Hi,

Dexter, 8 month old is going bonkers in the house, constantly scratting at the back door or wanting to go out through the front door... he's barking and crying like mad. He's recently had a check up so he's healthy and fit. I never owned a male dog before but can this behaviour be caused by a bitch in season in the neighbourhood and if so, how do you handle your dogs? do you just ignore it? it's driving me crazy here...he's being walked and exercised regularly so i don't think it's that...

does anyone know what to do? it's the first time he's acted this way...

Have there been foxes about? Some dogs find fox smell very exciting. Or cats calling?

My bitch did this when there was a Fox about ;)   I'd never seen her so 'switched on'!

My neighbour only 100 feet away (4 houses down) has owned male dogs, and so do a number of other close neighbours but none have ever been bothered when my girls are in season (no extra barking etc).

I would expect a dog as young as yours certainly not to notice unless it was literally next door.

Hi,

we have a few cats in neighbouring streets but they're never bothered abou them. I am not aware of any foxes I've lived there now for 3 years and never seen any around.

I thought he's a bit young to start this off...maybe the bitches next door went bonkers and he caught it from them... :-) it was just such diffrent behaviour. he was houling like a wolf and jumped up the windows and when i let him outside he jumped up the walls like he never used to do so I was a bit puzzled why on earth he was behaving like this...

My boy would react like this to a bitch in season when he was younger, he'd whine, whimper, huff and puff, not eat and just be really out of sorts, now he's much calmer, he still can be quite unsettled, and needs to pee a gazillion times when we're out walking.

He did the same today at around lunch time... I let him outside and he just stood on his hindlegs, sniffing high up in the air. It looked hilarious but if it is a bitch he must be "suffering" :-) poor dude.