Why is my dog acting in this way?
I have two bitches. One of them is in season, and she keeps attempting to mount my bitch who isn’t in season.
Does anyone know why she is doing this?
It is so very embarrassing when she is outside, and just starts scratching the grass in the garden, then jumps all over the other bitch.
Any help please?
Observing members:
0
Composing members:
0
49 Answers
I’m pretty sure she wants to get laid.
In my opinion I think the way she mount other bitches is the way to shows that she’s the dominant dog of the house/area(Alpha female). This competition often happen if you live with many dogs with the same gender in one single house. Just wait until she isn’t in season anymore,and if she keeps doing this then a visit to an animal behaviorist would be a good idea.
@dpworkin But she is a female dog acting like a male dog!!
@Doctor_D Yes I think it might be a dominance action, but she is not a young dog and has never done this before. I am really confused by this, and feel quite sorry for my other dog.
Which dog is the alpha dog? It could just be a combination of hormones and the pack structure.
@Adirondackwannabe I am the alpha dog!! But seriously, yes the dog in season is the dominant dog, but she has never acted in this way before. The smaller, puppy-like dog is having a tough time at the moment, and I really don’t know how to react to my dog who is in season.
@partyparty Good for you. Too many pet owners don’t know how to be the alpha dog. How old are the two dogs?
Yes thanks, they know who is in charge in the household. The bitch in season is 9 and the other is 8. I have had these bitches since they were eight weeks old, so I am totally aware of what is normal with them. I feel quite bad that I am continually reprimanding the dog in season, and she looks at me with those cute eyes, that I feel really awful for what I am doing. But equally I feel sorry for the other dog.
@BoBo1946 Many thanks my friend. Neither dog has been spayed, neither dog has acted in this way before, and the smaller dog (not in season) is having a tough time. I don’t want to reprimand the dog in season, but I am really at a loss here. She has never shown this tendency before.
@partyparty Any other changes in the 9 year old? Weight gain or loss, coat change, energy levels not where they used to be? This came on all at once, and she’s not that much older than the other, and she’s 9. I would get her to the vet. Sounds like something has changed with her medically, not to be alarmist.
Maybe she’s a lesbian.
And get your dogs spayed. There is no good reason to keep pets intact.
@tinyfaery Nice, but rude, answer. My dogs are NOT lesbian thanks LOLL.
I don’t want my dogs spayed. They are never out on their own, and most certainly always wear their harnesses and leads. So there is no reason whatsoever to get them spayed.
I am alpha dog. I make the decisions!
An alpha who doesn’t care about the well-being of their pack. Fact is pets are happier and healthier when altered. Now, I am outta here before I say what I really want to.
@tinyfaery Please do say what you want to. Fluther is here for all of us, whatever our opinions are.
Just for the record, I DO care about the wellbeing of my dogs.
ummmmm…..very good reply MsP! Handled like a true dog lover! Too bad people don’t love like our dogs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“But she is a female dog acting like a male dog!!”
No, she is a female dog acting like a female dog. You just trying to make your dog human.
@partyparty guess, some have forgotten certain words of the English language that wins friends and influences people…like, please!
My thing is that if you have no intention of breeding her, why not have her spayed? But, anyway,,,
To answer your question, I agree with the dominance thing. My ex and I had two male cats, both neutered. My rather small male would mount her rather large male, bite his neck and do a little kneading. We called them prison pussies. It was all about dominance.
@partyparty
There are many owners of pet female cats and dogs who have decided not to spay for various reasons.
Pyometra changed their minds in a hurry. Unfortunately, it was too late for some of their pets as the suddenness of such a virulent infection was the end for them in spite of emergency vet care.
Are you familiar with Pyo? If you are firm in your decision not to spay, you owe it to your pets to be thoroughly familiar with it.
I was temporarily caring for a friend of mine’s cat and we almost lost her.
Because she was totally an indoor cat, my friend saw little reason to get her spayed and I had no idea.
Very expensive surgery saved her life, but it could have easily ended differently. And, btw, the only cure for Pyo is an immediate spay. But it’s just a whole lot riskier and a WHOLE lot more expensive than a routine spay.
You don’t have to take my word for it. Any vet will tell you the same and I’m sure a little Internet research will also confirm.
My friend knew nothing about Pyo prior to almost losing her kitty. She’s obviously changed her mind on the whole issue.
It may be a dominance thing, at least that is what I thought when I read the question, but there have been some other interesting answers as well that could also easily be the reason.
Fruit for thought:
Some owners fear obesity as a disadvantage of spaying or neutering. Spayed and neutered dogs can put on weight, it’s true, IF you feed them as much food as an unneutered dog. Spaying and neutering, you see, changes your dog’s hormonal make-up and metabolism, so they usually don’t require as much food. So just keep a close eye on your dog’s shape as you feed and provide plenty of physical exercise. Then your spayed or neutered dog will not become fat.
Spaying and neutering requires general anesthesia, which is always a risk.
If an owner does not spay their dog, cat, etc., it would be up to the owner and what they think is best for their animal.
There are plenty of good reasons to spay your dog and I personally am in favour of spaying/neutering. Spaying your dog can have multiple health benefits, especially as your bitches enter their golden years – it lowers the risk of mammary and ovary tumours, as well as decreases the risk of urinary tract infections.
However, I’ll focus on the issue at hand – if your bitch doesn’t do this on an ordinary basis, it’s probably pure sexual arousal. I wouldn’t worry about it as long as your other dog doesn’t begin to object and demonstrate aggression. In the meantime, discourage the behaviour by watching them carefully and immediately redirecting your bitch in season before she mounts your other dog (with a “No!” or a clap of hands). If your other dog begins to react negatively to the humping, be sure to separate them when you are not home.
And please, seriously consider getting your dogs spayed. Anything can happen and at this age there is no reason to take unnecessary risk.
@xxii could not agree more, but each owner has to make the decision based on their dog’s happiness and health! Health reason can be a consideration.
Just thought @partyparty got some very rude comments on spaying. Only she can make that decision based on her animal. She knows her animal better than anyone else….
And, @xxii it certainly was not you…GA!
Its just like my 2 male dogs 1 was in season and 1 wasnt until we got the one that was in season desexed then it was alright then.
@ChazMaz I am taking your answer as a positive reply. So you are telling me my bitch is acting normally towards my other bitch?
@BoBo1946 Many thanks for your thoughtful and constructive answer. Only a true pet loving person could answer in this way. (love your new Avatar!!)
@jjmah My thing is that if you have no intention of breeding her, why not have her spayed?
I don’t think I have mentioned whether I have any intention, or not, to have her spayed. Also I don’t think I mentioned whether she has had puppies or not. Thanks for your information regarding your cats. It is seeming as though it is a dominance thing with my dog.
@Kismet Yes there is a good mixture of answers, thanks for your input.
@partyparty you go girl…as Shaq says, “i’ve got your back!”
Thought I already did. You’re just trying to make your dog human. Projecting human behavior on to the dog.
@ChazMaz well, just wish more human would act like dogs! What a wonderful world it would be!
@ChazMaz think my friend knows the answer to that one…only have experience with dogs. Man’s best friend!
@BoBo1946 Yes I know exactly what you are talking about – our dear friends and family members.
Oh dear I am trying to ‘humanise’ my canine friends again!
@YARNLADY GA – addressed to tinyfaery
Which of their answers was a good one? Trust you were not referring to the
‘Alpha dog not caring for the wellbeing of the pack’.
@Adirondackwannabe Well according to @ChazMaz “she is a female dog acting like a female dog. You just trying to make your dog human’.
She is still in season, and I think my other dog is about to come into season, so I am assuming their hormones are all over the place. ChazMaz says this behaviour is normal.
I am being very careful what I put in my answer as I have received quite a lot of abuse from some people, saying I am wrong in not having them spayed (although this had nothing whatsoever to do with my question).
Many thanks for your concern :-)
@partyparty I have a one finger salute for the idiots that gave you crap for not spaying them. How the hell did they exist before they were domesticated? Erik the Viking came around and spayed them? Over population can be a problem but to give you crap about it is uncalled for.
@Adirondackwannabe Yes, many thanks for your support. At no point in any of my answers have I said whether I am a breeder (therefore would not want to have my dogs spayed, nor have I mentioned in my question whether I should have my dogs spayed – that wasn’t my question). My dogs are my family members, they never go out without me, and they always wear their harnesses and leads. :-)
@partyparty The behavior isn’t unusual in other animals. I grew up on a dairy farm. The way we detected cows ready to breed was by other cows mounting them. Females mounting females.
@Adirondackwannabe Many, many thanks for your last answer. AT LAST I have received a positive answer as to why my ‘girls’ are acting in this manner. Similar to cows. So reassuring. :-)
@BoBo1946 Safety in numbers !! :-)
@Adirondackwannabe In response to your comment about wild dogs – they survived in the wild by catching their own food, and the average life span was about 3 years. That counts in the large numbers of newborns that simply starved to death, and the older ones that were finally killed off by other dogs, or their predators.
Domestic dogs have no such natural population control, and therefore we have to count on responsible owners to keep the population under control.
Answer this question 
Composing members:
0
