one excited dog

[Dog Obsessed]

Hello There,

I've recently become very concerned about my dog, Yoshi, and his "social development". Yoshi will be 1 years old on September 14th. It's not that Yoshi is aggressive, because he isn't at all. It's the fact that he's too excited to meet new dogs--in a sense that he humps other dogs sometimes. This issue is embarrassing, if you could imagine. Would having him fixed actually fix the problem of him humping other dogs, or would it just result in not helping this issue? I would really love some help and advice with this. Thanks.

-Dog Obsessed

[kuritsa18]

Hello dog obsessed,

That's a pretty funny problem I would think getting him fixed would help with the humping since the urge to do that would be minimized. But I also think this is normal/natural behaviour for dogs. Even females will hump stuff sometimes even when they are 'fixed'. I have never had this problem with my dog but I have seen other dogs do it.

I saw a dog behaviour show with a situation like yours on it and the reason the dog did this was to show dominance over the other dog. Does he do it to just females or males too? If it is just females then maybe it's just the hormones (his natural reaction to do this) but if it is males too maybe he is trying to show them he his the boss or the 'stud'

Another reason for excited behaviour is if he hasn't been around a lot of other dogs then he will get excited to see them. Once he starts being around other dogs more and getting used to that then he should calm down. Getting him fixed will help calm him down and improve his temperment. If you are worried about socialization then you could take him too obedience classes where there are other dogs or a odggy day care where he can play with other dogs and get used to that. But, most places want your dog to be fixed before they will take them so any mating won't happen You can call around to different places and ask what their policy is on that.

Good luck!

[Dog Obsessed]

Hello there!

Thank you! I really appreciate it. He does do it to both males and females. I suppose I should just socialize him more with other dogs, like you said. And possibly look into a class or something. Thanks again!

-Dog Obsessed

[herediachar]

A dobie i had years ago started doing this, female, and like many times when I want to change an unwanted behavior I started noticing what my dog does just before she acts out that behavior...I say "no sir (quickly), wanna treat"...all my dogs know that a treat could be something to eat or something fun to do, in this
case, this dog liked the spot just above her tail scratched and as I scratched I would say hum/treat/hum hum repeatedly and of course she liked any of the eat'em treats, when I give them this kind of treat I say good treat. It got to where she noticed what my behavior was just before she was going to "do it" and she knew what was coming and she quit. No harsh discipline. If she went through with the act we would return home or I would have her sit by me and wait before she could do anything else. Helpful I hope.

[Dog Obsessed]

Thanks, herediachar!

that's very helpful!

- Dog Obsessed

[prolibertate]

Neutering the dog isn't going to make the humping go away; not unless the dog is neutered before 6 months, and even them it's no guarantee. But neutering will help prevent some nasty health problems that one's dog can get, so unless you plan to breed him, neutering is the best thing you could do for him.

As far as humping, you have to train him to not do it, much like you'd train him to not do other things such as jump, bark, bite, etc. There are a number of excellent books out there by Pat McConnell, Jean Donaldson, Jan Fennel, that discuss how to stop this behavior. But remember, if you get over anxious and excited, yelling no and pulling your dog away when he humps another dog, that's not going to make him stop; he'll think you're cheering him on. Instead, remain calm, call him to you (make sure he learns the come command reliably while distractions are happening) and then distract him with a chew toy, play, or make him sit and give him a treat.