Why Does Your Dog Mount Other Dogs

Typically, when a dog mounts another dog, it is not sexually motivated.



Dogs constantly try to dominate each other - both female and male dogs. It is the instinctive behaviour. When two dogs meet each other, they will first size each other up through eye contact. If one surrenders by lying down then leadership is settled. If not, the battle for dominance begins by the dogs trying to mount each other until one roll over submissively and turns his eyes away. Until the eyes have completely turned away, surrender has not happened as the ‘losing’ dog may launch a sneak attack against the other.

When complete surrender is achieved, the mounting behaviour becomes a dominance display – the one on top reminding the other who is in charge. As the head is the highest part of the dog, when one dog brings the head of the other dog down, it’s a show of who is higher and in control.

Another reason why dogs mount each other is because they know each other well and may have been separated for some time. It is a form of bonding and is not solely associated with males trying to flirt or breed a female.

It is also not uncommon to find that a male dog may even unsheathing his penis to release his scent on the other dog to proclaim to other dogs that he has won the battle over the dog he is mounting on.

As this is the instinctive nature and behaviour of your dog, the behaviour should not be discouraged. Rather it is better to leave the dogs alone.

The only time when this behaviour is abnormal is if a female has some vaginal discharge indicating some sort of infection, which smells as if she is in season. In that case, other dogs will not leave her alone, and a visit to the vet is appropriate.

So the next time when you see two male dogs trying to mount each other, there is no such thing as a ‘GAY DOG!”



And remember to praise your dog abundantly when he does the right thing
To your success in dogtraining

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What a Dog Does When His Owner Leaves So Sad!

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How long does it take to train my dog

A FAQ I receive is: "How long will it take for my dog to be trained?" I hate to say it, but there is no simple answer...or magic wand. Every persons situation and dog is different. Whether it be a puppy that has been brought into a first time dog owners home, or a intra-familial dog-dog aggression case - all depend upon the humans that are taking care of the dog(s), and the dogs themselves. Some factors to consider are:

• Type of training - general manners, aggression/fear, guarding/predatory issues. 
• Human involvement - keeping up with the training plan, setting the dog up for success.

For "good manners" courses I currently offer 4-session "intensives" as opposed to the traditional 6 week+  classes. Why? I found that most people are more likely to commit to a shorter time frame if they are receiving the information they want. And that for those that are into keeping up with their dogs behavior modification, will return for additional class time (my ongoing classes provide this type of training plan). 

For the more difficult behaviorial issues, again it really depends upon the humans and dogs. But I would place more emphasis on the "humans" and their involvement. Think about how long it takes a human to change something about their own behavior? Something like smoking cessation takes quite some time to get over the "initial hump". Afterwards, the person will need to help maintain this behavior by setting themselves up for success - spend time around non-smokers, go to places that dont allow smoking etc... But its a lifelong process. With our dogs, there would be the "initial hump" - meaning more training. Once the dog is behaving in a way you want, you will still need to set the dog up for success, and help "maintain" the behavior by practicing elements of the initial training plan... Some of the dog-dog cases Ive worked took many many months - with multiple training sessions every day, for extended periods of time. 

So when I hear people asking me "how long will it take to train my dog?" I will ask "How much time, energy, and in some cases money, are you willing to put in?" and "How badly do you want it?" 

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Does your dog have a waist

If you are interested in working on tricks and behaviors with your dog, your dog should be the proper weight to prevent injury, discomfort and disinterest in working. A dog that is even slightly overweight can loose interest in working for food (not all dogs mind you!). If your dog is slightly overweight, try to maintain your dogs appropriate weight and see what a difference it can make in training. All dogs should have a waist!!! Depriving a dog of food is not the idea, the dog should feel comfortable not hungry. If your dog is ravenous, feed a small meal before training, to stop frustration.

I got this weight chart off the internet, I could not find who is the actual artist who created it, as it was on many internet sites without credit. So if you know where this diagram originated, please let me know so I can give them credit for their work!



A lot of vets will not tell you that your dog is overweight! It is up to you to assess your dogs weight and decrease or increase calorie intake accordingly. It is especially important with toy dogs as they can gain and loose weight rapidly if you feed a varied diet.

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