I just got a neutered male, 35 lb., 3 year old German Shepherd/Chow mix who
is very passive. I have recently taken him to dog parks and am not sure I
am going to take him back. In each of the three times I have taken him,
there has been a large dog that has taken an inordinate amount of interest
in my dog and does the humping thing. Its always just one large dog, not
several of them and they only seem to take this kind of interest in just my
dog, not any others Does anyone have any ideas as to why this is occuring
and is there anything I can do to stop it?

On Thu, 11 Dec 2003, B White wrote:

Does anyone have any ideas as to why this is occuring

it could be any number of things, ranging from dominance to
over-stimulation. for some reason, neutered dogs sometimes set
off the Must Hump It drive in other dogs, especially if the
humpers are intact.

and is there anything I can do to stop it?

yep! tell the owners to please keep their dogs from harassing
yours. it's not "okay," just because they're at the dog park,
to allow their dogs to run wild. you've got a right to expect
them to keep their dogs from picking on yours.

--
shelly (perfectly foul wench) and elliott and harriet
http://home.bluemarble.net/~scouvrette

On Thu, 11 Dec 2003, B White wrote:

Does anyone have any ideas as to why this is occuring

it could be any number of things, ranging from dominance to
over-stimulation. for some reason, neutered dogs sometimes set
off the Must Hump It drive in other dogs, especially if the
humpers are intact.

and is there anything I can do to stop it?

yep! tell the owners to please keep their dogs from harassing
yours. it's not "okay," just because they're at the dog park,
to allow their dogs to run wild. you've got a right to expect
them to keep their dogs from picking on yours.

--
shelly (perfectly foul wench) and elliott and harriet
http://home.bluemarble.net/~scouvrette

On Thu, 11 Dec 2003, B White wrote:

Does anyone have any ideas as to why this is occuring

it could be any number of things, ranging from dominance to
over-stimulation. for some reason, neutered dogs sometimes set
off the Must Hump It drive in other dogs, especially if the
humpers are intact.

and is there anything I can do to stop it?

yep! tell the owners to please keep their dogs from harassing
yours. it's not "okay," just because they're at the dog park,
to allow their dogs to run wild. you've got a right to expect
them to keep their dogs from picking on yours.

--
shelly (perfectly foul wench) and elliott and harriet
http://home.bluemarble.net/~scouvrette

B White wrote:

I just got a neutered male, 35 lb., 3 year old German Shepherd/Chow mix who
is very passive.

When was he neutered? If it is recent, it could take a while for the
hormones to work out of his system, and this could make him a target for
other dogs.

am going to take him back. In each of the three times I have taken him,
there has been a large dog that has taken an inordinate amount of interest
in my dog and does the humping thing.

Are these dogs intact? Are they persistantly humping (which is the
impression I get)? Generally speaking, you can expect some small amount
of humping to happen (overstimulation, misguided attempts at play,
dominance, etc.), but it should not be persistant. What does your dog
do in response to these attempts? Does he get scared? What are the
owners of the other dog doing? Have you attempted to break it up?

dog, not any others Does anyone have any ideas as to why this is occuring
and is there anything I can do to stop it?

Here are the things you should try. First and foremost, talk to the
owners of the dogs. Persistant humping is harassment, and your dog has
as much right to be there and enjoy himself as theirs do. If they are
not interested in controlling the dog, let them know that you will
intervene on the behalf of your dog. Sometimes, dogs will back off to a
stern 'NO' or 'OFF' from the human. Depending on the dog (and I've
generally done this to dogs I know), you can remove them physically if
it becomes necessary. A well aimed squirt of water can also do wonders.
Generally speaking, you can tell when the other dog is getting up to
no good, and intervene before the dog is in position - it is a lot
easier to get the dog to rethink what it is doing before it starts than
after it has already started.

Suja

B White wrote:

I just got a neutered male, 35 lb., 3 year old German Shepherd/Chow mix who
is very passive.

When was he neutered? If it is recent, it could take a while for the
hormones to work out of his system, and this could make him a target for
other dogs.

am going to take him back. In each of the three times I have taken him,
there has been a large dog that has taken an inordinate amount of interest
in my dog and does the humping thing.

Are these dogs intact? Are they persistantly humping (which is the
impression I get)? Generally speaking, you can expect some small amount
of humping to happen (overstimulation, misguided attempts at play,
dominance, etc.), but it should not be persistant. What does your dog
do in response to these attempts? Does he get scared? What are the
owners of the other dog doing? Have you attempted to break it up?

dog, not any others Does anyone have any ideas as to why this is occuring
and is there anything I can do to stop it?

Here are the things you should try. First and foremost, talk to the
owners of the dogs. Persistant humping is harassment, and your dog has
as much right to be there and enjoy himself as theirs do. If they are
not interested in controlling the dog, let them know that you will
intervene on the behalf of your dog. Sometimes, dogs will back off to a
stern 'NO' or 'OFF' from the human. Depending on the dog (and I've
generally done this to dogs I know), you can remove them physically if
it becomes necessary. A well aimed squirt of water can also do wonders.
Generally speaking, you can tell when the other dog is getting up to
no good, and intervene before the dog is in position - it is a lot
easier to get the dog to rethink what it is doing before it starts than
after it has already started.

Suja

B White wrote:

I just got a neutered male, 35 lb., 3 year old German Shepherd/Chow mix who
is very passive.

When was he neutered? If it is recent, it could take a while for the
hormones to work out of his system, and this could make him a target for
other dogs.

am going to take him back. In each of the three times I have taken him,
there has been a large dog that has taken an inordinate amount of interest
in my dog and does the humping thing.

Are these dogs intact? Are they persistantly humping (which is the
impression I get)? Generally speaking, you can expect some small amount
of humping to happen (overstimulation, misguided attempts at play,
dominance, etc.), but it should not be persistant. What does your dog
do in response to these attempts? Does he get scared? What are the
owners of the other dog doing? Have you attempted to break it up?

dog, not any others Does anyone have any ideas as to why this is occuring
and is there anything I can do to stop it?

Here are the things you should try. First and foremost, talk to the
owners of the dogs. Persistant humping is harassment, and your dog has
as much right to be there and enjoy himself as theirs do. If they are
not interested in controlling the dog, let them know that you will
intervene on the behalf of your dog. Sometimes, dogs will back off to a
stern 'NO' or 'OFF' from the human. Depending on the dog (and I've
generally done this to dogs I know), you can remove them physically if
it becomes necessary. A well aimed squirt of water can also do wonders.
Generally speaking, you can tell when the other dog is getting up to
no good, and intervene before the dog is in position - it is a lot
easier to get the dog to rethink what it is doing before it starts than
after it has already started.

Suja

Suja wrote:


When was he neutered? If it is recent, it could take a while for the
hormones to work out of his system, and this could make him a target
for other dogs.


I don't really know. He was neutered when I adopted him.


Are these dogs intact? Are they persistantly humping (which is the
impression I get)? Generally speaking, you can expect some small
amount of humping to happen (overstimulation, misguided attempts at
play, dominance, etc.), but it should not be persistant. What does
your dog do in response to these attempts? Does he get scared?

Yes he gets scared and it is persistant. The last dog scared me, it was
huge. He definitely seems to be intimidated by the bigger dogs, but I
don't know how he would react if a dog more his size tried it because its
always been a larger dog.

What
are the owners of the other dog doing? Have you attempted to break it
up?


The first owner took his dog away after the first attempt. The second
owner said no a couple of times and then just ignored it so I pulled her
dog off of mine. I was asked if my dog was in heat and had to inform her
it was a male. She was more interested her in conversation so I took my dog
and left. The third owner came and pulled his dog off a few times, but it
always came back. I then took my dog over to the other side of the park
where he was fine. I would really like to continue to take him to the dog
park because other than this problem, he really seems to enjoy it.

Suja wrote:


When was he neutered? If it is recent, it could take a while for the
hormones to work out of his system, and this could make him a target
for other dogs.


I don't really know. He was neutered when I adopted him.


Are these dogs intact? Are they persistantly humping (which is the
impression I get)? Generally speaking, you can expect some small
amount of humping to happen (overstimulation, misguided attempts at
play, dominance, etc.), but it should not be persistant. What does
your dog do in response to these attempts? Does he get scared?

Yes he gets scared and it is persistant. The last dog scared me, it was
huge. He definitely seems to be intimidated by the bigger dogs, but I
don't know how he would react if a dog more his size tried it because its
always been a larger dog.

What
are the owners of the other dog doing? Have you attempted to break it
up?


The first owner took his dog away after the first attempt. The second
owner said no a couple of times and then just ignored it so I pulled her
dog off of mine. I was asked if my dog was in heat and had to inform her
it was a male. She was more interested her in conversation so I took my dog
and left. The third owner came and pulled his dog off a few times, but it
always came back. I then took my dog over to the other side of the park
where he was fine. I would really like to continue to take him to the dog
park because other than this problem, he really seems to enjoy it.

Suja wrote:


When was he neutered? If it is recent, it could take a while for the
hormones to work out of his system, and this could make him a target
for other dogs.


I don't really know. He was neutered when I adopted him.


Are these dogs intact? Are they persistantly humping (which is the
impression I get)? Generally speaking, you can expect some small
amount of humping to happen (overstimulation, misguided attempts at
play, dominance, etc.), but it should not be persistant. What does
your dog do in response to these attempts? Does he get scared?

Yes he gets scared and it is persistant. The last dog scared me, it was
huge. He definitely seems to be intimidated by the bigger dogs, but I
don't know how he would react if a dog more his size tried it because its
always been a larger dog.

What
are the owners of the other dog doing? Have you attempted to break it
up?


The first owner took his dog away after the first attempt. The second
owner said no a couple of times and then just ignored it so I pulled her
dog off of mine. I was asked if my dog was in heat and had to inform her
it was a male. She was more interested her in conversation so I took my dog
and left. The third owner came and pulled his dog off a few times, but it
always came back. I then took my dog over to the other side of the park
where he was fine. I would really like to continue to take him to the dog
park because other than this problem, he really seems to enjoy it.