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Why Do Dogs Mount Other Dogs? |
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The dog’s ancestor, the wolf and wild dogs regularly display mounting behaviour as a statement of dominance and rank. Only top ranking wolves have the right to mate with selected females.
When dogs play together they get excited and will often mount each other regardless of whether male of female. Often this has no sexual intent but in the majority of cases this play-based mounting is dominance behaviour and part of the natural canine communication process.
When young dogs reach puberty they begin to display mounting behaviour as a response to excessive hormone production. They are just beginning to understand the pack ranking system and are testing the boundaries to experiment and determine who ranks the highest. This behaviour is not only limited to other dogs but includes their human family members.
A dog that constantly mounts another dog is showing signs of insecurity or a desire to take the alpha role. The dog wants reassurance that it is top dog and often such displays of mounting are not welcome and a tussle may develop between the dogs.
Confident dogs will completely ignore another less secure dog mounting them. They are sure of their strength and rank so do not feel threatened or intimidated and will often just walk away. However in some cases, a dog will not tolerate its position being challenged so openly and may react with aggression leading to a fight between the dogs.
Mounting is of course a sexual behaviour too. If a bitch in the vicinity is either about to come into season or already on heat, a male dog can smell her a mile away. This can lead to frantic mounting behaviour using furniture or other family members as a substitute.
Mounting behaviour can be controlled using training techniques but for the most part it is best ignored unless the behaviour is leading to fights or is causing a problem. |
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