question about dominance mounting

[guster girl]

Hey, all! Finn is a nine week old Labrador Retriever. He seems to know that Chris and I are his "leaders", so, he's not attempting to show dominance over us. And, if he ever does go there, I will do my best to break him of it. However, is it something I should be concerned about if he is "humping" a stuffed toy? He doesn't do it often, but, I've seen him mount the toy a couple of times, and, I just don't want that to become an issue when he's 60+ pounds. Any suggestions? Or should I not worry about it? As of right now, I'm not disciplining him. Thanks ahead of time for all your advice, as I'm sure it will be good. :)

[micki76]

I wouldn’t worry about it. Chester did it quite a bit to his toys when he was a pup. He also had a lambs wool pad for his crate that we had to throw away because he was constantly friendly with it. :o Constantly. Non stop. It was so embarrassing cause he’d go get it and drag it into the living room if we had guests. :o

If he does it too much it can cause a prostate infection (it did in Chester) and then you have to do the antibiotics. :rolleyes:

Boys are so gross! :p

[guster girl]

I know! I had a cocker spaniel when I was a kid that was indoor/outdoor and he used to knock over my cat's kitty condo (it was "two stories"..two holes) and one foot in each hole....i'll leave the rest to your imagination. Geez, that was embarassing. :)

[clara4457]

I personally would not worry about it too much unless he starts doing it to you. I am assuming that since he is so young he might not be neutered yet. Once he is neutered, the behavior might go away on its own. I have heard some behaviorist say that it happens in puppies when they are mentally stimulated (hyper) and also as a way to practice sexual behavior (which is why neutering sometimes takes care of it).

If it bothers you (and I have to admit - it would bother me), I would try to redirect him when he does it with an invitation to play or a training session. (It is never too early to start training :) )

[guster girl]

Thanks! Yeah, he is actually already in an obedience class at Petsmart, so, i'm already training him. He walks nicely on the leash, for the most part...he almost always sits when I ask him to...and, my boyfriend and i went to the first class this past thursday and the goal for next thursday (finn's first class) is for him to come to our left side, turn around, and, sit down. Which he did without physical guidance today for the first time! And, he did it three times in a row! He's awesome. As for the mounting, it doesn't bother me too much, because it's infrequent. And, it's only a toy. I'll watch him, though, to see if he starts doing it to people or to my kitten. And, as soon as my vet will do it, I'll get him neutered. My kitten's going in on Tuesday for his neutering. It's just better for everyone involved! :0)

[K9soul]

That can be a common play behavior amongst puppies, so I think it is pretty natural. I think the advice already given here is probably good :)

As a side note, my two who are altered, occasionally play the "humping" game still with each other :o. And yes, Tasha takes her turn too! Even though she is a female. But between them it seems strictly play and not dominance behavior at all, because Tasha is clearly the alpha between the two and yet this just seems to simply be a game between them off and on.

[guster girl]

Thanks for all the advice! I'll let you guys know if it gets out of hand at any point.... :)