Oversexed Lakeland Terrier!

dees99

Hi - I have a lakeland terrier, he's 2 years old, completly wired off his head and in the last 4 - 5 months is getting extremly oversexed and is trying to hump my leg (and everybody elses) any chance he gets.

He is not neutered and will never be neutered as i wouldnt like to have my own privaate parts chopped off but i would like to get him some sort of toy that he could hump to basically relieve himself. Can anybody recommend one for that? I dont having to pay a bit of money for something if it works. Dont think a teddy would work because he might just rip it apart but if i have to il settle for that.

Any other ideas?

Thanks in advance!

ButtersSuki

dees99 wrote: »

Hi - I have a lakeland terrier, he's 2 years old, completly wired off his head and in the last 4 - 5 months is getting extremly oversexed and is trying to hump my leg (and everybody elses) any chance he gets.

He is not neutered and will never be neutered as i wouldnt like to have my own privaate parts chopped off but i would like to get him some sort of toy that he could hump to basically relieve himself. Can anybody recommend one for that? I dont having to pay a bit of money for something if it works. Dont think a teddy would work because he might just rip it apart but if i have to il settle for that.

Any other ideas?

Thanks in advance!

Firstly, what a gorgeous dog!

Ok, is neutering completely out of the question? I was this way once until I dug a little deeper re. cancer etc,, and also started to get involved with rescues and got exposed to unwanted/neglected pups etc. Both of my dogs are now neutered. Not lecturing, just asking would it be worth doing some more investigation on this?

Teddies could contain choking hazards so they're out in most cases but one thing that seemed to work for us was a draught excluder - essentially a long cylindrical material tube which we stuffed ourselves so we could be sure of the contents if he ripped it open.

It of course may simply be a phase he grows out of.

borderlinemeath

dees99 wrote: »

Hi - I have a lakeland terrier, he's 2 years old, completly wired off his head and in the last 4 - 5 months is getting extremly oversexed and is trying to hump my leg (and everybody elses) any chance he gets.

He is not neutered and will never be neutered as i wouldnt like to have my own privaate parts chopped off but i would like to get him some sort of toy that he could hump to basically relieve himself. Can anybody recommend one for that? I dont having to pay a bit of money for something if it works. Dont think a teddy would work because he might just rip it apart but if i have to il settle for that.

Any other ideas?

Thanks in advance!

Okay firstly, comparing a dog to a human by saying you wouldn't want your private parts chopped off is quite frankly the worst reason for keeping a dog intact. I'm sorry if that sounds mean and abrupt but it is!

You would neuter to ease the dogs frustration
You would neuter to prevent the dog straying to find a female
You would neuter to prevent an unwanted litter
You would neuter to prevent inter male canine aggression
You would neuter to alleviate intensive territory marking
You would neuter if the dog had an undescended testicle and it was a danger to his health. (Cryptorchidism)

You don't neuter because

You're a responsible owner
You have a very secure garden
You have no chance of letting your dog near an intact female in heat.
You are planning to show your dog
Your dog has an adverse reaction to anesthesia and the op would be too dangerous.
Your dog is well socialised and has no problems with other intact males.

Dogs don't get aroused like humans, they get frustrated due to hormone levels and that's probably why he's humping you or anything else he can mount. Is there a nearby female in heat that he can sense? If this behaviour has just come on suddenly and he's 2 there's something triggering it, rather than he's just matured.

There isn't anything that a dog can use (toywise) to alleviate humping frustration, but it might be an idea to get a behaviourist in to observe him and see just how much of a problem it is. Sometimes dogs hump out of stress and maybe there's been a change to his environment that he's picked up on?

dave1982

Sadly for Toffee the only answer is the chop


He won't even miss them once their gone, he's more frustrated because he has them.

Never heard of a sex doll for dogs

kylith

While there's nothing specifically designed for it I have heard of dogs having their own teddy that they hump. Be aware that, since dogs don't wear condoms, it's likely to get absolutely revolting and will need to be washed very regularly. It would probably be better in the long run to get a behaviourist in to help you train him out of humping. While I would personally recommend neutering for any dog you don't intend to breed from, having him neutered will not necessarily stop the humping if he's gotten into the habit of it.

anniehoo

Whilst i agree with everything Borderlinemeath has posted, neutering is not always that black and white from a biological point of view. I have seen plenty of male dogs that aren't neutered that don't "dry hump" to put it so basically and i've also seen many males (and females) who are neutered who do it too. My own spayed female dog did it pretty much her whole life, 14 years.

Neutering is often bluntly categorised as a " must do at around 6mths", but in some larger breeds who mature slower, it is advised to wait until they're at least a year or more to allow for the juvenile hormonal influences of growth to take affect. (i don't have links to hand).

Anthropomorphism, which basically means attributing human feelings or characteristics to a non human species is not a valid reason for keeping your dog unneutered though. We ALL can be guilty of this, but if this is the ONLY reason for not neutering, then you need to be prepared for all of the potential problems that Borderlinemeath has mentioned.

Do your research but be a responsible owner at the same time, which im sure you are by even asking this question. Your dog won't miss his testicles...at all, but if it's only for aesthetics (looks) rather than genuinely having a valid medical reason for not doing, then he should be neutered. It's the most routine procedure vets do, much cheaper for males than females (less than €70) and will prevent the pain and stress of you potentially losing him from wandering and/or paying for unwanted litter(s) of puppies.

boomerang

And there is no chopping involved... That makes it sound brutal!

anniehoo

boomerang wrote: »

And there is no chopping involved... That makes it sound brutal!

Boomerang you know as well as I do, that term was meant colloquially (conversationally). Neutering is a surgical procedure, requiring anaesthesia and veterinary knowledge. In day to day "talking"...this is how neutering can be referred to and is not meant to be taken literally.

Can you explain how male dogs are neutered in your experience to make it more understandable and less scary to the OP?

bluecherry74

dees99 wrote: »

Can anybody recommend one for that? I dont having to pay a bit of money for something if it works. Dont think a teddy would work because he might just rip it apart but if i have to il settle for that.

I would try an old pillow and pillow case and see if he can work with that. My old dog (female and neutered!) loved a good humping session with a cushion, so your guy might be happy with that.

As others have said though, don't be afraid of getting him neutered. Do a bit of research and maybe have a chat to your vet. Often neutering isn't necessary, and you're right not to jump in and do it without thinking, but if your dog is exhibiting anti-social behaviour such as excessive humping it can help.

dees99

Hi,

Thanks for the replies. Ok so the whole neutering thing is still off the table. Perhaps i am a bit of a Anthropomorphist but theres no way id do anything to him that i wouldnt do to myself. Plus i dont like the idea of doing it just because i dont want him being a hassle anymore! Doesnt seem fair!

He is a bit troublesome at times, tried to maul a female German Shephard the other day amongst other dogs, but if a child came over and sat on him he would never touch it or turn nasty. Anytime i arrive home he immediately locks onto my jeans or runners and goes completly mad trying to tear them off. After about 10 - 15 minutes he exhausts himself and lets go and calms down for a while. Im probably partly to blame for this because as a tiny puppy i used to drag him around while he would ba hanging out of my pants so id say i might have given him the habit.

I realise neutering him does not mean having down below chopped off and if he was still a pup i might consider it, just because you cant miss what you have never had but id never do it to him now.

I think il try the teddy and see what happens

I

boomerang

anniehoo wrote: »

Boomerang you know as well as I do, that term was meant colloquially (conversationally). Neutering is a surgical procedure, requiring anaesthesia and veterinary knowledge. In day to day "talking"...this is how neutering can be referred to and is not meant to be taken literally.

Can you explain how male dogs are neutered in your experience to make it more understandable and less scary to the OP?

We're on the same page, anniehoo. I think a lot of owners think the procedure is a lot more gory and brutal than it actually is. That was my point to the OP. I don't know of anyone who refers to it as "the chop" - most owners coming in call it "the snip."

boomerang

dees99 wrote: »

Hi,

Thanks for the replies. Ok so the whole neutering thing is still off the table. Perhaps i am a bit of a Anthropomorphist but theres no way id do anything to him that i wouldnt do to myself. Plus i dont like the idea of doing it just because i dont want him being a hassle anymore! Doesnt seem fair!

But isn't it equally unfair that he is so desperately sexually frustrated all the time? Just a thought.

DBB

To be honest, I think if you're letting him hump other people's legs, you're kinda making an eejit out of the dog, and embarrassing the human victims. I don't think you're being fair on either party at all.
You don't necessarily have to have him neutered, no. As you have stated, you have encouraged this behaviour, and essentially made it part of the dog's normal greeting routine with you. If he thinks it's ok to do it to you, there's nothing to stop him generalizing this same greeting ritual to children... A fair few dog "attacks" on kids are actually the dog inappropriately trying to hump the kid. And what about older people, or people who don't like dogs? Those dew claws on the sides of the legs can cause pretty bad injuries, quite apart from how unsettling this,would be to the human.I have to say, and I'm far from squeamish about inappropriate dog behaviours, I'd be very peed off with any owner who'd allow, let alone encourage their dog to hump me (for 10 or 15 mins? Seriously?) if I called to their home. You've done your dog no favours by turning this into an attention-seeking behaviour.
It'd be reasonably easy to put a stop to it, op, if the will is there. I don't believe you should be trying to encourage him to hump something else, I think you should be trying to stop it as much as you can. After all, your dog is getting frustrated, anxious, and somebody is going to let fly at him someday for humping them.
How to stop it? Stop giving him attention for doing it, and put him on a time-out for doing it.
Put a piece of string or lead on his collar (take it off if leaving him unsupervised), and when he attempts to mount you, give him a verbal warning. "Ah ah", or "Enough", or any other verbal marker that tells him what's coming next if he continues.
If he continues, pick up the lead, and calmly, without interacting with him any more, put him in a quiet, safe, boring room for 30 seconds. Then let him out again and continue as normal. If he mounts again, same thing. You'll have to repeat this many times, and you have to be consistent, but the mounting will eventually fade.
At the same time, teach him a more appropriate greeting to replace the humping, by teaching him to sit before he gets his greeting, or some other acceptable behaviour.

borderlinemeath

boomerang wrote: »

We're on the same page, anniehoo. I think a lot of owners think the procedure is a lot more gory and brutal than it actually is. That was my point to the OP. I don't know of anyone who refers to it as "the chop" - most owners coming in call it "the snip."

And it's so much less invasive a procedure to neuter a male than it would be to spay a female. OP be thankful you have a male dog because if you had a female that developed an infection after her bi-annual heat you could be faced with a life or death situation regarding spaying.

He is a bit troublesome at times, tried to maul a female German Shephard the other day amongst other dogs,

This would worry me. Can you clarify maul? Did he try and mount her? Was she in heat? If he singled her out she may have been. It takes no time at all for a dog to mount and tie (and to disrupt a tie can cause injury) Also he may well end up on the end of a snap or something worse if he tried it on with a dog that wasn't okay with getting mounted.

dees99

Sorry DBB i meant the dog grabs my runners or jeans with his teeth and starts trying to pull them off while growling and shaking his head. He does this for about 10 - 15 minutes until he tires himself out. I suppose it some sort of a game to him

If he ever tried to hump me i would push him off immediately, im hardly going to stand there for 15 minutes while a dog mates with my leg. And if he attempted to do it to anybody else i would drag him off straight away, even quicker than myself.

I mostly wanted a solution that would enable the dog to take out his frustration on something else.

andreac

To be honest, the longer you leave him like this, the worse he will get. Its very very unfair to leaqve an intact dog so frustrated. The kindest thing to do would be neutering.

I have an intact male rottie, who is a stud dog and he never ever humps anything, unless its with a bitch in season whos going to be mated. So your dog is very frustrated and showing signs of it.

I think you are taking the view of neutering very personally and you need to try and step away from that view altogether. Dogs are neutered and spayed everyday of the week and same with horses, cattle etc being castrated. If it was that bad then it wouldnt be happening.

You need to take the dogs health and feelings into consideration and forget about yours.

DBB

Nevertheless OP, the same advice stands. Pushing him down off you is probably not a strong enough message, so verbal warning and time-out, coupled with replacing the behaviour with a more acceptable one, is likely to be your best option. But be warned! Repetition and consistency is vital for this to work!
Giving him something to take his "frustration" out on is less likely to work... It's not going to teach him that it's not okay to hump people. What's more, I'd be concerned that he's not humping for sexual reasons, but because he's feeling anxious about something else that's going on in his environment. And for this latter reason, I'd be inclined to ask a behaviourist to take a look. But beware the self-titled behaviorist, there are many cowboys out there!

kylith

boomerang wrote: »

But isn't it equally unfair that he is so desperately sexually frustrated all the time? Just a thought.

This.

Close your eyes and imagine this, OP(assuming you're male): You are on a beach. All around you are women, beautiful women. They're naked and they're willing, and you are never, ever, ever, ever allowed to touch them. Would you be happy? This is how your dog feels all the time.

My brother was the same as you; thinking that it would be cruel or somehow 'unmanning' the dog to have him neutered. I think it was after the dog started escaping from the house after bitches that he changed his mind, and also because of the realisation that he would never be able to let the dog off lead in the park to play ball in case there was a bitch in heat within 2 miles. I know of litters of pups conceived through fences (and those dogs belonged to a breeder!), and I've heard of dogs shattering windows to get to bitches. I have personally seen a 9" terrier climb a 6' fence to get to a bitch. As they say, and anthropomorphising a bit myself, Love Laughs at Locksmiths.

dees99 wrote: »

Sorry DBB i meant the dog grabs my runners or jeans with his teeth and starts trying to pull them off while growling and shaking his head. He does this for about 10 - 15 minutes until he tires himself out. I suppose it some sort of a game to him

This is a behaviour that you trained into him when he was a tiny, cute puppy, but he is not a puppy any more and this behaviour could get him into serious trouble with visitors to your house. What if he tries it with someone who doesn't like dogs, or a small child? Even if he's playing they will see it as an attack, your dog will be branded 'vicious', and they will probably demand that he is put down.