Dominance?

[ourempire]

Hi all.
I just found out that Molly, who is sterilized, humps Tigger, who is a toy! Apart from the awkward moment (combined with a laugh, since NOTHING will ever come out of it) I would like to ask you, if your dogs do that? Molly is almost 5 and has never had any pups. She only humps the big Tigger, her small Tiggers are just battered and bitten. Is it "just" an issue of dominance?
Here she is during a "normal" Tigger-moment with one of the small Tiggers.

[CSutherland]

I don't know the answer but I got scolded by someone on this forum for even suggesting dominance. My Bentley is neutered and is 7 1/2 months old; his humping activity takes place on the outer shell of his 2-pc bed. He pulls the cushion out and tries to "kill" it, then jumps on the outer ridge of the shell, all the time biting the cloth cover, trying to tear it up. This is the only thing he does that makes my husband aggravated at him. He doesn't want him tearing up his nice bed. Sometimes we have to just put it out of sight for a while. At other times he voluntarily crawls into the outer shell and takes a nap.

[Karen and Ruby]

I think humping is perfectly normal dog behaviour.

My eldest Ruby very rarely does it anymore- think thats more down to the SM than not wanting to.
However in her early years she did hump a selection of her furry friends quite often in a momment of excitement.
But she did grab hold of a toy not that long ago and have a go, all be it she is top dog when it comes to her and my youngest boy Charlie.

Charlie my youngest humps Ruby when he gets excited- when I get the leads out for a walk or at dinner time etc
But by no means is he dominant towards Ruby! I do tell him off for humping her though as he shouldnt be climbing on her in that way but it is purely an act of excitement- much the same as barking!!

[Tania]

Well the first time I encountered this was when we got Dotty. Molly was three at the time and performed this strange behaviour towards Dotty.

Not only could I not believe my eyes....I couldn't understand what was going on I thought Molly might be confused

[Kate H]

Oliver (who is not neutered) frequently tries humping (neutered) Aled, who occasionally - in exasperation - tries humping Oliver back! To begin with I thought Oliver was making sure that Aled remembered whose house he had come into, and who was top dog here, but really I think he does it because he enjoys it, and perhaps Molly does the same. He's not particularly interested in bitches, he's never been used at stud - I didn't neuter him because I showed him in his younger days - so he led a life of enforced celibacy until Aled arrived 2.5 years ago. A pleasant way of passing the time, as far as I can see - at least from Oliver's point of view: Aled is less keen! On the whole he stops when I tell him to, and he seems to do it less often these days, as he gets older. All part of the sex lives of dogs, I suppose! It's easy, when we spay our bitches and don't breed, to forget that they do have them...

Kate, Oliver and Aled

[Desrae]

I don't think it's dominance I just think that dogs have feelings too, even if they are neutered. Our girl Belle does it to my husband when she is excited about him coming home after being gone all day, it only happens once in a blue moon, and she is spayed. Bobby tried doing it to Belle once after she came home from the groomers, maybe he liked how she looked or smelled or was just really happy to see her home! I truly believe it's just they have these feelings, like any living creature does. If it is offensive, just let them know and train them to 'leave it', etc.
It is both funny and somewhat shocking to see our furbabies do these things...

[StillPooh]

Clancy has shagged his beloved stuffed pig since he hit puberty, even though we neutered him at 7 months. When we first got Dillon (who spent his first 5 years making puppies for the amish ), he watched in amusement while Clancy engaged in this behavior. Then one day a year or so later, he decided to show Clancy how it's supposed to be done, and started shagging our (boy!) cat, Percy. I swear that cat mourned harder than anyone when Dillon died last year.

[Jasper and Holly]

My two do it to each other all the time and I think it's hilarious. I don't know why but have been told it is dominance? I'm sure someone here will know. I don't worry about it. I would love to know what it is though.

[ourempire]

Thanks, all of you. I am glad to hear that it is "normal" behaviour, even though Molly might be a bit gender confused
We decided to stop it, when we see it. Éowyn, the youngest, sometimes went for Molly, but their relationship is more equal now, and she has stopped.
I was just a bit baffled, since I didn't think the spayed females did that.