Mumsnet Talk

god I am laughing at myself now, but does it mean humping?

I am having not very important issue with my dogs and googled to see I was doing the right thing and was met with stuff about not allowing the other dog to mount the other and dominance behaviour that sounds like something out of the 1960s

anyway the issue was little dog has been doing little growls at the older dog <snigger> and older dog has really quite had enough today and seems to be herding her quite a lot and trying to take her in hand, not agressively but her face is very serious.

Does anyone have a good recommendation for a good behavioural book? They are both border collies, I have had border collies before and I think I know what I am doing but I am at that time in my life where I worry and get paranoid about everything

Thanks

Yes....it does, lol! It means stop letting your dog clamber on top of and shag everything it sees . Can't recommend a book I'm afraid - a roar and the threat of a bucket of cold water might work

No advice to give but we had a golden retriever when I was young and when ever she met her sister (my cousins dog) they humped each other. Usually my dog humping the cousins dog.

Seems like a dominance issue.

luckily there is no humping going on in this house
dogs or otherwise

Coitus is going to happen

sorry i meant mounting I just wanted to know what it meant

they are not humping at all

I am a bit more concerned about the herding becoming a later problem. It's pretty mild atm and I needed to refresh my memory

God I am useless post starter as well

If from the side it's a play invite. if from the front or rear it is a dominance; I'm in charge here statement generally. My bassett used to s**g the labrador's head!

Get a water spray and use it when unnacceptable behaviour starts...'specially when the vicar comes round

Not dominance ever. Humping usually emotional response generally over excitement and a wish to play.

I would work hard on stopping the herding behaviour though. If it is just big dog saying thats enough and little dog does stop great.

If it is true herding eg barging into little dog or nipping at ankles of little dog I would work really hard on preventing the trigger. So when little dog starts to hassle big dog I would intervene and side track little dog.

My dog psychologist told me it was dominance, Cuebill

Devil Dog used to be terrible for this. He is the reason my nephew is afraid of all dogs now and not just large ones

We'd just got him, my nephew was stood by the table and just started crying, no-one saw the dog under the table humping his leg

I figured it was excitement pretty quick, he used to do it a lot when greeting people, he now only does it when I first come back home. He does not hump toddlers anymore, I am pleased to say, nor does he pee on lolipop lady's sticks

I just put him on time out when he starts, by quietly removing him from the source of excitement to a different room until he is calmer.

I would be very wary of anyone that called themselves a dog psychologist Mynewmoniker not such thing Dog behaviourist maybe.

Sorry they are wrong

It can be nervousness but not dominance.

neither of my dogs are mounting anything. I was just a bit aghast that a quick google of another problem was focussed on mounting and dominance as I think it's old fashioned aswell. God I really didn't explain very well.

She isn't herding by knocking into her and biting her legs, she is rounding her up. If little dog is doing something she doesn't like she will growl or hiss at her and then round her away from whatever it is. Is this still normal after 6-7 weeks of being together?

I think i need to read up on dog behaviour again, are there any recent books available?

John Bradshaw In Defense of Dogs gives a good insight into why dogs behave the way they do and The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson.