How to calm a male dog in heat

It is not easy to calm a female dog when she is in heat. But things can get even crazier when you have a male dog, as well. He’ll be restless and it may be challenging to calm a male dog during the heat.

The problem is, during a heat cycle, female dogs produce a scent that attracts males. Upon sensing it, male dogs become mad and think about one thing only and forget all the good manners.

If that’s not enough, things happen the other way round, too. If a female in heat senses a male nearby, she gets crazy as well. That is, crazier than she was before.

Your first concern, if you have both male and female dogs in the house, is the unwanted pregnancy.

So that means you cannot let your dogs stay together. The second concern is that, if you keep them separated, they are going to get loud. Very loud.

Keep your male dog separate from your female during the heat

An obvious solution to calm a male dog during the heat is to separate both your dogs. However, it is easier said than done.

Note: as we write this article, we presume you have two dogs. If you have more, everything below applies and you can keep all the males together and all the females together.

Your best solution is to send one of your dogs away for the time female is in heat. Why? Because if they stay in the same house, they will sense each other. Quite often, sending one of your dogs away may not be possible. In that case, you have to keep your dogs in separate rooms (or parts of the house).

However, they will still sense each other and somehow you will have to calm both of them down.

Activities will calm your both dogs

If you keep your dogs together and do not spay them, your best option to minimize their restlessness is physical activities. Those won’t prevent your dogs from sensing each other, but activities will make them tired and they will care less. You can, and you should walk a female dog when she is in heat, but you also have to walk your male. Also, no brainier, you have to walk them separately.

Best if you can walk them on separate paths. Your female is leaving a pheromone trail, and if you want to have an undisturbed walk of your dog, it’s better to choose a different route.

Besides long walks, you can also run with your dogs, play with them, or keep their mind busy in training.  Separately. That is, do each activity with each dog, one after another. Of course, we are aware that it’s going to take up a lot of your time.

You can mask the scent of your female with menthol or a spray made for precisely that purpose. The truth is, it won’t completely solve the problem. They are not magic, however.

Send your male dog on a vacation

Above is hard and a struggle, so still, your best shot is to send your male dog away. But it isn’t as straightforward and easy either.

First, is your dog used to be away? Remember, we are trying to relieve stress, not add to it. Dogs are in heat for an average of 21 days. That’s a long period to spend in unknown conditions. It’s best to send your dog to someone he already knows or to a place he is used to.

So we already introduced the next problem: where to send your dog. Not all of us have a privilege to entrust our beloved pets to someone else. Besides that, if you are sending your dog to a friend’s house, is your friend accepting your dog voluntary? You can choose a dog hotel or a professional pet-sitter.

Quality dog hotels offer professional staff, who may even deal with the stress of the dog. However, 21 days are longer than a typical vacation.

The third problem is which dog to send. Most usually it’s a male because they cause less trouble to one taking care of him. Of course, it might be possible to send a female away too, but the person taking care of her must know exactly what’s going on and should have experience with dogs in heat.

You can’t just tell: “Yes, she’s in the heat… she’s a bit restless… but it’s not that bad” because it IS that bad! Taking care of the female dog in the heat requires experience and knowledge and several sleepless nights. If you have a friend who is willing to do that for you, we are jealous.

Problems with dogs in heat? Consider spaying!

Keep in mind, though; you should wait for the heat to end to spay a female dog. During heat, her uterus is swollen, and surgery imposes a higher risk of complications.

The good news is that you can neuter a male dog at any time. And, while neutered dogs may still show a slight interest in females in heat, unwanted pregnancy is solved, and you do not have to separate them anymore.

You sure need a lot of good wishes if your female dog is in heat. And if it happens to have intact dogs of both sexes at your home — you need triple the amount. It’s not easy to calm a male dog during the heat.

If you need more help, take a look at our series about dogs in heat.

Next: Do male dogs go in heat?
Previous: Can you walk a female dog when she is in heat?

When a female dog is in heat, it can make their regular pet care needs more difficult. Their psychological state can be anxious, but they may also grow aggressive. When you have male dogs in the home or you are taking the dog out for a walk, your main concern may be one thing: keeping male dogs under control when they sense a female in heat.

This is mainly a practical issue. If you have a female dog and are trying to give them exercise, having male attention from other dogs can prove distracting. If your dog is not neutered (or on rare occasions, even when it has been), having sex can lead to unwanted pregnancy in dogs. This can mean a much greater responsibility as a pet owner. If you are unable to meet this responsibility, it can put more strain on already overburdened shelter and adoption systems.

This is why AnimalWised provides ways on how to control a male dog around a female in heat so that you can help avert a difficult situation for everyone.

The first thing we need to know is whether our dog is indeed in heat. While all mammals have similar reproductive organs, they do not all work in the same way. If they did, it would take dogs 9 months to birth puppies and quintuplets would be much more common in humans. While humans have a menstrual cycle, canines have an estrus cycle. When a dog is in the estrus stage of this cycle, we refer to them being ‘in heat’.

The stages of the heat cycle in dogs are as follows:

1. Proestrus: although it can be difficult to detect, the dog's vulva should become inflamed and there may be some discharge. This discharge may have a little blood which is why some people think dogs have ‘periods’.
2. Estrus: the true ‘heat’ stage when the dog is at their most fertile and feeling the most compelled to mate. The dog ovulates due to high estrogen levels and they will seek out a male for up to 21 days after the beginning of proestrus.
3. Diestrus: this is the period after mating, determining if the dog will indeed become pregnant.
4. Anestrus: this is the period when the dog is no longer fertile and they will, correspondingly, be uninterested in finding a male to mate.

It is natural for a male to seek out a female during this time, they are simply responding to their natural desire to procreate and continue their species. The behavior of both male and female dogs can be erratic and males will also compete with other males for the opportunity to mate. This leads some people to ask, “Do males go into heat?”

Male dogs do not go into heat. A female will go into heat an average of twice a year, the only time during which they are interested in mating. Male dogs can mate at any time of the year and will look for any opportunity to do so. This is, of course, if they have not been castrated. By neutering the dog, you remove the organs which produce sex hormones and remove their sex drive in the process.

Some neighborhoods allow you to have a dog which can run around with relative freedom. They may be well behaved dogs which will generally stay near your property and don't bother your neighbours. This can be the case whether your dog is male or female. There are many benefits, such as allowing the dog to relieve themselves without needing your physical presence, having more access to exercise and providing an enriched environment to meet their needs.

Unfortunately, whether you have a male or female dog, being outside can also lead to problems. Their freedom may be good for the dog, but it may not be something your neighbours will appreciate. When you have a female dog in heat, this is particularly the case. Even if your dog is well behaved, there is always the chance their hormonal changes will lead to erratic behavior which causes problems for your otherwise quiet community.

They may be more aggressive to neighbours as well as strangers. If there are children present, in particular, this can lead to seriously negative consequences for which you as a pet owner will bear responsibility. There is also the issue of other male dogs. Male dogs attracted to a female in heat will also exhibit negative behavior.

If you have a female dog in heat, male dogs may come over to your property, causing damage or riling up your pet. Male dogs are also particularly territorial during this time, so they may often urinate on your property. Of course, there is also the possibility of the dog becoming pregnant.

If your dog is in heat, letting them outside alone and unsupervised should be avoided. It can lead to many problems, many of which you may not expect if you have never seen your dog's behavior during this time. To be honest, you should not have a free roaming dog at any point. There are many dangers and factors which can make this a bad idea, even the simple possibility of becoming lost.

Female dog in heat behavior is not necessarily as aggressive, but they will be signalling their need to reproduce. The physical signs of their heat cycle are explained above, but their behavior can also change. They may:

• Urinate more often.
• Become either lazier or more boisterous.
• Be confused.
• Become more affectionate and look for interactions.
• Raise their rump when males are around.

As you can see, the two dogs are acting together. To prevent unwanted pregnancy, it is vital we keep the male dog away from the female. However, if you are the guardian of a female dog, the responsibility of birthing and rearing the pups will fall to you.

Keeping a clean home is something you should be doing anyway, but this is particularly the case when you have a female dog in heat. Although you may not be able to perceive it, they leave their scent all over the place. This is a hidden sign of their sexual cycle. If you have a male dog in the home, this scent alone can cause them to get overexcited and exhibit their own behavioral problems.

As dogs have such a prodigious sense of smell, keeping this scent under control as much as possible is imperative. If you have a male dog living in the same household as a female dog in heat, it should be fairly obvious that you need to keep them in separate areas of the home. This also means preventing them from using the same materials such as blankets and dog beds. Cleaning the common areas thoroughly will also help to keep their hormones under control and prevent destructive behavior.

You may think it a little strange, but dog underwear is becoming more widely accepted in the canine care community. This acceptance is so much so that pet stores have started to stock specially made doggie pants for the purpose of keeping female dogs healthy during heat periods. They are many styles and types which can be used for both male and female dogs to help with incontinence as well as a female dog's estrous cycle.

However, you don't need to buy special dog underwear if you want to help keep male dogs away from a female dog in heat. Human underwear can be adapted to make doggie pants by either cutting holes or affixing with safety pins. A pad similar to human sanitary napkins can be placed in the underwear so that it absorbs secretions as well as helping to mask the smell. They should also help work as a form of birth control if male dogs tried to mount them.

Changing your dog's walking times can be a very practical solution to this problem. Taking advantage of quieter hours of the day means you can take a female dog in heat out for a walk without having to worry about male dogs bothering them. Your dog may normally be very happy to run around off leash without a problem. However, when they are in heat, it is recommended you keep them on leash.

The reason for keeping female dogs in heat on leash is for both their benefit and others. Not only does it help you keep them calm in the presence of male dogs, as well as helping them to evade the dog's attention, but it means other dogs and people are kept safe from potentially aggressive behavior during this time.

As we stated before, keeping male dogs calm in the presence of female dogs in heat is greatly helped by keeping the scent under control. To help meet this end, there are some other commercially available products which may help. These include anti-odor smells which mask the smell and keep male dogs distracted. Their effectiveness may differ, but they are all designed to help mask or neutralize the pheromones emitted during the heat period. These include methanol scents, similar to Vicks Vaporub which is used for cold related treatments.

Speak to your veterinarian about other medical options which may be able to help keep a dog in heat from being bothered. These include injections designed to regulate the heat cycle. The most common drug for this purpose is known as proligestone which is sold under the brand names of Delvosteron[1] and Covinan. While these drugs can be effective in controlling the estrous cycle of dogs, they are more often used to treat dogs with related problematic issues such as hypersexuality.

Proligestone has been used to treat other health issues in dogs such as problems related to dwarfism in German shepherds[2]. These studies, however, have shown the possibility of adverse side effects. These include obesity, problems with their coat and insulin related issues. These treatments also come in pill form.

These treatments are often used for animals which are too old to go under sterilization surgery. Not only are they expensive options, their use could be detrimental to your a pet's quality of life. If you do want to consider using these treatments, it is very important you speak to your veterinarian first.

If you have a male dog near a female dog in heat, whether looking after a dog for a friend or having these pets grow up together, keeping them calm and distracted can take time. As female dogs have a relatively short period of heat during a year, it can mean male dogs get particularly aggressive in trying to assert dominance when waiting to mate.

As a dog owner, taking your dog out and helping them expend this aggressive energy can be the best way to keep them in check. Make sure you walk them properly, as well as provide them with education and training to keep certain behavior in check. Engage in intelligence games and do what you can to make a female dog the last thing on their mind. This is, unfortunately, much easier said than done.

The last piece of advice we have is the one you should consider first. Unless you are a professional dog breeder with the knowledge and resources to look after puppies, sterilization in the form of spaying or neutering is recommended. Not only does it prevent unwanted pregnancy, but it keeps your dog's general health in check. The psychological state of female and males dogs is also improved after sterilization. It keeps their hormones under control and allows them to enjoy other aspects of life.

In female dogs spaying (the removal of ovaries) will cause them to no longer be in heat. However, there may still be some symptoms of the heat cycle which present themselves. This can cause male dogs to think the dog is in heat. There is also the issue of false pregnancies, whereby the dog's physiology creates pregnancy symptoms without actually being pregnant.

For both female and male dogs, neutering is the best course of action if you want to control male dogs around a female in heat. It will often make the previous steps in this article unnecessary as it takes care of the problem before it occurs.

If you need some more adive on helping to calm a rambunctious dog, our video below may be useful:

If you want to read similar articles to How to Control a Male Dog Around a Female in Heat, we recommend you visit our Heat category.

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