Puppy is a constant victim of humping!

[Gerry123]

Hi there,

We have a 4 month old female cocker spaniel. She is very friendly but very submissive with dogs larger than her (braver now that she is outsizing the smaller dogs as she grows!).

She runs up to every dog to give them a lick but as she approaches she sort of sits down to hide her bottom and lurches forward - an entirely unique to the park greeting style.  She will lie on her back straight away, allowing bitier puppies to maul her. If she meets a cockapoo or smaller gentle female puppy, she has a grand time chasing and leaping about.

However it seems like literally every male puppy tries to mount her! We met a tiny 3 month old staffy just now, and even he tried to mount her! We had lunch with a friend and they had a 8 month Peckingese who had been neutered a few weeks ago - three full hours of him trying to mount her at every opportunity.  Other puppies seem to also pay a lot of attention to her vulva, and it is licked very often. She sometimes has a slightly metallic smell, but has been checked by the vet and they have given her a clean bill of health.

It makes the park not very fun for her as soon as a young male comes along, because she can't run and play without being humped.

I am just wondering if anyone else has experienced this...Is it her smell? Could she be coming into a ridiculously early heat? Or is she just extremely beautiful to male puppies  As mentioned, she is super sensitive and submissive so are they just trying to exert dominance? It is only young males and not adult males or females.

Google has no answers!

Thanks so much for any help or just similar experiences to reassure me!

[Emilyoliver]

Hi, the metallic smell is often anal gland related. And for whatever reason, many dogs seem to find this appealing. Perhaps have her glands checked just to exclude it as a possible reason for all the unwanted attention. Otherwise - sounds like you’re enjoying your puppy 😊 which is brilliant. They’re so cute and such fun.

[Gerry123]

Hi, the metallic smell is often anal gland related. And for whatever reason, many dogs seem to find this appealing. Perhaps have her glands checked just to exclude it as a possible reason for all the unwanted attention. Otherwise - sounds like you’re enjoying your puppy 😊 which is brilliant. They’re so cute and such fun.

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply Emilyoliver. Thought I would provide an update incase future forum users have the same issue. Last night our puppy started weeing inside (approx. 6 times in 2 hours) she's been fantastic with toilet training so this was very unusual. At bedtime we put her in her crate, and we were woken up earlier than usual with her whining and in a sopping wet crate - she has never, not even once, had an accident in her crate. Absolutely broke my heart that the poor thing was sitting in her pee all night!

We have taken her to the vets and she has been diagnosed with a vaginal infection - puppy vaginitis. This explains the urination and the sexual interest from male puppies, even though she is months away from her first season.

The sexual interest from male puppies has been present since she was about 12 weeks old - so we think the vaginitis has been too, it's obviously been slowly building culminating in the frequent urination last night. She has also been a lot calmer lately, I put this down to a positive change from switching her diet to Nutriment raw for puppies, but now wonder if it was lethargy due to infection.

She has had an injection of antibiotics and is now on a course of them.

Just a heads up to anyone with a similar issue in future.

[bizzylizzy]

Hope little Bramble‘s feeling better soon and  can go out and about and have fun without being pestered! 
 

[Gerry123]

Hope little Bramble‘s feeling better soon and  can go out and about and have fun without being pestered! 
 

Thanks so much bizzylizzy, we hope so too. Was a horrible stressful morning! 

[Emilyoliver]

Great news you’ve found the cause 😊. Yes, uti’s can also elicit unwanted attention from other dogs. Hopefully she’ll recover quickly and you and she can enjoy her puppyhood.

[ejp]

Poor wee Bramble, I would never have thought of that. Hopefully the antibiotics will do the trick and she is back to herself again. Gentles cuddles for your girl. 

[AndyB]

   Poor wee girlie.  Everything crossed for a speedy recovery for Bramble. 

[Gerry123]

Thanks so much for your well wishes @ejp and @AndyB! She’s perking up now she’s on antibiotics

[ejp]

Thanks so much for your well wishes @ejp and @AndyB! She’s perking up now she’s on antibiotics

Lovely to hear.