# Hormones?



## heatherk (Feb 24, 2011)

I've caught Ceylon (he's now just over 14 weeks old) humping 4 times so far. The first was a stuffed animal right after I got him - and it wasn't insistent, more like just a little bit of up-and-down movement, so I thought (hoped!) it was just a fluke - he was only like 10 weeks old at the time! Since then, however, he has tried to hump 3 other dogs. The first was a slightly smaller, but I think older, sausage-sort of dog at the dog park. I don't know the age/gender of the other dog - it lasted about 2 seconds and I pulled Cey off of the dog and he/she ran off to play (I don't even think the other dog noticed Cey was there lol) and that was that.

The second dog was in the small dog area of the dog park on another dog park visit, when a 4-month old, VERY submissive, female puppy arrived - and she was just slightly bigger than Ceylon. Cey would NOT leave that poor girl alone! I felt so bad for her and her owners, who were trying to encourage their little shy girl to go play, and all Ceylon was doing was trying to hump her!!! I kept moving him away from her, and then he would play with the other dogs for a minute, but then he would return to her.

The third dog was today, at puppy play time. Again, it was a very shy, very submissive, 4-month old female (I think she was a Wheaton) who this time was a little bit bigger than Ceylon, but still much smaller than any other dog there (besides Cey of course). This time, the other puppy did actually sort of want to play with him, and by the end of the play session I think she had actually started to realize that she _was _in fact both older and bigger than he was, and had figured out how to turn her body and shoulders into him to roll him over when he tried to get behind her. But after he noticed her, he would NOT leave her alone - he wouldn't play with any other dog, or even with my daughter who was running back and forth (normally, he LOVES to run with her), and although Cey did occasionally play with the girl puppy, he was overwhelmingly more interested in sniffing her private area, and trying to hump her.

I searched the forum for this, and did find some interesting/amusing threads lol (LOVED the 'red rocket' thread hahaha! (http://www.havaneseforum.com/showthread.php?t=3008) - - I am hoping I don't have that to look forward to!!) and also read Dave Gabby's suggested article, http://www.dogsincanada.com/oh-behave-love-and-mounting. And I know that this is just totally normal behavior, and I am further assuming that puppy hormones, just like pre-teen/teenage hormones, are just coming in to play!

Is there anything I can do/should be doing about this? I REALLY don't want to be 'THAT owner' at the dog park whose dog humps other dogs! But I also do see it as a natural, hormone-driven behavior that should not be treated the same as, for instance, peeing in the house, so I don't think I would feel comfortable 'yelling' at him for it... but how else, if at all, to curb this behavior?

There was an adult, intact male at the 'puppy' (not really puppy, more like young, small, or shy dog) play session and his owner said that she took him running, 3-4 miles a day, until he was about 12 months old to run off his energy, and that he started to level off at about 12 months with the hormonal behavior.

I wanted a male dog, and I love Ceylon to pieces! But I am feeling at a bit of a loss when it comes to his hormonal development - and he is so young yet!


----------



## dodrop82 (May 21, 2010)

Well don't be too quick to blame this in Ceylon's gender...My little Boo is 4 months old and a girl, and she loves to Humpy Humpy her big sister Yogi! I even had to cut Yogi into a shorter haircut, cause when Boo humps her, she also bites at the hair on Yogi's back and turns it into one enormous mat!!! When Boo humps Yogi, we say "Boo! No humpy humpy! Leave it!" and if she doesn't listen, we physically remove her from Yogi. She is getting better...but it is real annoying! I suppose she's trying to express some dominance over Yogi?....


----------



## heatherk (Feb 24, 2011)

dodrop82 said:


> Well don't be too quick to blame this in Ceylon's gender...My little Boo is 4 months old and a girl, and she loves to Humpy Humpy her big sister Yogi! I even had to cut Yogi into a shorter haircut, cause when Boo humps her, she also bites at the hair on Yogi's back and turns it into one enormous mat!!! When Boo humps Yogi, we say "Boo! No humpy humpy! Leave it!" and if she doesn't listen, we physically remove her from Yogi. She is getting better...but it is real annoying! I suppose she's trying to express some dominance over Yogi?....


I am not sure it's a dominance thing, but I _am _sure it's annoying lol! How old is Yogi, and does she protest at Boo's behavior? Does Boo does this often? I have also, just by investigating about puppy humping, read a LOT about girl dogs humping, and that is also pretty normal from what I understand, regardless of whether or not your dog has been fixed. How funny, don't you think, that even if you have a girl dog, and even if you get her fixed (probably Boo hasn't been fixed yet, at 4 months, but apparently even girls that have been fixed can hump other dogs), that she can still hump other dogs?! I guess humping is just a 'dog' thing in general lol!


----------



## lkwilson (Mar 6, 2011)

Hi Heather, me again... Coach hasn't had his second set of shots (this week he will) so he hasn't been around other dogs but he sure likes to hump a few of his toys. Only certain ones though... . this kind of dog/monkey looking thing. He usually does it after he's been playing with it awhile and gets excited. I love following Cey has he's just a few weeks older, I'm hoping to learn from your experience.

Hope to hear soon that he grew out of it!!


----------



## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

In Jean Donaldson's article that you mentioned, at the end she talks about when or whether to intervene. It's up to all parties concerned. ie. other dog ,other owner ,and you get a vote too. I think it's a normal and healthy form of play or fixed action pattern like Jean mentions. Something like group sex, everyone has to be good with it. ound: Generally speaking it's not a form of dominance or hierarchy move. Molly loves her (my) duck slipper. I laugh every time.


----------



## holt24 (Jan 21, 2011)

well it's not just a boy thing! Here is Vana in action:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1924202751939&comments
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1924217632311

Drake does have his Scooby Doo - a big one he has had since a pup and he scobby doos
:biggrin1:


----------



## dodrop82 (May 21, 2010)

Funny!!! I love Vana's fancy footwork she throws in there too! HaHaHa! No Elissa, Boo isn't fixed yet. Yogi will be 2 years old, May 25th. She doesn't seem to mind the humpy humpy as much as we do...actually it's the hairbiting I dislike the most, cause if she continues doing that, Yogi's hair needs to remain short. I don't want her to have LONG hair, but I do like it a little longer then it is right now....


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

davetgabby said:


> In Jean Donaldson's article that you mentioned, at the end she talks about when or whether to intervene. It's up to all parties concerned. ie. other dog ,other owner ,and you get a vote too. I think it's a normal and healthy form of play or fixed action pattern like Jean mentions. *Something like group sex, everyone has to be good with it.* ound: Generally speaking it's not a form of dominance or hierarchy move. Molly loves her (my) duck slipper. I laugh every time.


I think this is the most important point when other dogs are involved. When Kodi was younger, we went to several play dates where it was more like gang rape than consensual sex.:suspicious: He was younger and smaller than many of the other dogs and they just took advantage. The other owners thought it was funny. KODI obviously did not. He spent most of the time hiding under my chair or sitting on my lap. (his choice)

IMO, what goes on in your own house is your own choice. But when out in public, with other dogs who are CLEARLY not enjoying it, you have a responsibility to step in and stop it.

As far as whether it's dominance or hormones, I doubt it's either. I think it's more over-excitement than anything else. VERY small human children sell-stimulate too, though (THANKFULLY) rarely on each other!:biggrin1:


----------

