Freethought & Rationalism Archive

mongrel · 05-03-2003, 02:49 AM

I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it, but today my son's maternal grandmother's dog(a bitch, obviously from the thread title) tried many times to hump my son. His leg, his back, his arm, his head, my leg, my arm...

I've never heard of this before- is it common for females? Canines, that is...

sakrilege · 05-03-2003, 03:41 AM

My older, smaller female dog does it to my younger, larger male dog all the time. Both are fixed. She is an alpha.

mongrel · 05-03-2003, 06:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sakrilege
My older, smaller female dog does it to my younger, larger male dog all the time. Both are fixed. She is an alpha.

If it's alpha's doing this, do you think it could become a problem, attack-wise? I mean, Cameron gets(or should that be- demands?

) a lot of attention, and the dog spends a lot of time locked outside alone. She's not a big dog, but big enough to do some serious harm to a child if she put her mind to it.

Marduk · 05-03-2003, 07:48 AM

"and the dog spends a lot of time locked outside alone. "

This could be the problem. dogs are pack animals many don't like being alone, maybe it's causing stress/agression. Is the dog neutered?

lunachick · 05-03-2003, 07:56 AM

Well, I can't speak for canine bitches, as I have a leg-humping dog.

But, more generally speaking, I'd have to say "yes". I do it all the time, given the opportunity. Of course, this means that when I go out, I have to be kept on a leash.

lisarea · 05-03-2003, 08:00 AM

Humping is pretty much strictly a dominance behavior, so yes, it's normal for a female dog to do this.

However, she should not be doing it to humans. The single most important factor with a dog is establishing humans as consistently dominant. If the dog is showing dominance behavior with people, there is a risk that someone's going to get hurt. It sounds possible that the dog is only exhibiting this behavior with children, so you may want to concentrate on that by having a child do some simple, supervised training or something.

Also, as marduck said, the dog shouldn't be outside alone all the time. They need to be socialized consistently, and being left alone for long periods of time can really mess a dog up.

I realize she's not your dog, but if your son's going to be around her, you have an excuse to take an interest in the situation.

sakrilege · 05-03-2003, 04:33 PM

My alpha female is very docile with us but does have to be watched around young children. We don't have kids and our friends have older kids so the dog hasn't been acclimated to young children.

jayh · 05-03-2003, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mongrel
If it's alpha's doing this, do you think it could become a problem, attack-wise?

It is an area of concern, but certainly manageable. It is important that you establish that you are alpha in the pack, and that any children are treated as if they are your 'pups'. The offspring of the alpha dog are treated deferentially by the pack.

My alpha male dog is extremely tolerant of children, he will tolerate much more from children then he would from an adult.

j

Bree · 05-03-2003, 05:19 PM

When your dog "gets the urge" get down on your knees and gently roll her over onto her back. This is a position of submission. Eventually your dog will get the hint that you are the alpha, not she. Another good tool - a bit less drastic - is to put a hand on each of your dog's shoulders. This is a position that alpha males often take with females in their pack (or so I've been told) and it has a calming effect as well.

MJones · 05-03-2003, 07:34 PM

When I was a kid I had a female miniture docshund <SP> that would feel would try to hump ANY strange dog that came around. I don't think it was sexual as much as it was a dominance thing.

My aunt had a female dog that, when hanging around with my papaw's male dog would lift her leg around a tree to pee! Damnedest thing I ever saw.

Dirty Dog

05-03-2003, 02:49 AM	#1
mongrel Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: North of the South Pole Posts: 5,177	Bitches doin' the leg-hump? I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it, but today my son's maternal grandmother's dog(a bitch, obviously from the thread title) tried many times to hump my son. His leg, his back, his arm, his head, my leg, my arm... I've never heard of this before- is it common for females? Canines, that is...

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05-03-2003, 03:41 AM	#2
sakrilege Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Cleveland, OH, USA Folding@Home Godless Team Posts: 6,211	My older, smaller female dog does it to my younger, larger male dog all the time. Both are fixed. She is an alpha.

05-03-2003, 07:48 AM	#4
Marduk Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: the 10th planet Posts: 5,065	"and the dog spends a lot of time locked outside alone. " This could be the problem. dogs are pack animals many don't like being alone, maybe it's causing stress/agression. Is the dog neutered?

05-03-2003, 07:56 AM	#5
lunachick Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: NZ Posts: 7,895	Well, I can't speak for canine bitches, as I have a leg-humping dog. But, more generally speaking, I'd have to say "yes". I do it all the time, given the opportunity. Of course, this means that when I go out, I have to be kept on a leash.

05-03-2003, 08:00 AM	#6
lisarea Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Broomfield, Colorado, USA Posts: 5,550	Humping is pretty much strictly a dominance behavior, so yes, it's normal for a female dog to do this. However, she should not be doing it to humans. The single most important factor with a dog is establishing humans as consistently dominant. If the dog is showing dominance behavior with people, there is a risk that someone's going to get hurt. It sounds possible that the dog is only exhibiting this behavior with children, so you may want to concentrate on that by having a child do some simple, supervised training or something. Also, as marduck said, the dog shouldn't be outside alone all the time. They need to be socialized consistently, and being left alone for long periods of time can really mess a dog up. I realize she's not your dog, but if your son's going to be around her, you have an excuse to take an interest in the situation.

05-03-2003, 04:33 PM	#7
sakrilege Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Cleveland, OH, USA Folding@Home Godless Team Posts: 6,211	My alpha female is very docile with us but does have to be watched around young children. We don't have kids and our friends have older kids so the dog hasn't been acclimated to young children.

05-03-2003, 05:19 PM	#9
Bree Veteran Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: Twin Cities, USA Posts: 3,197	When your dog "gets the urge" get down on your knees and gently roll her over onto her back. This is a position of submission. Eventually your dog will get the hint that you are the alpha, not she. Another good tool - a bit less drastic - is to put a hand on each of your dog's shoulders. This is a position that alpha males often take with females in their pack (or so I've been told) and it has a calming effect as well.

05-03-2003, 07:34 PM	#10
MJones Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Lincoln, AL Posts: 1,048	When I was a kid I had a female miniture docshund <SP> that would feel would try to hump ANY strange dog that came around. I don't think it was sexual as much as it was a dominance thing. My aunt had a female dog that, when hanging around with my papaw's male dog would lift her leg around a tree to pee! Damnedest thing I ever saw. Dirty Dog

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