Train your male dogs around bitches in season

Did you know that in many countries, in-season female dogs are allowed to compete in dog sports alongside entire males?

It is common in plenty of sports, including agility, hoopers, protection sports and obedience. Highly-trained males are still able to perform excellently with the added distraction of a good-smelling lady around. Often, bitches in season are brought into their training sessions with the sole purpose of desensitizing them.

I believe that this sort of training shouldn’t just be for sports dogs, but all pet dogs.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but if a male dog runs away in pursuit of an on-lead, under-control bitch in season (BIS) or even the old scent of one that has long passed through the area, they are out of control. It is common courtesy for BIS owners to walk in remote places, earlier in the morning or late at night, but the scent will linger throughout the day, and sometimes this just isn’t possible.

With the potential health and behaviour risks of neutering now being more well-known, and fewer dogs being neutered too young (which is a good thing!), not being able to focus around a BIS is a common side effect.

Wanting to mate with an in-season bitch is an inherent need, but so is eating and drinking. If our dogs are expected to and taught to not run over and steal from the burger van at agility shows, people picnicking in the park or children eating ice-creams, we can hold the same standards when it comes to males around in-season females.

But just like other training, it takes time. You might see your dog completely glaze over and be unable to function around the scent, and believe it’s impossible to teach them to ignore it, so the only option is to give up on any hopes of training through it. Except that’s not the case.

If your friends have a bitch in season, instead of avoiding them for a few weeks, ask to meet up with them. Maybe go for an on-lead road walk together, with your entire male on one side of the street and your friend on the other. He may be agitated at first, but it’s worth persevering. Ask your friend to wipe her in-season girl with a towel and then teach your dog tricks in the presence of the scented towel. Do training sessions with your dog alongside the bitch in season, obviously being careful that they’re both under control at all times.

I allow in-season dogs to attend my classes, even ones with entire males, because I believe it is so important for the males to learn to control themselves and listen to their owners around the distraction. In an agility session, I’d rather a male dog disengage from a BIS for the hour and maybe do a few jumps, than them just avoid the scent altogether. Pretty much every time, once the male dog learns he doesn’t just get to run over to the female, he will focus on his owner again and be able to complete the class properly.

Learning to ignore a BIS should be a life skill for entire male dogs, because it can certainly be a life saver. Plenty of male dogs run away, and often get injured, whilst pursuing an in-season bitch, and since they’re following scent particles that are impossible for humans to detect, we aren’t able to tell when or where they might smell a BIS. Do you let your dog off-lead, knowing that he may disappear, or do you keep him on-lead for his entire life, just in case?

A bitch in season is irresistible to a dog in the way a cheeseburger is. And yet, trainers can put a cheeseburger on the floor, ask their dogs to leave it, and it won’t be touched. We don’t think it’s possible, so we don’t try teaching it.

If you have an entire male, it is your responsibility to keep your dog safe. If they go off-lead in public places and are prone to following the scent of an in-season bitch, then for their safety and for the safety of others, that needs to be worked on.

(I know some females are as bad as males when they are in season, and may run away in search of a mate, so this applies to them, too)