[Dailydrool] This too shall pass but --

[Sandi Wittenberg]

Kacy, 
This is kind of a good news, bad news thing.  Yes - it will pass but you
also have some work to do.

First of all, neutering Cowboy will help with the hormonal part of humping.
It will take a couple of weeks for the hormones to get out of his system but
the sexual urge to hump will diminish.   Unfortunately, not all humping is
hormonal.  Much of it is dominance, as you suspect.

Now, the good news - it is correctable.  One thing you can do is to help
them establish a relationship by walking them together - BRISKLY - no
sniffing allowed.  Then when they get good at that, you can begin to let
them sniff and explore.  But if CB starts to hump, resume the BRISK walk for
the remainder of the walk.  

 Since we have all intact males who are used for breeding on occasion, we
have to be careful NOT to correct the humping behavior because it will make
them reluctant breeders if they think they are going to get yelled at.  So
one thing we do, is to teach them how to engage in appropriate play.  We do
this by playing with them - like dogs play - on the floor, using play bows,
grabbing at feet and ears, tugging on tails and tossing toys around.  (I
won't go so far as chewing on a gumma-bone though :) !)

You can prevent the humping without changing the hierarchy.  Depending on
what Cowboy responds to, here are some suggestions:
1. When he starts humping - stop him and give him a FIRM AND LOUD - NO!  If
he resumes the humping, remove him from the situation for 15 minutes.  Then
try again.  The bottom line on this technique is that he probably really
does want to play with Rupert so he will quickly learn that this type of
play is not acceptable.  
2. When he starts humping - squirt him square in the face with a squirt
bottle.  If he resumes, squirt again with a FIRM AND LOUD - NO!    If he
doesn't respond, give him a time out. 
3. REWARD - REWARD - REWARD appropriate behavior!

You have to let the hierarchy resolve itself.  It may turn out that the
dominant dog will not be CB, but Rupert.  Although, Cowboy was there first,
dominance has little to do with seniority and more to do with natural
leadership ability.  They WILL sort it out - but you CAN'T sort it out for
them.  If you try to, they may never resolve the issue and there will be
constant tension between them.  Dogs don't really care what their place is,
as long as they have a place and know what it is.  There are some subtle
"doggie language" things that may give you some hints about who is more
dominant:
1. Who goes out the door first?
2. Do they drink out of the same bowl at the same time?  Who gets a drink
first?
3. When you feed them, does one wait until the other one starts eating?  

Good luck and don't give up!


Sandi Wittenberg - Red Bay Bassets
sandi at redbaybassets.com