciate your advice.  This is a great forum.

We used to find using a mesh-type harness with our terriers would help them feel safer around other dogs and stop them 'snapping' when they were intimidated slightly. I used the Puppia Harness with our most recent (A lancashire heeler x cairn) and it might be worth considering- I assume they have a similar sort of effect to the Thunder Shirt.

I'd leave castrating him for the time being & do your research before hand, it won't change his thinking towards bitches or necessarily his behaviour.

Thanks for comments regarding harness and castration.

Currently we use an extending lead, which is handy when on the fields and lots of other dogs around.  Usually we unleash him and let him play, but in certain situations would just reel out the lead to keep a measure of control.  Not overly confident that Barney will always come back, we are working on recall and he's good, but no guarantees.  Will have a look at harnesses and have a think.

Castration would be a last resort.  Have had two previous male dogs (rough collies) and don't remember having problems with aggression.  Will see how it goes.  Barney's due for his booster and will ask the vet when we make the appointment.

Thank you.

I wouldn't ask the vet for advice unless they are a qualified vet. behaviourist or it's for a referral to a positive reinforcement behaviourist - your average vet doesn't know very much about behaviour unfortunately.

His behaviour may settle over time but it may also be reinforced. Like people, some hormonal males enjoy getting riled up and some even go looking for a fight! Hormones are funny things and the impact of that testosterone can vary considerably from individual to individual.

He's 14 months old so not a bad age to consider castration. You could try chemical castration first and see if it helps? On the other hand testosterone can help a small dog's confidence, so it is a balancing act (Yorkie Terrier boys can be quite fierce).

He does need to socialize with other dogs but given his size I'd be careful. You don't want a large breed intact male deciding to put him in his place. That is one of the big problems in canine socialization, the huge difference in size and strength. I am not suggesting all larger dogs are dangerous, quite the contrary, some small dogs can behave like tyrannical gremlins. It is just that the effect of hormones on teenage males is unpredictable, whether large or small and a mix of the two is probably more risky.

The vet will opt for castration as they see it as a cure all for any behaviour problems when in actual fact it can make things much worse.

As a family growing up we had all male dogs and never found a need to neuter any of them and the same has applied to male dogs I have had as an adult, they weren't allowed to roam impregnating the local bitches and didn't have any problem with humping either.

He is probably now reaching the height of his testosterone level and will take time to get used to it and calm down, think of teenage boys and their raging hormones.

The thing is, male toydogs (which effectively your cross is) are notorious for cocking legs indoors, and really they are so much easier to live with if castrated. A larger breed is completely different. The longer castration is left, the more engrained the behaviour becomes, so the less he will change.

One thing you could do would be to go for the Suprelorin implant. It's a contraceptive implant which lasts for around 6 months. By using that, you will see how he would act if he was castrated, and then you can make your mind up easier on what to do.

Thanks everyone for your comments.

It's a difficult decision regarding castration - some are for, others against.  There seem to be valid opinions on both sides.  An alternative might be a chemical implant such as suggested.  I hadn't realised this option existed and will certainly give serious thought.

Since the rain started this week Barney seems to have settled down again, becoming calmer, suggesting that either a local bitch on heat, or nearby foxes caused him to go stir crazy!

Often he greets us laying on his back and waiting to be tickled, or longing to be picked up and played with, but he does have an aggressive side to his nature which we're trying to curb.

Thanks again everyone.  Really appreciate your help.