Help! Problems w/large groups of dogs- should I neuter?

[JMUFly]

Anybody know if it is normal for my otherwise well adjusted intact male to freeze up and drool and not be able to interact when there are more than 2 or 3 dogs around? Zeke wasn't like this as a pup, he has been around lots of dogs throughout his life, and did fine at doggie day care and dog parks until he was about 2.
He has a large American Bulldog neighbor that is a male (netuered, but not until he was mature) that he gets along great with... they play rough and love it. He can play with just about ANY dog one on one. I have even been amazed at Zeke's ability to show scared/agressive dogs that he just wants to play, and within 5 minutes, they inevitably warm up. It is just the dog park type of experience that he can't handle... when a group of 5 dogs comes running up to him. Do you think neutering him would help?
He is on a contract with the breeder, who is unavailable now due to a personal crisis. We weren't sure if we would show him or not, but he is almost 3 now, so it doesn't look like that will happen. He has a CGC, and I plan to take him at least to a CDX.
So I guess there are two questions: is this normal? and would neutering him help much?
Thanks!
David Fly

 

[gmacleod]

I would neuter him. It won't be a magic bullet for your problem, but it may well help a bit. As much as intact males are often blamed for causing aggression at dog parks, in fact they are just as often the target of other dogs' aggression. So from that perspective, it could help.

Added to that, of course, there are long term health benefits to your dog if he is neutered. Primarily these are elimination of the risk of testicular cancer, and substantial reduction of the risk of prostate cancer and other prostate problems as he ages.

But to the issue of groups of dogs... If he seriously has no fun at dog parks and is stressed out by groups of dogs, then you don't actually need to take him there. And if he's fine with other dogs on a one-on-one basis, and gets plenty of socialisation on a regular basis that way, then I wouldn't be too worried about the park.

If you do want to take him there though, then I'd suggest that you work up to it gradually. Some things you can try are letting him play in familiar surroundings with more than one dog that he knows well. This would help him to get used to multiple playing partners. You could also try taking him to the park at odd hours, when he's either the only dog there or when there are only one or two others. The point of this is to let him socialise beyond his current comfort zone, but without overwhelming him.

One thing I do wonder about though, is how do you introduce him to other dogs at the park, versus at home? Is he still leashed at the park at the time other dogs come running up? If so, that could be a part of the problem. On a leash, dogs are restricted in the body signals they can send to other dogs. And this often results in one or other dog becoming aggressive. In your boy's case, it's not aggression he's displaying, but anxiety. The underlying cause could be the same though. So if you do have him on a leash at the park, I'd recommend trying him without it and see if that helps matters. Sometimes the difference can be surprising