The good news... It is NOT Dominance!
The EVEN BETTER NEWS...
IT'S SEX!
That's RIGHT. Humping (despite the obvious implications -that it probably feels good) is S. E. X.
Sex! Sex! Sex! Sex! Did you know that dogs, like most creatures, need to have sex to reproduce?
Reproduction is just one of those things that pops out in play. Play-time is just a rehearsal stage for all of life's survival skills.
During play-time your dog will:
- Play-fight
- Play-hunt
- Play-kill
- Play-mate
For more on Humping >>>> Read my new favorite book, Oh Behave! by Jean Donaldson, author and director of The SF SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers.
Complete the sentence. "I would bet my i ______ (phone, pod, mac) that these dogs are__________________."
a) Fighting b) Playing c) Deciding who's dominant d) None of the above
This Photo is all PLAY!
THE PLAYERS:
WOODY ~TerrierX ~Male-neutered ~Still just a pup.
- Signature move: Muzzle-punch... T-position... Hump... Roll-over... Score.
LAFAWNDUH -Border Collie, Female-spayed, mid-3's.
- Signature Move: She's got them all and loves her toys!
WHAT makes up PLAY?
Any survival skills can show up in play. This includes LOTS of stuff!
Fighting Behaviors: growling, snarling, snapping, and biting.
Food-Getting Behaviors: chasing, shaking, ripping-stuff-apart, stalking, pouncing, food/bone stealing.
Negotiation Behaviors: eye-contact, running away, standing still, looking-away.
Mating Behaviors: rotating ears, t-positions, humping, snapping...followed by flirting (female).
Other Dog Stuff: digging, barking, sniffing, grooming.
Think of these as the things that a comedian could choose to put into an act. When they use them and how they set the delivery matters.
Dogs that play-well have GOOD TIMING & GREAT DELIVERY. Good players can push the envelope a bit because the other dogs can always tell they are just playing-around.
Un-skilled players might appear to do all the same stuff, but... It can fall short and offend if their timing is off, they keep pressing the same joke, repeating the same line, or misread the audience.
One way to tell whether your dog is a skilled-player is the frequency, quality and timing of their play-bows. A PLAY-BOW is a DEFINITE INVITATION to PLAY! If your dog's BOTTOM is UP & their front legs are slapping the ground from the elbows to the paws -they are saying: "LET'S PARTY!"
Another indicator of good play is that the other dogs come back for more and are allowed to pick games too. Your dog might bow and then chase, but should be open to Rover play-pawing and then growling & biting.
In good play, games (chase, bite, hump, stand still) should be brief and roles should change. So, don't worry if it 'looks' like they are fighting....They might even talk dirty or get rough; they are just playing.
