Humping in the dog park - etiquette query.

[dylexicdementor11]

My lovely little 5 month old intact male puppy started humping a female dog today in the dog park.
The owners were horrified. I apologized profusely and put my puppy back on a lead and kept him by my side until they left.
I realize that my puppy could be sexually mature and could impregnate a female dog but the owners acted as if their dog had been violated.

We have not decided when or if we will neuter our puppy when he’s older but in the meantime I wouldn’t want to upset dog owners with my randy puppy.

Any tips on how to play nice in the dog park? Should I keep a male dog on a lead at all times unless he’s neutered? TIA

I'd say that in terms of the etiquette of what is and isn't ok for your dog to do to another dog when out on a walk, humping is on a par with other forms of interaction: ie, it needs to be something that is managed by training so that you have enough control to call your dog away if the behaviour is distressing/unwanted on the part of the other dog (or its owners).
The only difference is that humping other dogs is probably more self-reinforcing than other activities, ie pleasurable in a way that means the more you allow your dog to do it, the more it will become an entrenched behaviour. So it is important to interrupt it.

Whether or not the other owners were being a bit precious depends on how difficult the behaviour was for the other dog.
Humping is a world away from actual penetration so 'violation' is a borderline offensive way to describe the possible difficulties for the other dog, but like any other kind of very physical interaction it is capable of hurting the other dog and making it feel overwhelmed and nervous, esp if your puppy is quite large).
My dog humped a bit when a puppy but it was restricted to my dressing gown and my cagoule . He is nearly three and not neutered but he doesn't try to hump other dogs. With some dogs he is capable of being a bit of a nuisance by smelling them too persistently and intensively (if I don't call him away and put him on lead)- but that is just an issue for general training, esp recall training

I know plenty of intact male dogs who are safe off-lead because, yup, they have been taught a reliable recall.

OP, a bitch not ready to 'stand' (be mated) is quite likely to give an unwanted suitor a piece of her mind. Spayed bitches likewise. But sometimes dogs who know each other get a bit humpy.

A voice of reason in an otherwise batshit thread.

Dog breeder here

Dogs sometimes do it as a dominance thing, one of my boys humps other boys and one of my girls humps the other girl when she is in season. If a bitch isn’t in season then the boy wouldn’t be able to penetrate anyway so it’s not like he’s hurting her.

Hes a baby still, far too young to be neutered and he’s learning what’s acceptable. They over reacted, he needs to be off lead and the chances of him sireing a litter at the park is remote. It’s an in season girl who shouldn’t be around other dogs

My spayed female dog humps her best friend, another female spayed dog when she's overjoyed to see her.

She also humps another much larger neutered male dog who she also adores.

It's an infrequent occurrence but All dogs involved seem slightly bemused by it, not least my dog.

All owners find it bloody hilarious. 🤷‍♀️

This thread just shows me how batshit people have humanised dogs 😂 violated though 🤣

Humping in the dog park is uncivilised. Don't do it. And keep your Whole Dog on a lead if around other dogs who may be in season.

Oh FFS the answers...dogs hump stuff, males, females, doesn't have to be sexual, especially in a 5mo puppy.
Being horrified is ridiculous, just separate the dogs because that could lead to aggression, but no need to make a big deal.

This

What a bonkers thread 😂

While humping can be sexual it's often a sign of overstimulation and stress, especially if it's in a busy environment with lots of dogs.

All neutering will do is stop pregnancy, it won't necessarily prevent the humping from taking place.

Actually@momtoboys, this particular gem may not be BS. Our vet suggested we leave our male intact longer than would be usual, as he was somewhat submissive. Neutering before he was mature could have led to nervous aggression.
We did neuter him at 3 or so, when his growing ‘confidence’ was dragging me around looking for them bitches!

I have working dogs. Always had males. This is a training issue. Mine are off the lead, working with bitches in close proximity and never has there been an issue. None of mine are neutered - and actually there are good reasons to be cautious with automatically castrating them. You could try the chemical castration route which wears off after 6 months and lets you see how they are with castration.
But you need to be absolutely on top of this and train him not too - tbh at 5 months this is probably less sexual and more excitement, but you cannot allow him to mount another dog in a park!

Load of bollocks. Mine have not been neutered, they are constantly off lead, but very very much in control. None of them have ever humped another dog when out. They train with bitches and work alongside them.

Because done too early it can impact on growth and bone health, if your dog is a slightly anxious type it can seriously worsen those traits and there is an increased cancer risk.

yadnbu

Out of curiosity, for those horrified that a male dog might hump another dog for 3 seconds, what's the etiquette about female dogs humping other dogs? Yes of course I have seen this. I was told it's a "dominance thing". Neutered female dogs deliberately humping others (any sex, any status) to make a point.

What are the rules about dogs mounting people legs for a few seconds?

You will likely find that your dog will try to hump male dogs as well , the issue is that sooner or later he will annoy another dog and get bitten , which is what happened to the basset hound that tried to hump my patterdale x ( boy) .

Neutering can have negative consequences for a dog. Most will put on weight that will lead to other health problems. It also affects the health of the bones if done when a puppy.

As a previous dog owner it's no fun having multiple dogs trying to shag yours. It stressed us all out including her. Also I don't want to clean dog juice off my dog. If its not OK to come up and jump all over others why would humping be OK? The absolutely last thing I wanted was a German sheppard impregnating my tiny dog.

Like I didn't appreciate being hummed aged 12 by a random.old English sheep dog off lead.

Sounds like your pup was just over excited OP. It's best to teach dogs to not go up to other dogs without consent but also teach them a polite sniff and then move on. I think it's said that 3 seconds is optimal. A long line might be helpful to move him on quickly.

Just to add also, my dog is not neutered as advised by a couple of vets due to his nervous nature. He also gets 'humped' a fair amount by other dogs. It's not nice for him but as long as the owner is around to move their dog along I'm not fussed. In an ideal world no dog ever would come up to him, but life's not like that.

I'm hearing this thread title to the tune of 'Murder on the Dancefloor'

Blimey, this thread is absolutely bonkers. OP my dog who is 7 months humps when he is excited and over stimulated. Thankfully not when out and about and not other dogs but it isn't sexual, I just redirect and stop play. The same as I did when he was mouthing when excited.

My dog goes off lead and isn't yet neutered.

Hah! That made me laugh, thank you!

Dogs being dogs 🤷🏽‍♀️.

If the bitch was in season then this is entirely on her owners. My otherwise entirely reliable dog got a bit frisky with my friends bitch recently who had been near an in season bitch the day before, and she smelled amazing to him! It’s just hormones.

Dogs don’t only hump for sexual reasons either, sometimes it’s just fun.

Presumably your bitch had been neutered?

My spayed bitch humped a friend’s spayed bitch, I was not amused. It’s the only dog I have seen her do this to, they’re great friends but…..🙄