horny dog

Question
ok i have a 4 year old cocker spaniel, he is not fixed he is a male ..iv had him bout 16 months now hes a great dog except he constantly tries humping my girlfriend follows her around always whines outside the bathroom door if shes in there or when she leaves and he keeps eating her underwear ever chance he gets the odd thing is he does none of those things to me or my 2 kids both boys 4 an 7 years old...so my q: is can he go into heat over a person?

Answer
Hi Robert,  By 4 years, you are able to neuter him. Most times they neuter at 6 months, unless he is a perfectly pedigreed and perfectly mannered dog that will be used for breeding. Being neutered will not make him any less a male dog. Especially neutering at 6 months, all dogs already have all the testosterone they will ever need. You will not change his behavior as a male dog by neutering.
Your dog sees you and your children as his pack leaders. He is not mounting due to any sexual desire, he is doing it out of dominance. He is trying to dominate your girlfriend and make her the lowest in his pack. This behavior must be stopped for many reasons. He will not only do it to her, but will do it to other people at very inconvenient times, which can be very embarrassing. And don't forget that there may be a release of fluid (you know what I mean), which will disgust most people. We have many dogs and one is a large intact breeding stud Doberman Pinscher. He often times will lick himself, and we correct it right away so as not to have to clean up his mess, but so that it does not become a habit (which it will) and so he does not embarrass us in public. He is a highly trained dog, has his Canine Good Citizen award, works as a Service and Therapy dog... So one snap of my fingers and he stops all of his male activity. It is up to you to train your dog to stop this dominant behavior immediately. Your girlfriend can help. Whenever he attempts to mount anything, your friends, a toy, another dog...it is dominance and must be corrected right away. Tell your friends that if he exhibits this behavior they are to turn their back to him quickly and walk away. You need to back it up with a verbal command or noise which will distract him and make him realize that this is inappropriate behavior. Dog will be dogs and we should not humanize their behaviors. Your dog is not going into heat, only female dogs have estrus cycles, male dogs are always ready. Even though he is a cocker spaniel, the discharge is still enough to make it horrible for your friends. Tell your girlfriend that she cannot leave any of her personal items around until you resolve this habit. Even when you fix him, he may still exhibit the behavior and it needs to be corrected. By gently  grabbing the scruff on the side of his neck and rolling him onto his side, staring into his eyes until he looks away and relaxes, your girlfriend can establish he dominance over him. She needs to show him that she is higher in the pack along with you and your boys. Please neuter him unless you are showing him, breeding him and he is of the highest example the breed standard. It will make his life so much happier. If it makes you (not him) feel better, you can always get implants which make him look "manlier". I am sorry if this sounds harsh, but we must remember that they are dogs and do not think nor behave the way humans do. I am not trying to make you feel as though you did or have done anything wrong, I simply want you and your dog to have a wonderful relationship for the rest of his days. Please leave me some feedback, a follow-up if you need more information and let me know how things are going. Thank you for writing. Regards, Susan