I'm hoping some of you multi-dog owners may be able to help.

I have two entire boys (2.5 years and 15 months) and a spayed bitch.  It's never really been obvious to me if there is a 'top dog', and I'd say if there was such a thing it varied depending on the situation.  My bitch does boss the boys around though :-)

Anyway, they all get on really well and we've never had a cross word.  Recently the younger boy has started obsessively licking older boy's face/ears/bits, which eventually escalates into humping.  It's not constant, but last night he was trying it all evening.  Older boy is not happy about it, but won't tell him off (it's not something he's ever done) and normally comes to me or hides as best he can. 

I seem to remember this happening before between the now older boy and an even older neutered boy, but he was much more bossy and told him off straight away.

I'm worried that this quite unpleasant for older dog, and don't want to let it get out of hand, but I don't know if I should get involved - maybe they'll just sort it out quicker if I leave them to it.  I was just hoping some of you may have experienced similar situations before and have some pearls of wisdom!!  Should I stop this behaviour?  Distraction doesn't work (like I said, he really becomes obsessed), so it would just be constantly pulling him away. 

Thanks,

Clare

Personally I would try and stop the behaviour.

Have two boys (neutered - unlike yours) and the younger of the two has always pestered his older cousin with humping, who for 99% of the time takes no notice and has rarely put him in his place.

Fortunately the younger takes some notice of me and is well aware of what 'Get off' or 'No' means. It's just that the longer it's allowed the harder it is to control, or you find that your dog won't do it when your around but like all oportunists will when you back is turned.

I have had to 'help' him get off in the past, but now he only has to see me coming or the word 'No' & he gently moves away.

I'm going through the same thing at the minute.  What I did to improve the situ was up my training with the 'humper'.  I make him do a few rounds of obedience throughout the day.  Sort of letting him know who's boss to put it in a crude way.  Now, when I say 'NO' in my stern voice, he listens and will stop.  I intervened as my poor girl that was being bullied this way would never have stood up for herself, so I stepped in.  And also, it's the same as any other unwanted behaviour, you would train it out him so why should this be any different?  You could try keeping a leash on him too so when you say 'No', 'enough' or whatever and he doesn't listen, you pull him off with the leash to bring home the message of what he's to stop.
Good luck.

In my experience it doesn't seem to sort itself out or go away so I do ask for a 'leave'.

I ignore any humping and silly behaviour that is just misdirected excitement - for instance as we're leaving for a walk - as none of them are in their right minds when the leads come out but I don't allow it at other times.

I have 3 boys: the older one is neutered and my middle dog pesters him from time to time, licking especially.  There is 4 years between them.  I did once take the older one to the vet as I wondered about an infection but there was nothing.  Luckily I can get the pest to stop with a firm 'leave' but if he looks as if he wants to persevere I'll call him well away from temptation.

If it's difficult to distract your youngster I'd encourage the older dog to move instead then, once separated, give them both something else to do.  Sit/wait/bed/toy - anything really just to force a change of focus.  My older dog tolerates the behaviour, but I've seen him give a telling off in other situations, so perhaps they are less bothered than we are by their 'pests'! 

Thank you for the suggestions.  It's nice to know I'm not alone!  I felt like I should do something, but wanted to check with some people in the know just in case it was a situation where getting involved may make things worse.  I've made it out to be worse than it is I think, as 95% of the time they happily play or sleep together, it's just when youngster feels compelled to lick the older one it all escalates. 

> just in case it was a situation where getting involved may make things worse.

It certainly doesn't seem to in our case.  I'm not convinced that enforcing a stop has improved things either - in that he still wants to do it, but he'll stop v quickly when asked.  It's a peculiar habit and in our household appears completely unrelated to any 'role' each dog has taken for himself.  My 'pest' is completely unfazed by being asked to stop although he sometimes appears surprised that I even care.  Mind you I do ask him to stop licking himself too so at least I'm consistent!!

As long as you've ruled out infection then it's unlikely to be health issue but it's worth keeping that at the back of your mind if the behaviour starts to occur more often

this is spooky and it sounds exactly like the situation we had, 2 entire males one 5 and one 3.5 and a spayed bitch of 5 not related to the other one of same age.

The younger male started to become really interested in the older one and esp following evening mealtimes would lick him round the face and ears and then start to hump him, the older boy was never bothered with it and wouldnt retaliate at all, the bitch kept out of it all.

Well it kept going for a few weeks maybe a month or 2 (it's difficult to remember) we obviously stopped him doing it when he started at the time we thought it was probably him asserting his dominance over him, getting to the age of maturity when he felt the need to be top dog? anyway it wasn't long after he began doing this when he started to grumble at the older one a few times when he walked past him and when he was near to our bitch, it seemed to happen at the time when (had she not been spayed) would have been due in season and at roughly same time she did have a urine inf so they were both interested in her backend.

Then (and this isn't your case i'm sure) but the younger one went for the older one and really meant it, no damage done this happened a cpl of times, we then discovered that the older one was having fits, we've put it down that the younger one was aware of this and "picking on the weak" so to speak and obv completely freaked out by him so we've now had to separate them in the house, they are fine out and about

I think we had 2 sets of problems, one being the epilepsy and 2 the dominance, so I would do as someone said spend a bit more time training the "humper" and telling him it's not acceptable

Really hope this it all works out for you

Vicki

Personally I'd leave them to it. Your dogs need to learn to communicate with each other.

If you are going to step in to stop the behaviour are you also going to keep them seperated when you are not about? If not, the youngster may only learn that he must stop the behaviour when you are there to enforce the rule (ie. how can you enforce the rule when your not there).

Sadly, my older dog died before Buster hit the teenage phase so the only issue betwen them was pup wanting to play and older dog not wanting to. I kept stopping pup from trying to play with the older dog as the odler dog just never told him off and it was obvious he wasn't happy to be pestered (being a giant breed, Buster was as big as the adult dog as a pup, so could play VERY rough).  All that I achieved by my inteferance was that niether pup nor adult leant anything other than I'd stop things - therfore I couldn't possibly leave them unatended together (for fear of poor oldie getting completely bullied in my absence). I thought the day would never come when they could be left alone together.

I stopped getting invloved, sure enough, oldie found his voice and told pup off, from then on the relathionship between them got better & better - they could communicate with each other! It was so much better not having to keep them supervised/seperate all the time.

> I seem to remember this happening before between the now older boy and an even older neutered boy, but he was much more bossy and told him off straight away.

Was you then older boy, older than 2.5 years (the age of your current older dog)? Perhaps it wasn't a case of bossyness, just maturity/confidance?

LOL your lot are most definitely not alone, we occasionally get this in our house, usually after another dog has been visiting us (he is a tiresome little humper and obsessive facelicker whose owner's default is to scold him into submission). Diesel ignores them completely (obviously too refined for this loutish behaviour, but then he is a one ball wonder)  and the other two stand there flirting madly with tails waving until I say to them on scandalised tones  "What ARE you doing!" The expression on their faces is priceless and as a distraction it works every time :-)