1.5 y/o male and new 4 m/o female puppy behavior issues

[oftentimes]

Please excuse my ignorance, because this is the first time I've ever had two dogs at the same time, and Sam, my 1.5 y/o is my first male.

My male frequently cleans the puppy's face, sniffs and licks her all over. Yesterday he began attempting to hump her. I've never had any problems with him until 2-3 weeks before she arrived. He then began growling at me when he would have an toliet accident, then on occasion when I would try to move him, when he would not respond, in the bed at night.

Also let me state that I live alone with them, except when my son is home on break from college. He came home a few days ago, and yesterday, before the humping began, my son went to visit my parents, who have a nutered male dog. Neither of my dogs are nutered and sniffed my son constantly upon his return (especially Sam).

Sam seemed to stay in pretty constant state of arousal for hours after smelling the other dog on my son, and soon after is when the humping of the puppy began.

He basically listens when I say "No" when this behavior starts, and he will stop, but once he growled at me.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, as this greatly concerns me.

Thank you.

[Hunter's_owner]

Neutering your dogs will more than likely help with that behaviour...

[oftentimes]

Oh, yes, I forgot to mention that I was planning on having puppies, which is why Sam has not been nutered. Also, they are both Havanese pups.

[~michelle~]

humping is a sign of dominance ive gone through it everytime i have brought i new dog home. i usually say no it stops, and the dogs figure things out on their own. good luck

[Rottielover]

this is a pro spay and neuter board.......so unless you are a COE breeder with health certs and ch titles, you will not be praised on wanting having puppies, nor will you find the advice you are looking for......You will have to keep these dogs seperated. She can come into heat as early as 6 months....then your problems have only begun

[tenderfoot]

Thank god you don't have a large breed! Then this behavior would really be bothering you and you might feel the very real pressure to him fixed.

Having a small breed - people tend to not take these behaviors to heart as they would a large breed. The mere fact that he is growling at you, humping the other dog and staying is heightened states of arousal for hours are all red flags to the future. Imagine what he will be like once he has bred with your female!

Honestly - the spay/neuter discussion could go on for days. But the short(okay not so short) and sweet (okay not so sweet) of it is - neutering a dog will help all of his bad behaviors - humping, marking, growling etc. and give him a longer, healthier life. But neutering alone will not change his mind about being in charge. Right now he thinks he has the right to defy you (growling), hump others and soon those behaviors will grow worse and multiply. You need to gain control and let him know that you are in charge. This means that you need to spend time with him teaching him rules, boundaries, and good manners.

She will also have personality issues due to her staying in tact. B-tches can get VERY b-tchy - its a fact. Nothing more aggresive than a female who has has a litter! That is not to say that all females with litters are aggressive - but if a female has the notion that she rules the roost and needs to protect her litter, then hell has no fury.... She will also live a longer, healthier life being spayed.

Just a heads up! Your life will not be easy with intact dogs - she will frequently come in to heat (can be a mess) and he will be in a heightened state of arousal most of the time. They will likely have to be frequently separated in order to prevent unwanted litters and maintain some household harmony. She should not be bred until she is at least 2 years old and has passed all of her health clearances - so that is definately 2 years of lots of management. Not to mention all of the dogs who are euthanized each year because of the gazillions of unwanted dogs being born - I could go on for days....

Training the older dog will also benefit your younger dog. Right now anything the older dog does the little one is likely to mimic. If she sees him growl at you and it works then she learns growling works. She also learns that HE is in charge of the house NOT you. She will listen to him and take his lead whenever she needs advice. So now you don't have twice the problem but 10 times the problem -two out of control dogs bossing you around 24/7.

When you learn how to provide good, clear leadership to one dog it will naturally flow to the other dog and all things will fall nicely into place. When you meet someone with a good dog it is because they took the time to teach the dog manners - this is what you need to do. Get some professional help and start out right with these two - it will pay off for the lifetime of your dogs.

[phoenix]

I'm sorry but this is too laughable. "Oh my dogs are humping. They aren't fixed. I have a male and a female. How can I stop this?"

Please can you not see how self evident the answer is????? You're going to have puppies sooner than you think, and your female isn't old enough to go through that and might very well die.

[Purpledomino]

No offence, but it is evident from your post that you lack the experience and knowledge that you should have to be breeding dogs. Just because you have two dogs of same breed and opposite sex is no reason to consider breeding. Please consider neutering your boy now, and spaying your girl when she is ready. You will definately have a more peaceful home, and happier healthier pets. If this is the first time you have had two dogs at the same time, just imagine throwing a bunch of puppies into the mix. IMO, you will be way in over your head in more ways than one......