Humping at the dog park

[choo_choo_bear]

I've just discovered a fenced dog park that's a 15-minute drive from my place. I've taken my 1-year-old Cocker Spaniel (Dexter) there twice now, and each time he's humped other dogs. The other dog owners (the "regulars" at the park) are less than impressed, and have made it clear that this is something I should train him not to do. What bothers me

Comments

[taleofaredhead]

I'm sorry, but I don't think it's fair of you to expect another dog to just "tell off" your dog. In fact, this is might be one of the last things you want to happen, since they might not ask nicely (and end up biting your dog). Not all dogs will tell off another dog, even if they don't like something, just like people.

The other owners shouldn't push their view of punishment off on you. However, as a member of the dog park society (so to speak) it is your job to have a well-mannered dog that isn't a pain in the butt to be around. If someone's dog came up to my dog and kept humping it all of the time, I'd be pretty irritated. Maybe use your new clicker training abilities to teach your dog not to hump.

Good luck!

[2morrows]

I agree with ALL of this.

[papilio_luna]

I don't think it's fair of you to expect another dog to just "tell off" your dog

Why not? I see way more trouble caused at dog parks by owners running around trying to "speak for" their dogs in various situations than if the dogs were just allowed to speak their own language to one another. Dog social communication is designed to avoid fights. Most dogs don't want to fight and all the posturing and vocalizing they do with one another is done so they can avoid fighting.

[miss_teacher]

I mostly agree with you. I think people step in at times they should not, but also let things go farther than they should because they think they dog is playing or being cute when it clearly is not.

Too many people are just awful at reading dog body language. And too many people go to dog parks with dogs that are socially inept. For well socialized dogs it would probably work well to let them figure a lot of things out on their own. But you throw into the mix one or more dogs with poor social skills and poor bite inhibition and it could be dangerous.

[omnipoodle]

I wouldn't want someone to expect my dog to correct another dog for humping her, because she just won't do that. Some dogs are good at communicating with other dogs, and some are a little slow in that department. Since it's hard to tell which camp a strange dog falls into, I think it's dangerous and unfair to assume that another dog will appropriately put a rude dog in his place.

[silverblaidd]

Because you don't know that other dog. The other dog might over react, your dog might over react, their dog might not react at all and thus your dog doesn't learn anything, and so on. It's the owners job to not only speak up and stand up for their dogs, but also prevent their dogs from being nuisances. I don't put up with other people's dogs annoying the crap out of mine, and I don't let mine do the same. Dog social communication only avoids fights if all dogs are well socialized, and that's something you don't know if you don't know the dog.

[taleofaredhead]

"Not all dogs will tell off another dog, even if they don't like something, just like people."

I agree that owner interferences are not always what is required in every situation, but there are certainly dogs out there (one of mine included) who would just allow the behavior to continue without telling the other dog off, but also being unhappy about the humping.

Also, because you don't always know the disposition of the dog being humped, it might be better to interfere. What if that dog were to just wheel around and chomp on the humper's leg, no warning? It could happen, and my advice to the OP is not to let her dog be in an unpredictable and possibly dangerous situation.