What does a ‘stiff-legged face-off’ look like in Danes?

How can I tell if a Dane is protecting me?

Does neutering actually help reduce aggression in same-sex pairs?

A stiff-legged face-off involves a dog adopting a rigid posture, with their tail carried unnaturally high to make themselves appear larger and more intimidating. You may also notice their tail wagging, but it will be a stiff wag that lacks the relaxed “butt wag” normally associated with a happy, friendly dog.

If your dog is positioning itself between you and other dogs to keep them away, it is actually resource-guarding you rather than protecting you. Your dog is effectively treating you like a highly-valued bone, which is a common warning sign of serious social tension and interdog aggression in the home.

Neutering can help reduce aggression in male pairings, but it is not a complete fix. In intact males, testosterone can facilitate fighting by making them react more quickly and at higher intensity. Castration removes these hormones and is reported to diminish fighting in approximately 60% of dogs with these problems. However, aggression involves heavily learned behavioral components that do not disappear simply because the hormones are gone. Therefore, you must pair neutering with behavior modification training to truly change how the dogs interact.

For female pairings, research indicates that female hormones do not play a large role in interdog aggression. While spaying will not necessarily cure aggressive behavior, the mood and appetite changes a female experiences before and during her heat cycle can certainly exacerbate any mild pre-existing tension between the dogs.