Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,

My wife and I adopted a 7 year old beagle two months ago, and she has a problem with mounting our 1 year old dalmation/x. she will also do this to other dogs who visit our home. We believe that she has been spayed, the vet was unsure if there was a scar or not, and said due to her age, it was possible that it had just faded. his advice (on discerning whether or not she was spayed, that is) was to give it six months and see if she goes into heat, which she hasn't yet.

My suspiscion is that this is just a dominance thing. However I'm curious if this is abnormal, or if it's no big deal and something we just need to deal with?

Thanks for all your help.
Pat

You are correct, this is a dominance act and it is no real big deal- unless your other dog can't handle taking care of her on his own. WHen my female does this to my male, I jsut redirect the two to a different game- fetch or something that gets the energy out, but gets the focus off the other dog. I don't reprimand, nor make a big deal out of it.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

>>Hi all,
>>
>>My wife and I adopted a 7 year old beagle two months ago, and she has a problem with mounting our 1 year old dalmation/x. she will also do this to other dogs who visit our home. We believe that she has been spayed, the vet was unsure if there was a scar or not, and said due to her age, it was possible that it had just faded. his advice (on discerning whether or not she was spayed, that is) was to give it six months and see if she goes into heat, which she hasn't yet.
>>
>>My suspiscion is that this is just a dominance thing. However I'm curious if this is abnormal, or if it's no big deal and something we just need to deal with?
>>
>>Thanks for all your help.
>>Pat

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It's not abnormal and it's not necessarily dominance, though it can be. I would interrupt it whenever it happens and get the dog doing something different. I'd also keep a very close eye on medical possibilities, including urinary tract infections. And I'd find her friendly male dogs to play with. Sometimes a dog who doesn't have play experiences with the right other dogs when young turns out confused.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47