# Aggressive when another dog is humping (not him)



## ayoitzrimz (Apr 14, 2010)

Hey everyone,

weird behavior lately from my boy. We go to meet a few people from the neighborhood a few days a week with their dogs in the local park and let them play. The reason I go there (since I don't visit dog parks) is because I know the group and my dog knows all the dogs there since he was a puppy.

Now, normally they get along fine, but I've noticed something weird about him.
There is one dog there that loves to hump other dogs, but that's his owner's problem. It becomes my problem because whenever the dog humps another dog my dog will run over and push him away - not to hump the other dog but to get this dog off. And they got into a fight over it today. I'm just wondering why he would do that - like what's his motivation for breaking up the humping? Anyone can give me a little insight into his head?


Thanks!

Edited:
Just to add a few things - he normally gets along with all the dogs there. He's not neutered. The dog that does the humping is neutered. They normally do not play together but they are very social with each other. It's only when the other dog goes to hump a different dog that this happens.


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## gsdraven (Jul 8, 2009)

The humping is likely an overexcited behavior and your dog doesn't like the energy that is being put out. Also, it's very rude. Sounds like your dog is trying to correct him. 

Truthfully, the owner of the humping dog needs to get things under control before his dog is injured by a dog who takes exception to the rude behavior. I can tell you that neither of my dogs would tolerate it and it would be either the humping dog doesn't come to play session or I don't.


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## ayoitzrimz (Apr 14, 2010)

Yea that dog has 0 manners and his owner is an idiot when it comes to correcting or training a dog. This is the same dog that chases all the teenage dogs around nipping at their feet or barking up a storm when someone has something he wants (a toy or treat).

With that said, I can't control the other dog's manners or behavior - I can only control my own dog. Is there anything aside from not going there anymore that I could do about this? Since I don't go to dog parks this is the only time he gets to run around with dogs he grew up. I don't believe dogs have to meet new dogs all the time, but I generally think it's beneficial for them to play with a few dogs they know well and I don't want to take that away from him...


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

There are dogs who will correct an excited state in other dogs. We call them "the sheriff" and the "fun police" here. It is a behavior you will want to watch for and be ready to stop your dog before he goes to correct others. Many people won't understand and your dog could labelled the aggressor. I police the police here when things get excited among dogs.

My dogs enjoy playing with me. I do not believe they need to play with other dogs. I am pretty sure of it, in fact. If I do let mine play on occassion, I know the dogs involved and am every ready to intervene.


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## gsdraven (Jul 8, 2009)

I don't understand why you and the other owners involved would tolerate such bad behavior from the owner or his dog. It's trouble waiting to happen.

But, if you insist on continuing to go and ignore the bad behavior then you just need to stay on top of your dog and make sure he doesn't get involved with the humper.


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## ayoitzrimz (Apr 14, 2010)

gsdraven said:


> I don't understand why you and the other owners involved would tolerate such bad behavior from the owner or his dog. It's trouble waiting to happen.
> 
> But, if you insist on continuing to go and ignore the bad behavior then you just need to stay on top of your dog and make sure he doesn't get involved with the humper.


Let me begin by saying I'm no expert in dog behavior. With that said, I observed enough dogs and learned alot about dog behavior from more knowledgeable people that I know more about them than most people who come to this "meet".

After that "disclaimer" I can answer the question - in a perfect world, everyone would see that the dog's humping caused this issue and talk to the owner about his dog being a menace. Unfortunately this isn't a perfect world. Not only does this guy know the rest of the group for years now, but his dog is a mixed breed with a more amenable face, while I own a GSD which already makes my dog the aggressor before he even stepped into the room  and while nobody can recognize what caused the fight, they sure can recognize which dog "looks like" he would be aggressive. 

Eh, it's a big park and I think I'll just play with him myself - he wants to fetch all morning while there anyway... I just hate the fact that immediately the fact that my dog isn't neutered means to them that he's aggressive. The other dog is neutered, and he's the one bullying and humping.

eh, ok I'm done venting


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

Yes, it is a pain as our dogs often have get unjustly labelled. 

A man let his two Golden whales bail from his car and come charging Hogan and I the other day. As they bore down on us, I told him to call his dogs off. Uh, no recall of course. Hogan begins barking at them... he is on lead and by my leg and the
guy tells me I should not have a vicious dog out there! What?!?


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## ayoitzrimz (Apr 14, 2010)

Samba said:


> Yes, it is a pain as our dogs often have get unjustly labelled.
> 
> A man let his two Golden whales bail from his car and come charging Hogan and I the other day. As they bore down on us, I told him to call his dogs off. Uh, no recall of course. Hogan begins barking at them... he is on lead and by my leg and the
> guy tells me I should not have a vicious dog out there! What?!?


I guess that's just the price we pay for having the perfect, most loyal, most obedient dogs  I can't count the times my dog was charged at by a small dog and the owner's excuse: "Oh, he just doesn't like big dogs", or "oh, he just has little dog syndrome"...


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Is all this interacting _on leash??_


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## ayoitzrimz (Apr 14, 2010)

No, off-leash at a designated place where we all meet.

At the end of the day though, if my dog feels that he needs to police the behavior of other dogs then I've made a training mistake along the way. My job now is to figure out how to correct that behavior...


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

I don't think you made a training mistake. Sheriffs are born that way, I think. My best herding dogs tend to this controlling instinct. Then it just becomes like anything... training control to call your dog off if it makes an attempt to police.


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## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

ayoitzrimz said:


> Yea that dog has 0 manners and his owner is an idiot when it comes to correcting or training a dog. This is the same dog that chases all the teenage dogs around nipping at their feet or barking up a storm when someone has something he wants (a toy or treat).
> 
> With that said, I can't control the other dog's manners or behavior - I can only control my own dog. Is there anything aside from not going there anymore that I could do about this? Since I don't go to dog parks this is the only time he gets to run around with dogs he grew up. I don't believe dogs have to meet new dogs all the time, but I generally think it's beneficial for them to play with a few dogs they know well and I don't want to take that away from him...


I'll take a wild stab here and guess field strain Lab.
It's not a question of manners, it's a statement of lack of structure. It sounds like this guy is so in charge at his home that he gets flipped out trying to be the head honcho around off leash dogs. He's not, so it confuses and excites him. The excitement could stem from this "informal dog park" setting being his only excercise. Watch how he comes in; does he pull his owner out of the car or does he wait until let out? Some dogs only get a quiet walk in suburbia for twenty-thirty minutes and this kind of park-like setting for exercise. They are over-stimulated by the mere act of parking the car at the park.
How dogs enter and exit parks tells alot to me about their behavior before they even get in. 

That being said, I'd have to agree that your dog is playing "cop dog" and that's pretty much herding dogs. They are bred to manage and control their environments so to see and idiot dog with abnormal/unbalanced behavior he's gonna want to fix it.
I'd try working on a Leave It.
If your dog even looks at that dog humping another dog; tell him Leave It and work on his focus to you. That's not his job; and teach him not to worry about it.

Although, it would be interesting to see if this bad mannered dog, gets a good "knock it off" from another dog; will he accept it or go off.
Or, if another dog attempts to hump him.....will he explode into his "knock it off" or just go with it?


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