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Toby is 6 lb neutered 2 year old maltese we rescued about 2 months ago. He has become a great addition to our family but something strange is going on. He loves our 10 year old bichon and the two 15 lb cats and our daughters but lately he is humping them all. Yikes. The girls are only 9 and I'm having a hard time explaining to them what he is doing.
Depending on how long he's been fixed, it can take up to a year to take the sex drive away.
However, mounting in a neutered male is generally a sign of dominance. He is trying to dominate the other animals and the children. This needs to be addressed. When he mounts a child (on the leg?) push him down and away and give him a firm "No!"
The animals will work it out for themselves normally. However, you can always stop him by removing him and again giving him a firm, "No!"
If this does not stop him, when he mounts, you remove him to another room by himself for two to three minutes, then let him out. Again, as you are picking him up from the mounted position, give him the firm, "No." He will connect mounting and immediately being put in a room alone for a short period. (He will hate being alone.) Usually within two weeks (sometimes less,) they get it and stop the unwanted behavior.
Mounting is caused by two things: hormones and dominance. The hormones have been removed. That leaves dominance.
He is most likely showing other dominate behavior. Does he ever approach other animals and put one or both front paws on their shoulders? Or does he try and stand over them? Does he guard food or toys? When in someone's lap and someone's or an animal approaches, does he growl? Is he allowed on the bed or furniture? If so, when approached by people or animals, does he growl? If you answer yes to any of these questions, he is showing other signs of dominate behavior.
Last edited by LuvABull.Denver; 11-08-2011 at 04:31 AM..
Reason: Need a spell check button!!!
I have a maltipoo and a yorkie, they both have been neutered and they occasionally 'hump' each other, the cats and the spayed females one being a Wiemaraner :. I think they are just trying to show they are really 'The Big Dog'.
I would tell your children as Luv stated 'he is trying to show off and be the boss'.
Humping has Nothing to do with sex...its ALL about Who's the Boss! How about TRaining him.... IF he knows commands the girls can say put him in a Sit or Down... Kinda hard to Hump in those positions LOL
typically i dont correct animal on animal humping unless its getting to the overdone point, its a form of dominance establishment...
and given hes a relitivly new addition to your home it makes sense forhim to hump the other animals, pin them, ect, hes trying to figure out his place in the pack and unless the other animals correcthim for this, hell eventually take rank over them...this is the way it goes, some dogs are more than happy to "step down" so as long as the humping isnt leading to agressive behaviours or making the other animals in the home uncomfortable i generally let that be...
however the fact that hes humping the kids, thats not acceptable, hes treating them like other canines in the pack and attempting to dominate them also...humans should ALWAYS be "top dog" no matter what their age...
so doggy needs some boundries set.
right now hes doin it because he can and because hes insecurered ...the kids havent assured him of their strength as of yet (and why would they, there just kids) but there going to have to...
this means humans are in charge...if hes not challenging you as an adult you would do well deligating some of the doggy chores to the kids (or have them help you) practice a nothing in life is free method with food and toys he must EARN it.
have the kids feed him (assuming no food agression) have the kids (use a different child each time) hold the bowl, make him sit and wait...once hes sitting patiently they can put the bowl down, but he must wait untill hes told "ok" or another simple go ahead command. if his tush leaves the floor before the bowl is on the ground or before hes given the command, pick it back up imediatly, he doesnt eat untill you (or the kids) tell him to.
same goes for treats or a toy, he must do something to earn it, sit, down, spin in a circle, give a paw.
this reinforcment that "im" (as the human) in charge of this item and you can have it when i say you can is an EASY and clear way of showing him these humans are above me on the food chain.
dogs arnt stupid...trying to act like your a dog (ie, alpha rolling, growling) doesnt work, they know yournot a dog.
unfotunatly however they do speak a completly different language and dont understand yelling physical punishment ect...
so we have to find that happy medium, a language both the dog and the human can speak and NILF training is a great way of doing that.
get the kids involved with all aspects of his life as strong but gentle leaders.
when hes humping i would simply have the kids push him off with a firm no, if it continues they remove themselves form the situation...they simply leave the room, or leave him alone..
if you swoop in pck him up and remove him your reinforcing that your the boss, but the kids arnt establishing that they too are higher ranked, not to mentionby the time youve swooped him up and put himin another room for a fe mins the association is fuzzy at best...
association needs to be imedate so hed associate being picked up with the humping and not realy the rest of the action...
instead by al fun stopping when he starts humping by removing yourself from the room, he associates humping with that person leaving...
(i do the same for biting and agressive play too...all fun stops IMEDIATLY. give him a few mins to settle then return and give him seomthign more appropriate to focus on...
thanks everybody for suggestions. The kids already take a great deal of responsibility with the dogs. They walk them after school and feed them most of the time. the humping happened when there was some grabass on the floor and I think he got too excited-not sexual- but stimulated. It's only happened 2 times this past weekend. But he has been doing it to our old lady dog. she doesn't seem to care but I sure do!
Poor Toby is a bit confused. Several times I've seen him take his favorite toy or tennis ball and put it in front of a cat just begging for the item to be thrown. Just cracks me up. Cats are not amused....
lol, Jasper does the same thing throwing toys at the cats like "hey look play with me" the cats responce is usually a roll of the eyes and that sigh that says "we dont play with dogs" :P
id doesnt sound like an agressive dominance behaviour, hes probably just confsed, excited and trying to figure out his place in his new family
Humping has Nothing to do with sex...its ALL about Who's the Boss! How about TRaining him.... IF he knows commands the girls can say put him in a Sit or Down... Kinda hard to Hump in those positions LOL
I have read in recent behavior articles that humping may not be a dog showing off he is dominant but rather may just be play.As much as we tend to dislike the behavior some dogs enjoy it. And at the park many of the big time humpers are neutered or are females!!! And they also are not the dominant acting dogs.
I think what stops them the best are other dogs that do not enjoy that type of play saying Leave me alone with a snarl and snap of teeth.
I have read in recent behavior articles that humping may not be a dog showing off he is dominant but rather may just be play.As much as we tend to dislike the behavior some dogs enjoy it. And at the park many of the big time humpers are neutered or are females!!! And they also are not the dominant acting dogs.
I think what stops them the best are other dogs that do not enjoy that type of play saying Leave me alone with a snarl and snap of teeth.
This is definately true for my Rat Terrier/Chihuahua mix, most of the time he's just having fun with dogs he really likes!
I think the dominance thing is overstated, otherwise he would mount a heck of alot more dogs. Plus sometimes he wants to dominate small children (if they are scared of him), but he doesn't mount.
I also strongly believe nuetered dogs still have 'feelings' left; sometimes I think castration is more like a vasectomy. This dog will mount most bull dogs around the head because they often will give him oral sex! (sorry for that visual)
And when he's with his pal the Bernese Mtn dog, his affection for him is so strong he just wants to hug him and lick him (and sometimes hump).
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Dominance...
:. I think they are just trying to show they are really 'The Big Dog'. 
