Male dog whining

Question
I have a 9 and a half month old male German Shepherd Husky mix
and we have a year and a half old female lab pit mix. She just
started her second heat and I am having a lot of problems
keeping my male dog from whining. Do you have any suggestions
to get him to quite down?  

Answer

Hi Heaven,

What you are experiencing is the normal response that an un-neutered male dog has to an intact (unspayed) female dog. This will go on for the duration of your female's heat cycle which will last 21 days, on average, twice a year.

I can't tell you how many "accidental" pregnancies I get messages about, all of which are 100% preventable by neutering or spaying pets. You will have an EXTREMELY difficult time keeping your male dog away from your female dog during this time period, and it only takes a moment of unsupervised time for your male dog to mate with your female dog.

This isn't fun your your male dog, and it's not fun for you. The most humane thing to do is to neuter your male dog. There are many reduced cost spay and neutering clinics all over the country. Contact your local animal shelter or Humane Association to find a spay/neuter program in your area.

Ideally, you should also have your female spayed. With male dogs the problem is living with them while there's a female in heat, and also the risk of them causing an unwanted pregnancy. With female dogs, they get significant health benefits (such as eliminating or drastically reducing the chance of developing certain common kinds of cancer) once they are spayed. Spaying a female should be done when she is no longer in heat. Your male dog can be done now (actually 10 minutes ago would have been best!)

Best of luck,

Patti