Why is my dog acting out and running off when she's in heat?

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.

If your female dog isn't spayed, she could be coming into heat causing this behavior. Female dogs go into heat around every six months, and if you have had her for five months, it would be about time to go into heat again. This behavior will continue every six months unless you get her spayed, which I highly recommend getting done. Best of luck!

That is unusual behavior for a dog but I do not suspect it is related to her mentally thinking she is in heat. That being said, dogs can have a heat cycle if they were not spayed properly or if they have too many ovaries. Your veterinarian can preform a simple blood test to determine if ovarian tissue is present. Next time she exhibits these symptoms, have her seen while she is showing signs as a blood test is more likely to find evidence of ovaries if they are present. That will at least rule that out. Other potential causes could include Addison’s disease or anxiety. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. This is normal behavior for an intact male dog. If you have him neutered, his hormone levels will decrease. This will resolve this behavior. I hope this information helps!

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.

These behavioral changes in Brownie will be related to her being in heat. She doesn't want to come inside and keeps scratching the door because she wants to go outside to find males with which she can mate. She is likely whining as well because she wants to be outside to roam. Her appetite may be decreased due to her interest elsewhere. Pretty much she is focused on mating at this point. The only want to stop this behavior is to have her spayed once her heat is over. This will keep her from having these behavioral changes, and will also have many health benefits as well, including a significant reduction in the risk of developing mammary tumors and eliminating the chance she develops a pyometra (a life threatening infection of the uterus). Otherwise, you are just going to have to wait it out until her heat is done. You may have to carry her back inside, and I'd keep her in a room away from the front door to keep her from scratching at it. You can try tempting her to eat by mixing in some boiled white meat chicken (no bones) with her dog food, or you can soak her dry food in low sodium chicken broth. I hope this helps!

Unfortunately if he is acting like this due to a female being in heat then the only way to stop this is by neutering him. If this is always occurring I would recommend a trainer coming to your home to evaluate him but my concern is that it is from a female being in heat. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.