Can dogs smell a woman on her period?

[Lola86]

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Hello everyone! I'm looking for some advise please! This is a bit of a weired one but can dogs smell/sense when a woman is on her period? I've got a terrier cross called Dennis and have had him for nearly 4years he has not been neutered. I've not had a period for that time as I've been on birth control. Recently however I've stopped the birth control and the last two days have known I'm about to start my period. Now yesterday and inparticular today he has been agresive towards my other dog, a bitch called Gracie, when ever she gets anywhere near me. Although he can get a bit moody when she interferes when he's eating or when she annoys him when he doesn't want to play he's never behaved like this before with her. For example this afternoon I was sat out in the garden and everytime she got to close he would bark and snarl and chase her off. Also later on I was sat in the living room with Gracie when dennis came in and sat by my feet and started growling then all of a sudden he just went for her. He hadn't injured her yet but I'm scared he will so I have been keeping them apart. If indeed he is behaving this way because of my period will neutering him help? I would hate to think we will have to go through this every month! Also he is 10 years old I was wondering if it's safe putting a senior dog through neutering anyway? Any advise anyone has will be much appreciated. Many thanks!

 

[goldenbear2013]

Hi there,

Dogs can sense when people are unwell or going through changes in their lives, and having your period may also be one of those things that he senses.

I wouldn't dwell on this too much, you need to focus on his behavior. If he is 10 years old having and still in tact then talk to vet about neutering. I'm honestly not sure if this will make a difference to him with him being in the senior years of his life.

His reaction could also be if he is not feeling well. If you go to the vet to discuss neutering get him to give him a once over whilst he is there just to put your mind at ease.

If it's purely behavior then what I would say is as soon as Dennis behaves in manner that is not acceptable to you, give him a firm "NO" command and remove him from the room, and put him somewhere out the way; the kitchen for example. Do not let him back into the room with you and your other dog until he is calm. Repeat this process for as long as possible.

He has to learn that he is not allowed to dominate you or the other dog, you have to live as a pack and you the disciplinarian not him.

With feeding times again, keep them separate. Don't let either dog near the other when they are eating. Feed them at different times if needs be. This way they are not on automatic alert against the other when they are eating.

Now I must stress that you must be consistent with this method. You must preserver even if it means that you put him in a quiet room 40 times in an hour, he must learn that NO means NO and that he cannot behave that way.

if you only do this half the time he wont take your seriously and the problem could potentially escalate where he ends up hurting your other dog and even worse you!

I hope this helps and I hope you get this nipped in the bud soon!

All the best

Sophie x

 

[eingana]

How could a dog that's got a sense of smell hundreds of times more sensitive than ours, which is sensitive enough to sniff out the minuscule changes in a human body to predict an epileptic fit an hour before the person it's happening to knows about it NOT be able to tell when there's a woman having a huge hormonal change?

Your dog knows when you're not well, he normally knows when you're not having a period, he will know when you are having a period, he will know if you conceive (I know several people who have commented that their dog was the first to know when they got pregnant) and if you were to have a baby he would know that the baby was part of his pack from the first day too. All of these things change our hormonal state and these hormonal changes are exactly why dogs sniff where other dogs have scent marked and also sniff other dogs' back ends when they greet. If you don't have words, these are how you communicate and these behaviours are completely normal to him.

I don't think that neutering him at this point will change behaviours that he's had 10 years to entrench in his behaviour. They are as much led by habit as by hormones now, and putting him through an operation when it's not likely to produce the changes you're looking for doesn't make sense.

He does need checking to make sure he's not in pain though, so a check over with the vet is a good plan.

I'd separate feeding too, and then start him on a program of desensitising him to your other dog and out of his possessive and jealous behaviour.

As Sophie said, it will take consistency and vigilance from you. Don't take him out of the room when he's snapped at your other dog, take him out at the very first sign that he's trying to boss you, any other human or any dog around. The first curled lip or growl when he's standing next to you and trying to warn others away from you, the first time he twitches into resource guarding from anybody, including your other dog. His food in his bowl at dinner time is his, in a way that is separated from her, but everything else is yours and you control whether and when he has access to it.

Good luck