Delicate Subject

[Scadds]

Hi everyone

19 week Patterdale Terrier

he has just started making himself very "happy".... - not by humping toys/things - this is purely him on his own.

We intend having him castrated as soon as our vet says it is safe to do so.

In the meantime any advice to get him to stop "playing with himself".

Many thanks

[Noobs]

Can you give us some more info on his daily routine, food exercise, training etc., so that we might be able to pinpoint if there's a reason (boredom, stress) that he's doing this. It's also possibly just a normal behavior that needs to be channeled correctly - like giving him a pillow or toy that he can do his thing with and not hurt anyone.

Also you might be advised to wait until maturity to neuter especially if you're only doing it for behavioral reasons. If you are concerned about him making puppies with a female who is accessible then that's another issue. Nevertheless, that is still a little too young.

[Nettle]

He is being a perfectly normal male...anything. No boys in your family? This is a normal part of male AND female development at the time hormone levels are disrupted and developing.

Just ignore it. He'll grow out of it. UNLESS you make a big deal of it and then he has found a new attention-getting behaviour.

Please don't get him neutered until he is grown up, or you are likely to get far worse problems than air-humping.

[Scadds]

Thanks guys - Nettle - no boys apart from me inthe house........ perhaps i need to have the father and son birds and the bees chat with him:)

Its only started (that we have noticed) yesterday/today and its not a "problem" as he takes himself into his puppy pen when doing it rather than put himself on display in the middle of the room.

his routine - awake at 6ish - walk for half an hour to an hour.
In the house for max 7 hrs - and at least 3 out of 5 days he is on his own - then more walking in the late afternoon/evening and some mind games/exercise either out or in the house/garden.
Night time - he sleeps (or is quiet) for 9 hrs - sometimes less.


I guess its normal behaviour - just wanted confirmation from other people on here.

Thank you everyone

[emmabeth]

Please don't neuter him just because he does this.. oh man imagine if your parents did that when YOU first discovered .... ahem!..... 'Dont touch that. or we will CUT IT OFF!'...

Perfectly normal, one of my dogs here er, amuses himself.... with his mouth. Hes rarely done it in front of people and the one time he did it in front of a guy I just laughed and said 'bet you wish you could do that'!

If you make a big deal over it and react he will cotton on really fast that THAT is the way to get your attention, which is why some dogs willlearn to do highly embarrassing stuff when there are visitors round (becauase thats when the people react the most!)... if you ignore it or walk away from him when hes doing it, he will not do it to seek attention.

As long as he isnt making himself sore, and you are sure theres no infection there (bear in mind a low level of infection on the end of his dingle is not at all uncommon for a young male dog and is one of the reasons they will lick that a lot!) leave him be