My Pet World: Dog’s excitement at the park results in embarrassing behaviors
Dear Cathy,
We rescued a dog from South Carolina. He is about five to six years old. He looks like a German Shepard and yellow lab mix. We did his DNA, and he has twenty-one breeds in him — mostly, Pit Bull Terriers, Chow Chow, and Golden Retriever.
He is well-behaved in the house, but when we take him to the park, he gets very hyper and sometimes mounts other dogs and people. In the car, he jumps from the back to the front. When we restrain him, he pants and breaths heavily. He seems to have so much anxiety at times. How do we stop the mounting?
— Artie and Stella, Smithtown, New York
Dear Artie and Stella,
Mounting can be an embarrassing behavior for any dog’s owner. But rest assured, many dogs do it, and for various reasons. While the behavior is associated with mating, fixed dogs of either sex will mount dogs of the same and opposite sex when they want to display dominance over another dog, when they are super excited (i.e., like going to the dog park), or when they are playing.
During play, you may see milder versions of this behavior in which all the dogs may be doing it to each other. If everyone is happy, there’s gently nothing to worry about. But even in play, if another dog doesn’t like being mounted, or if your dog is being obnoxious about it, there is a chance there could be a fight.
So, stop the behavior as soon as you see it, which means physically going over and pushing your dog off another dog or better yet, training him to get off the other dog with the “off” command. Use the “off” command when you want your dog to get off your couch, etc., and point in the direction you want him to go. When your dog understands this command, tell your dog “off” when he mounts another dog. Then ask him to “come” and “sit.” After the “sit” command, you may offer a treat. By interrupting your dog’s excitement, you are helping him to calm down and learn how to play better with his friends.
Dear Cathy,
We have two kittens, a brother and sister, from the same litter. We got them from a rescue group at eight weeks old. They are well-socialized, but the female kitten nurses my arm during the night. I have put her out of the room, but she starts again every night at about 2 a.m. Our vet and everyone else say she was taken from her mother too soon. But no one offers any plan to stop the behavior. Is there really no way to help this adorable kitten? She was born on Easter and is named Bunny.
...continued
(c) 2022 DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
