Ok, why is my lurcher treating my bitch as if she's in heat when she's spayed?

[moosemama]

I have two dogs. A entire lurcher and a 12 year old BC x Belgian Shepherd.
The bitch was spayed when she was young and up until today my male dog has never shown any interest at all in bitches in general, but certainly not my own bitch.

This afternoon he was in the garden when he suddenly came up and started scratching the door frantically to get in. I let him in and he was acting really agitated, champing his mouth and drooling all over the floor.

My first thought was that he must have ingested something, but as we only have lawn and one greengage tree I couldn't imagine what. Checked him over and he seemed physically fine, no swellings, throat, neck and mouth all clear etc.

Eventually he settled down to sleep and seemed to have got over it, so I wondered if he had just spooked at something and it had all been a panic response.

A little while later ds1 came to tell me that he (the dog not ds1) was harrassing our girl, who was asleep in her bed under the table. Went to check and he was shoving his nose up her back end, champing and drooling again - pretty much as if he thought she was in season.

Told him to go back to his own bed and he did, then inside of half an hour he was up nagging me to let him out.

Opened the back door and he stood on the back step looking scared, sniffing the air and doing some low barks, then he shot up the garden with his hackles up, looking really panicked - then back to our girl and doing the same as before, checking her rear end champing and drooling, so I brought him in gave him and her a check over - again (no sign of anything) and put him back in his bed.

He seems ok again now, happily standing in his favourite spot waiting for dh to arrive home.

So, as far as I see it the possibilities seem to be:

1. He's not well. Obviously if he shows any other signs or is no better I will take him to the vet first thing tomorrow.
   

1. Is it possible that he's smelling another bitch from a distance and not understanding why - hence repeatedly checking our bitch? (We live backing onto a park which is the most popular local dog walk.)
   

1. Could there be something wrong with our girl that's making her smell enticing - even though she's spayed?
   

I know I seem to come on with these - why is my dog behaving so oddly threads recently - am really hoping this one turns out to be nothing serious - last time it was my girl and it was touch and go for a while - so am slightly paranoid.

Would be grateful for any thoughs/ ideas.

[alice15]

Actually, all three of your possibilities sound possible to me. Bitches with urinary or genital infections are often attractive to male dogs, so c) is possible; dogs can behave strangely if there is a bitch in season in the vicinity, so b) is possible - and the changes may be in his mind, so a) is possible. I'd keep an eye on the bitch overnight and see if she is urinating more often, or different from normal in any other way; if it's not clear by the morning which of them has the problem, and if things haven't settled down, then it might be wise to take them both to the vet - ideally with a urine sample from the bitch too, which they can test to check out c). Odd, though!

[moosemama]

Thank you for replying alice15. I have to admit, it had me totally bemused yesterday afternoon/evening.

He settled down eventually last night and its been business as usual this morning though, so I'm thinking there must have been another bitch around yesterday afternoon and it unsettled him.

Will keep a close eye on them both today though, just in case.