A stray male cow dog wandered up to my place a few weeks ago. He was
almost starved and needed a lot of water and sleep. My other dog
needed a companion for a while, so I fed, watered and took care of him.
Recently, I've had to tie the dogs down due to their tendency to
wander. The stray has been vaccinated but not neutered because he was
only a year old or less. Time now to neuter or take him to the
shelter, because he resists being tied down, will roam and bother other
pets in the neighborhood. Since he roamed in the wild for I don't know
how long, he is very independent and will not respond to being called
and if I let him off the tether ( leash is not strong enough) he will
come back only to rest and get food and water. There is increasing
competition for food, water and affection between my two dogs because
of the cow dog. He wants to be dominant and free. Until recently, my
dogs could run free but there is more call for leash laws in this rural
area. Men don't care - they'd let their dogs run free if and when they
can. It's natural for dogs to be able to run free and play, explore
and hunt - male dogs, that is. The population would be kept down my
natural means - dog fights, cat fights, run overs, shootings, disease,
etc. - but people would get bit and other pets would too and this is
unacceptable on the whole. The domestication effort are coming from
women who want to their pets tied down as well as their husbands, have
free-range hens, etc. and don't want other dogs or animals coming on
their property. Of course, I'm partially kidding here. Men don't want
to have do deal with other pets and animals straying onto their
property either. Many of them usually deal with it by shooting or
running over before calling the local dog catcher. This is
understandable as my freedom ends where my neighbor's land begins.

My question is, will neutering cure the problem dog of these
independent and aggressive behaviors or has he been in the wild too
long, early in his life, and will he carry these tendencies with him
until he gets a few years older and settles down?


--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Jed Clampett wrote:

My question is, will neutering cure the problem dog of these independent
and aggressive behaviors or has he been in the wild too long, early in
his life, and will he carry these tendencies with him until he gets a
few years older and settles down?

If he'd been in the wild, I would expect him to be shy and
frightened of humans. He sounds like a dumped dog, not a feral one.

In any event, I think your best bet is to neuter him and rehome him
with someone who will obedience train him and make an indoor pet of
him. Letting him roam is just asking for trouble. At the very
least, neuter him if you intend to let him roam. It may not stop
him from running off, but it *will* stop him from fathering any more
unwanted puppies.

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)

Jed Clampett wrote :
... He wants to be dominant and free.

I seriously doubt it.

My question is, will neutering cure the problem dog of these
independent and aggressive behaviors

Depends. Are you planning the surgery for the dog, or yourself?

or has he been in the wild too
long, early in his life, and will he carry these tendencies with him
until he gets a few years older and settles down?

Time cures many things, but temperament and experience cannot be changed by
the mere passage of time.

--
Mary & the depleted Ames National Zoo
(Ranger, Duke, Rhia-cat)