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So we have an almost 6 month old male English Bulldog. Anytime we go to the dog park, dog beach, pretty much anywhere there are dogs, he will hump every single dog. We talked to our vet, trainer, and anyone that would listen and they all said it's normal. Yes, I agree it's normal to an extent. But this is ridiculous and it's gotten to the point that we are no longer welcomed at the dog park because he will not stop, even when the other dogs are not interested in him. I've never seen another dog do this and am trying desperately to stop this arrogant behavior. I pull him back by the collar, which usually makes him throw up, so that's not exactly working. He is not yet neutered (we were told by our breeder and our Bulldog specialist vet to wait until a minimum of 8 months, preferably a year, because Bullies need their horomones til then) but we will be neutering him in the near future. At this point, I'm almost willing to neuter him sooner than later if it means this behavior stops. Any advice is greatly appreciated as I hate to be the person in the dog park that everyone hates.
Hmmm Color me clueless, I've always been told it's safe to alter most dogs as juveniles. Not having experience specific breeds needing to wait, I've emailed an old high school friend who does breed English Bulldogs, will let you know what I hear.
This is how dogs PLAY. It's PEOPLE who put the unpleasant overlay on this behavior. Read 'The Other End of the Leash' by Patricia McConnell. It'll change how you look at and interact with your dog. It's positively brilliant!
And neutering won't really stop this behavior, simply BECAUSE it's a play behavior. What it will do is minimize the chance that your boy will become a marker. And remember that it takes about a month for the hormones in the blood to dissipate.
Would prob. look for another group, have you checked out meetup.com, put in English Bulldogs and then your zip and there may be meetups in your area (or close to it), it might be fun for both of you.
We are part of English Bulldog meetups in the area and we started one too. He has Bulldog friends, but we like all dogs, their owners just don't like us because of the humping. The meetups meet once a month, but we go to the dog park almost every day since it's right across the street from us and there are many dogs there, not just Bulldogs.
Our breeder is very reputable and rarely breeds for pets (he shows his dogs regularly and out of our litter of 5, only 2 went as pets and the rest will be shown) so I would take his word regarding neutering over someone that does it as a hobby and for the money. And the Bulldog vet I'm referring to is extremely well known and respected in Southern California and has been working with the breed for 30 years, so I totally trust his opinion. Yea, we also heard from backyard breeders that we can neuter him now, but we are opting to listen to those that truly know the breed.
ViralMd, I actually put that book on my list and will be getting it shortly. Thanks for the tip!
Good for you for waiting 8 months to neuter your dog! I agree that the dogs need the hormones. I would tolerate the behavior for 2 more months and get him fixed. Once his fixed, he'll settle down.
Our bulldog Chaucer used to hump objects to show visitors that this was his home and these were his people. He wouldn't hump people or other dogs -- just objects that belonged to them. It was rather funny, actually.
Heh, I have good friends in England and when they came to visit, Chauc was rather miffed that "strangers" were taking up his humans' time. He would purposely sit in a chair in the family room and stare at us when we were all sitting around talking, LOL. However, the worst came about halfway through the visit. My friend called to me from the guest room and said I had to come see what was going on.
Sigh, there was Chaucer madly humping their trendy Euro-style suitcase that, ironically enough, was rather close to being bulldog-shaped! LOL, I told them it wasn't my problem -- their countrymen developed this silly breed, and we all laughed and laughed. When they left, they decided that Chauc and I should have the suitcase. They managed to fit everything into their other bags.
So we have an almost 6 month old male English Bulldog. Anytime we go to the dog park, dog beach, pretty much anywhere there are dogs, he will hump every single dog. We talked to our vet, trainer, and anyone that would listen and they all said it's normal. Yes, I agree it's normal to an extent. But this is ridiculous and it's gotten to the point that we are no longer welcomed at the dog park because he will not stop, even when the other dogs are not interested in him. I've never seen another dog do this and am trying desperately to stop this arrogant behavior. I pull him back by the collar, which usually makes him throw up, so that's not exactly working. He is not yet neutered (we were told by our breeder and our Bulldog specialist vet to wait until a minimum of 8 months, preferably a year, because Bullies need their horomones til then) but we will be neutering him in the near future. At this point, I'm almost willing to neuter him sooner than later if it means this behavior stops. Any advice is greatly appreciated as I hate to be the person in the dog park that everyone hates.
I don't have a bulldog, but the Rat Terrier I got at 7 months old was already neutered.
Divorce (It cured my wife's first husband). Actually, my first thought was a dominance thing, as female dogs go through the humping motion also. But, if you have a veterinarian you trust, I'd do whatever he suggests.
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Color me clueless, I've always been told it's safe to alter most dogs as juveniles. Not having experience specific breeds needing to wait, I've emailed an old high school friend who does breed English Bulldogs, will let you know what I hear.
