What I do when my dog gets mounted by another dog

[@sherryescobedo5257]

I appreciate the video. I wouldn't have known what to do. What if your dog is being mounted, and doesn't seem to like it?

[@sherryescobedo5257]

I should have read the comments first. I'm sorry. I see that you would intervene if your dog looks to you.

[@YourDogIsNotBroken-h1y]

@@sherryescobedo5257 exactly that, I wait for my dog to ask for help. If my dog has mounted another dog and the other dog is asking for help by crying out I'll grab my dog in that situation.

[@sherryescobedo5257]

​. Thanks!

[@FromCommands2Connections]

Brilliant breakdown. I have a question… you mentioned that the GSD was being dominant. How do we know the difference between dominant mounting and mounting due to over stimulation/excitement? Is it because he tried to mouth the top of Rollo’s neck?

[@YourDogIsNotBroken-h1y]

@@FromCommands2Connections really good question, and yes you are correct, dominant humping generally involves mouthing the back of the neck of the dog being humped, whereas overstimulated humping tends to have the head relatively high up in the air.

[@FromCommands2Connections]

@YourDogIsNotBroken-h1y thank you. I’ve been told by trainers that humping is due to over stimulation and that the dominance theory has been debunked. Clearly it still exists?

[@YourDogIsNotBroken-h1y]

@FromCommands2Connections yes, yes it does. If memory serves, the crowd claiming it has been debunked are the Zac George's of the world.

[@S-Cati]

I also think the dogs will usually figure it out themselves and either wait (like yours), jump away or let the other dog know when it's enough. My male dogs have sometimes jumped on other male dogs like this or been humped on themselves. But a lot of dog owners will intervene like the man in your video because they think it is bad behavior... In which cases do you think one should step in and stop them?

[@YourDogIsNotBroken-h1y]

@@S-Cati for my dogs, I will only intervene if they make eye contact with me, this is the signal that they want my help. With clients dogs where I don't have the relationship I do with mine, I will intervene if I think it's needed, and this will vary with each dog. Intervening for a client's dog being humped is a way for me to show I'm looking out for them and that they can trust me, however, this prevents the dog from learning how to handle these kinds of situations, so I weigh that up each time. intervening on a client's dog that is doing the humping will more likely be based on the other owners reaction to their dog being humped than the dog's reaction. A dog telling a dog not to hump is far more powerful than me doing it.

[@S-Cati]

@ Aha, thanks for the answer! Yeah, it must be more powerful when dogs communicate to each other than if a human always steps in.

[@YourDogIsNotBroken-h1y]

@@S-Cati yes, 100% it's better coming from another dog.