The humper and the humpee

[faffadoodledo]

My dog (a golden retriever) is ALWAYS the humpee. Three times in the last three days dogs have locked onto him and humped away. In first instance the owner had been been some way off ineffectively shouting their dog's name. As she drew level she said 'oh it's always golden retrievers he wants to hump', to which I politely replied, 'in that case perhaps work on his recall then if you see a golden coming',

The humpers have been black labs and another golden.

So my question is, what should I do to stop this happening. My dear dog just stands there and takes it, doesn't nip or bark, just waits for the humper to disengage. He is also a neutered boy.

I must admit I'm starting to weary of the humpers on his behalf.

Yours neutered? Others unneutered?

Yes, mine is neutered. My question is though, is there any way of stopping this from happening? I feel if the humper had more effective recall that would help. But yeah.. given my dog doesn’t nip or protest is there anything I can do. I hate seeing my dog being dominated like this.
He’s a very confident dog with excellent recall himself.

Well, he's not confident if he let's others hump him...
I know what I would do, but it's controversial and can backfire.

Because I would just block humping dogs way - if known to me while approaching. A firm go home can work wonders! Just make sure you stay calm and don't get a high pich screechy voice.

Or say a firm no and grab their collar and send them packing that way! But as I said, that can backfire as a surprised or determined dog can turn snappy.

I've sent many a dog packing this way- my little rescue doesn't like certain bigger dogs interaction often hides behind me ... if I don't sort it, she'll bolt and be gone for the next 2 hours!

If he's confident, why isn't he telling these dogs to piss off?

I wouldn't hesitate in grabbing the other dog by the collar and removing them - I've done it multiple times in the past because it's not acceptable behaviour in the slightest.

Yes just grab the offending dog by thecollar. Itsbullshit that your dog has to put up with this ( happensto mine too but he will kick off at the attempted humper )

Was your dog neutered under the age of 12 months? Sometimes that can make bigger dogs somehow delicious to some other male dogs.

it’s good that your dog won’t start a fight over it though, but if you can block it, that would be good. And actually I would say a very firm “no” (certainly labs are used to hearing that) and pull them off by the scruff if no collar or collar if they have them, should it have got that far. I don’t think many owners would object to that.

Bugger that for a game of soldiers. Grab and hold on to the offending dog's collar and say "Control your dog" with an icy glare at the owner.

Interesting that so many of you are telling me to grab the other dog. I friend who does doggy day care says that's quite risky.

He IS a confident dog, in that he will happily politely sniff and be sniffed, will happily play, and trots in front of me off lead with his tail high and swaying. And he is never cowed by another dog and has never hidden from another dog. He is also happy and secure at his day care - never had an issue. All the classic signs of a confident dog. He's just never snapped at another dog.

He was neutered at around 2.

I think I shall be more upfront telling other owners to control their dogs. I think that is the crux here. They KNOW their dogs are jumpers, and as in the case of the black lab the other day, they know their dog's 'type'. It really is on them to spot the problem trotting down the path and recall. Owners who can't recall their dogs infuriate me!

Buy him a coyote vest from USA? Might make the humpers think twice? I’d get a vet check too in case something is going on that makes him smell different.

Years ago I had a dog exactly like yours, I had people tell me it was my fault for bringing a bitch out on heat- he was a neutered male.

I ended up taking a walking pole and loud whistle with me, I did work at home with my dog so he associated the whistle with treats, and then would use the pole to block and the whistle to scare the other dog, and I did more than an icy glare at the owner.

The other dog owners always know, and the ones that immediately say 'oh he hasn't done that before' are the serial offenders.

To add I wouldn't pull them off by the collar either, but I would do everything to prevent it from happening so I didn't need to pull them off.

@IchLiebeDeutscheSchaferhunde classic victim blaming but in dog-form!

I suppose at my dog doesn't look freaked or perturbed by it. But I hate seeing it! And also hate the attitude of the owners.

Pulling the other dog off by the collar is a risk but equally if that dog bites you, that’s on the owner for having a dog who is both a humper and a bite risk off the lead.

I’ve pulled dogs off mine multiple times and have never been snapped at, let alone bitten - so while the risk is there I’m not convinced it’s as big as some people try and make out.

@tumblingdowntherabbithole there is nearly 10,000 hospital admissions a year for dog bites- bites can have a long recovery time, I do all I can to prevent being bitten.

It's down to the individual at the end of the day. Personally, as someone who works with dogs and knows their body language, I feel quite safe grabbing most dogs by their collars if needed. I've never once been growled or snapped at for doing so in all my years of being around dogs.

I would hazard a guess that the majority of dog bites occur within the home and with people who don't understand body language or how to behave around animals. I also suspect a large number of them are children who aren't adequately supervised.

My priority is my dog and if another dog is pestering him or stressing him out, I have no issue with grabbing them and removing them back to their owners.