hello everyone! My little girl is 10 mos. and spayed. Here recently, every time I take her to the dog park she seems to get singled out and other dogs immediately try to mount her. The other owners are good about separating, and several have mentioned that their dog never does that and truly seem baffled by their dogs behavior. I usually just make a joke about my dog being so pretty, but....what gives??? She doesn’t seem bothered by it...I don’t think at least. But it does worry me so we’ve stopped going to the park as much. Today I took her to a doggy day care that we love. When I picked her up the worker asked me if she’s been spayed because the other dogs were acting like she hadn’t. I’m sure they were good about keeping their eyes on her and stuff, but I worry about taking her to doggy day care anymore. I don’t want her to be traumatized. Am I worrying too much? Why can’t they keep their paws off my girl???
Hi @C Dawg When did you get your dog spayed? Was it recently? Non-sexual mounting is one way of relieving anxiety or burning off energy. Have you studied her and their body language to see whether you can identify any trigger? It can also occur as part of play. If she truly doesn't mind, then try not to worry about. Just be on the look out for any changes in her attitude, her mouth, carriage of her ears. If you think she is getting stressed, then try body blocking with a left-about turn so that the male dog cannot mount her and walk away calmly.
She was spayed in September. I haven’t really been able to indentify any triggers. They seriously always move in on her super fast when we arrive at the park...
Thanks for the update @C Dawg I agree with you. Avoid the dog park. I can't imagined she wants to be the hunted. And discuss with the day care personnel what steps they might take to avoid any problem. Perhaps she can play with some other dogs that do not want to pounce on her.
@C Dawg did you have a full ovario-hysterectomy spay? (Ovaries and uterus removed?) Because increasingly in the US, there are laparoscopic spays available which only remove the uterus not the ovaries. Dogs spayed like this will continue to cycle hormonally and continue to be interesting to other dogs... they will smell the same as a bitch in heat when they are cycling - although there will be no discharge or visible sign of it. The vulva will still swell. Does she have any other signs of being in heat? Vulva swelling? Is it only male dogs showing this type of interest in her, or is it female dogs as well? Not all humping is sexual... Sometimes dogs with pyometra can smell like they are in season to male dogs, and it can be an early sign of a pyo - but obviously if she is spayed that won't apply to you, because it's an infection of the uterus. My other thought is that if a spay has been incomplete and some amount of the ovary has been left, she could potentially continue to cycle hormonally. I think, if I were you, I'd want to go back to the vet that did the surgery and ask some questions. They should be able to run a simple blood test to see how much estrogen/progesterone is in her blood - and therefore whether her blood markers are those of an intact or a spayed bitch. If her bloods reveal she has the markers of an intact bitch and yet she has been supposedly spayed then they would probably ultrasound to try to see what has been left and may need to re-operate... Worst case scenario of course.... If everything checks out physically, then I'd keep her away from other dogs for a good 6 months until her hormones have stabilised after her spay and hopefully other dogs won't continue to respond to her like this... You should remove her from the situation as soon as you see it happening though - you don't want her to learn to become reactive to get the other dog to stop humping her...
Hi C Dawg and Jo I found an article on ovarian remnant syndrome which may be of some interest. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/ovarian-remnant-syndrome-in-dogs
It hasn’t been all males, there have been a couple females involved...and like I mentioned, almost everyone comments that it is our of character for their dog to do that. I called the vet’s office today and the receptionist immediately said that the mounting isn’t always sexual and that she might just be very submissive. I don’t really think my girl is really all that submissive...but I’m not the most experienced when it comes to dog’s behavior. She is very sweet and wants nothing but to love on everyone, but also seems to hold her own and will snap back if needed. Whoa....I feel like I just describe myself. Maybe a new topic for another thread....”how much of your personality influences your dog’s personality???” Haha...seriously though...I’m not convinced it’s just a behavioral issue but I’ll start paying better attention to potential triggers and will also call back and specifically request to talk to her vet. Most of the time she does seem to hold her own but other times I’ve noticed some signs of distress...raised hair and ears moving back...but once let loose in a setting like the park it’s difficult to intervene properly, so for now we will continue to avoid those places As always...thanks for all your input!!!!
Very interesting additional information @C Dawg Your issue has been a bit of a puzzle. Are you able to describe how she presents her body to the dogs as they approach? I think dog parks are a nightmare. So totally with you on that score.
I wish I could describe how she presents herself at the park but honestly my recollections are always of your typical very curious/extremely excited normal puppy ready to explore/play. At this point I definitely don’t want to subject her to any more potential damaging play. But I also don’t want to isolate her and cause more issues? We are currently in an apartment until our house is ready in April...so exercise options are very limited
Since she is only 10 months old, she doesn't need lots of physical exercise. Mental stimulation is the way to go. Shaping go to mat and/or retrieve would be very good for her. Goo luck with the transition from apartment to a house.
I really would not listen to anything a receptionist says about a medical matter. They are not a vet. They answer the phone and they type stuff in computers - they are a receptionist. Really, if you want to be sure, you need to make an appointment with the vet and insist on a blood test.
