Dane bitch acting like a boy?

[extremepie]

We have 2 Great Danes, one boy and one girl both about a year (boy slightly older).

Neither have been 'done' yet although the girl will be soon, she has had one season and is not due another one any time soon.

Recently the girl dane has been, um....'mounting' the boy, as if she was the boy and he was the girl. She doesn't do anything once she gets there, she just sort of gets 'into position' then looks around and gets down!

The boy doesn't seem bothered at all but I just thought it was a little bit....weird?

Does any one know why she might be doing this? Is it a hormone thing?

I looks so funny to watch!

Whatever

Please get them neutered. No need to wait for the male. Need to get females done half way between seasons

yes get your dogs neutered.

Theo, of course it's not a competition. However, I don't think it's unreasonable to ask why you think the way you do? Surely that's how a discussion works and I'm certainly always interested in the opinions of others and I definitely haven't been rude to you.

Why do I think the way I do? Trained with the US Army and have since fostered 46 dogs who I have been responsible for assessing as to whether they can be rehomed. I have dogs, cats and birds who alllive together happily. New animals brought into the house are sniffed and checked out but largely left alone unless any aggression is shown towards the family. We have a feeding and walking routine and my dogs and other pets are very happy. We do not bully or abuse our dogs, we adore our pets and extended pets and I resent being told that the years of what I thought was good work is actually stupid and ignorant crap because a few internet people have tried to backlash Cesar Milan (who I agree is a bit of a pratt) and try to make everyone feel like they don't know what they are doing. I have to sign the death warrants of some of the dogs I assess, maybe you would think that they have been mercilessly killed instead of taken to be PTS as an absolutely last resort with many tears from all of us and usually only because I have been bitten. But, what the Hell, what do I know!

how does any of that prove pack theory theo

I am not saying anything about pack theory I am talking about the way you guys jump on people who do not share the views of others...I think Midori attacked me with the work Bunkem or maybe bosh the first time I posted on dog matters. Just leave me alone.

theo this is a public forum. when you post stuff in an area that people have studied or know alot about they will respond with the benefit of their knowledge or experience. sometime what they say will be different to what you have always believed. it doesn't mean you are being attacked. they are giving an opinion, it just happens to differ from yours.

FWIW i have been here for almost 4 years and midori is one of the nicest posters i have come across. i have never seen her attack anyone. i have seen her become angry but never attacking.

im afraid if you want to be left alone then you might want to reconsider posting on a public internet forum.

Could you be more patronising? See ya

er yeah because i wasn't trying to be patronising. i think you need to consider why you have such a problem with people giving you their opinions.

Because you don't have opinons because they are not up for discussion. Anyway, things like this really upset me, I do not want to argue and bicker with strangers, please just leave it. If I see a thread you have posted on to do with dogs I will avoid it. Please just leave it now.

i haven't given you any opinion. nor have i said anything isn't up for discussion. you are being very silly.

Theodorakis, that is an amazing number of dogs you have fostered. Thank you for your rescue work. That makes me all the more surprised that you aren't interested to learn about developments in canine psychology. There is a lot of excellent scientific research about canine behaviour now and it helps us to understand dogs better than we used to. I think you'll find some of the links upthread interesting and they might help you do what you do even better.

For someone that does not want to play upmanship with dogs you are doing well theodorakis I could quote qualifications etc .........

However just one thought having worked with dogs in a professional capacity for a very long time and never been bitten and you have in itself is interesting. Maybe that is testament to different training theories.

Do not pick on IamBooyhoo who is a sweetie from her posts and is only trying to explain in clear english another persons point of view and that we are not getting at you personally just have a difference of opinion.

Midori asked you what you did not like about non dominance pack theory specifically and you have yet to enter into an intelligent debate just to rant and rave at the rest of us. It weird.

I have asked you to leave me alone. I will continue to ask you to leave me alone.

if you dont want people to engage with you why keep responding? just ignore if you dont want to talk to people.

It's "discussions" like these that give the doghouse a bad name....No wonder people are afraid to post here

sorry, but what about this thread is scary?

Because it is not a discussion, it is proselytising. Snoopy and Midori, do you care to comment on the article I posted? It is by a positive training expert and she talks about one of the causes of humping being dominance.

Sorry Extremepie for this to go so off topic

I would welcome a discussion so lets start again. My understanding is the following and that is what I base my comments on. Of course I have cut it short as I can go on about this for hours

There is an alternative concept to the belief that dominance is the way to treat and train dogs.

The dominance theory is based on several issues:-

1. Wolf social structure is used to explain the linear dominance hierarchy in which there is a constant battle to be alpha or top dog/wolf and need to dominant the rest of the pack.

1. Domestic dogs are descended from wolves and therefore the same must apply.

3.Domestic dogs are trying to dominate us.

4.We should make sure that dogs know we are alpha and dominate them by enforcing strict rules often harshly.

However what is seen to be at fault with this theory after other detailed studies is that answering each point above in turn:_

1.The wolf social structure is more involved and sophisticated than a linear dominance. Wolves have friendships and live together harmoniously, not aggressively.

2.Dogs are NOT wolves and behave totally differently. Domestic dogs were selectively breed to be less fearful and more easily socialised than wolves (No wolf pack has even been "tamed" even if hand reared for several generations). Wolves are not able share their lives with people in the same way that dogs can - it has been tried many many many times.

3.My dogs really do not want to dominate me - he just wants to please me constantly

4.If were this easy there would be no aggressive dogs, or badly behaved dogs. It is very easy to be strict, dominate an animal yet we still have disobedient dogs. Jean Donaldson states that "the whole idea dominance idea is so out of proportion that entire schools of training are based on the premise that if you can just exert adequate dominance over the dog, everything else falls into place. This is dangerous and incredible amounts of abuses are going to be perpetrated against dogs.

Another myth is that if you do not believe in the dominance theory you have a dog that does what it wants, is not trained etc. All dogs need rules and it is up to the owner to decide what rules they want to live with eg sit, allowed o the sofa, not allowed on the sofa etc.

I welcome differing views to this - It will be interesting to hear other opinions.

Thanks for all your replies, even the ones which were slightly off-topic :D

I think it is mostly playful as she is always trying to jump on him and play with him, he is much more calm and placid out of the two where as she is much more 'naughty' and playful generally!

I do also think that she wants to put him in his place a little bit, we had her first and only got the boy about 6 months ago - (at first they went for each other but they get on great now) - she is always trying to steal food off him, get out the door first when we go for a walk and so on.

He does not seem bothered in the slightest about her mounting him, he doesn't even react so I'm not too concerned but it does look pretty funny when she does it!

I have carefully read the links on here and the thing is, I never said anything about human/canine domination. I do believe that dogs and cats (and birds and the occasional monkey) in my house have to find their natural balance and pecking order without my interaction and interference. This means we have a harmonious home and I stand by the fact that my dogs do mount over pecking order although, obviously sometimes it is exuberant, play or mating behaviour.
i do not, have never and never would attempt to lead or dominate any of my animals. I lay awake thinking about this last night on a bed containing one man, 2 dogs, 3 cats, me and a few hundred bloody ticks and I realised that maybe using the word dominant may have inflamed people who feel passionate about a theory that i do not follow as a human/animal interaction. I believe it would be very short sighted not to believe that certain situations, such as a new pet or death of an established pet may lead to humping. Please note, however, I do not bully, overbear, hit or shout at my dogs and I think that any blinkered refusal to accept certain aspects of a theory (a theory) is wrong. i most certainly do not agree with all I have read and I do believe that people can be a bit bloody precious about it but that said, I do not subscribe to humans dominating dogs in a human language. cats is another story, chance would be a fine thing.

Theodorakis the very fact that you were lying awake thinking about this tells us how much you care for your animals.

Maybe the word dominant did kick things off - there are still so many people that believe that alpha rolling is the way to go and that a jerk on the choke collar will stop pulling etc. I agree with you entirely about never shouting, hitting, bullying any of my dogs.

I do believe that dogs work better if they are happy content and rewarded. Also that dogs are more likely to repeat a behaviour if it is rewarded. However my dogs have boundaries and they try their hardest to please me constantly. I do not see that as me being dominant just a happy group of dogs who have a great life!

I also recognise that the more dogs I come into contact with, that I am only as good a trainer as the last dog I trained! Dogs come in all shapes and sizes, temperaments etc what treat works for one will not for another etc. One of my dogs makes me seem like the best trainer in the world, one command and he has got it, another of my dogs is more challenging! But what I love about him is that he has actually made me think outside of the box and we are getting there.

Sorry if this thread upset you - none of it was a personal attack on you.

Ok let's forget the rows and agree that we are both passionate about saving dogs by making sure they are sociable and safe

agreed