Question
Ollie
I have an 8 y/o pointer cross lurcher (we think) who we've had for 5 years since we rescued him from kennels. He was neutered when we got him but we are not sure how old he was when it was done.
He is generally a placed dog around the house but can be boisterous at times. Mostly we can control this behaviour, and he has been well socialised with other neighbourhood dogs since we first brought him home, most of which are younger full males of various breeds. Because they are walked together almost daily, they all get along fine and are quite happy to run and play, or just go about their business ignoring each other.
However, locally there several older full males, again of various breeds (3 x black labs, a Siberian husky, a Burmese mountain dog, and a couple of spaniels) which we meet quite frequently. Because we live in a rural location, we mostly all exercise our dogs off the lead, (although I always carry one because I know my dogs potential). If we meet any of these dogs on a walk, my dog changes.
Firstly he ignores any attempt to recall, which is normally good, and heads off towards the other dog, getting faster as I try to get closer to him to regain control.
Secondly, and most worryingly, he will try to 'hump' the other dog, which is normally met with disapproval from the recipient, resulting in bared teeth, snapping and growling, which will often lead to a small fight.
If I've seen the other dog coming (not always possible in our bendy woodland paths, we often bump into people coming around corners) and had time to put him on the lead, he will strain on the lead and bark/growl until the other dog has passed.
I don't think its sexual 'humping' as he doesn't limit his attentions to the tail end of the other dogs, so we've put it down to a dominance issue. But we are concerned that if left unchecked he might injure the other dogs or suffer an injury himself, and obviously it is getting to be a bit embarrassing.
Obviously, keeping him on the lead would help combat this, but because of his breed he benefits from off lead exercise, and is generally happy to charge about nose to the ground, until other dogs grab his attention.
It's worth mentioning that he didn't display any such behaviour when we first got him. He was himself attacked by two out of control dogs (a staffordshire bull terrier and a boxer) about 18 months after we got him, whilst he was being exercised on the lead. One of the dogs locked onto his flank, and wouldn't let go, resulting in several puncture wounds.
He has had this problem/issue since this incident. What can we do to get him out of this trait?
AnswerI would suggest these two articles, especially the second one, so that you can get a better idea why your particular dog may be doing this.
http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/down-amp-dirty-humping-sex-status-and-beyon
http://www.aspcabehavior.org/articles/15/Mounting-and-Masturbation-.aspx
Some dogs are very conflicted about interactions with other dogs, and because he may have been impacted by the attack, I'm inclined to think he may be. I also think that you are making things worse at this point by exercising him off leash in areas where he can just run up and do that to other dogs. First, he will, sooner or later, run in to a dog that will not just be aggravated by it, but may decide to stop your dog from mounting by being very unpleasant, and possibly injuring him. Plus, every time he gets to mount a dog, he's being self-reinforced, thus making it even more likely he will do it again. Practice makes perfect;-)
The first thing I would set out to do, if this were my dog, is to limit his contact with unknown dogs, and allow off leash play in a confined area with dogs that he knows and does NOT hump. Next, I would teach him a "leave it" cue. We usually teach this using food, but then generalize it so the dog learns to leave any forbidden thing alone. Here are a couple of resources on training the "leave it" behavior:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNAOe1djDyc
http://www.clickertrainusa.com/leaveIt.htm
http://www.aspcabehavior.org/articles/24/Teaching-Your-Dog-to-Leave-It.aspx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNAOe1djDyc
If you need help, find a trainer or behaviorist who uses positive methods. You can check the listings at Truly Dog Friendly, Karen Pryor Clicker Training, or IAABC.
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