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PREVENTING SEXUALLY DEVIANT BEHAVIOUR IN PETS
Guest contributor - Karen Gray-Kilfoil (Cape)
Karen has a B.A. degree in Social Sciences and Humanities, with special emphasis on social, developmental and educational psychology, including one year of biology. She has an Advanced Certificate in Companion Animal Behaviour and a Certificate in Animal Assisted Activities from the Ethology Academy, Pretoria,
Now that I’ve got your attention….!
Actually we want to prevent ANY sexual behaviour in our pets, unless we are professional breeders. “Deviant” means abnormal, so we won’t go there, but will discuss normal UNACCEPTABLE behaviour instead. So what is sexual behaviour in animals? It can cover a whole range of behaviours that are influenced by sex hormones like testosterone and oestrogen. Here are some:
Humping or leg riding
When excited, many young animals (including humans!) do this to any object, be it another animal, a soft toy, a leg or whatever…. Sometimes the penis emerges, although female animals also do this sometimes. Despite the fact that this is totally normal and natural in very young animals, it can be embarrassing to others and we certainly don’t want to encourage it, as it may become a problem later on. The best way to deal with it is to ignore it, walk out of the room or distract the animal by throwing him or her a chew toy. Usually young animals grow out of this on their own as they discover it is not socially acceptable and is not rewarded. Remember that dogs are often rewarded when we think we are punishing or reprimanding them. If we shout the dog’s name, stare at him and touch him in any way, this may actually encourage the behaviour. And please don’t assume your puppy is being raped when this happens to her. She probably won’t even notice it.
Leg cocking
While you may think this is just urinating, you are mistaken. Male dogs cock their legs to mark territory, which is related to sexual status in the pack. The higher the mark, the bigger and stronger the dog is. All sorts of other messages are also carried in the urine. Some dominant bitches also cock their legs, but not quite as high. If a dog is insecure about his status in the home, he may mark and remark areas, much to the annoyance of his owners. By eliminating testosterone (sterilizing male dogs), this behaviour is usually greatly reduced, especially when it happens around the home.
Spraying
This is leg-cocking for cats. It can also occur around the house if your cat feels threatened by another animal. Neighbours’ cats have been known to enter houses by night and leave their smelly messages on curtains or furniture. Female cats (queens) also do this on occasion. Again sterilization helps to solve the problem in most cases. Hormone treatment usually works when the neutering has not. If you have a multi-cat household and spraying is a problem, then it’s worth considering Felliway spray or a Felliway dispenser. This is cat pheromones that make cats feel less threatened and more comfortable in their homes.
Masturbating
This may be bordering on the deviant, although I have heard of it so often in certain breeds (e.g. Staffordshire Bull Terriers) that I’m not sure it isn’t normal. Adult male or female dogs may masturbate and it can become a problem for the owners. Usually it is something the dog is “addicted to” in that it does it often and seems to get a “high” from the activity. Sterilization may help, but in problem cases the dog has to be taught to do it in private, rather than in front of humans. The cause seems to be boredom, for example: lack of walks, training, toys and other forms of mental stimulation.
Caterwauling
That’s what cats do when they call each other, usually when they’re on heat. If you don’t like being woken up at 2am by cats fighting and mating noisily, then sterilize all your cats, and your neighbours’ cats. Keeping your cats inside at night helps too. Remember to have a litter tray available if you keep them in.
Dog fights
You may think this isn’t sexual behaviour, but in male dogs testosterone in the system makes them more aggressive and more likely to have fights with other dogs and perhaps even people. A castrated male is easier to socialize with other dogs and easier to live with.
Wandering
This is another testosterone-influenced behaviour. Entire male dogs are more likely to wander around the neighbourhood looking for bitches on heat, than those that are sterilized. However, once a dog has learned that roaming is fun, it’s very difficult to stop without a really secure boundary around your property. Sterilized cats also roam less and are therefore less likely to get run over.
Dominant behaviour
It is much easier to train a sterilized dog, male or female. In the case of a sterilized male, he is less likely to be dominant, aggressive or stubborn than an entire dog. Having said all this, it is assumed that if an entire male dog is more dominant, aggressive and territorial, then he will make a good watchdog. This is NOT TRUE! I have found that sterilized dogs make more reliable watchdogs as they are calmer and don’t over-react or let their hormones take over. (If an entire dog smells a bitch in season he will leave his home without any remorse to seek out the bitch.) They are much better companions and therefore more likely to warn and protect their families. In the case of a bitch, she will be more stable without having to go through a season every 6 months. She also won’t attract strange dogs to your door. Spayed bitches often make fantastic watchdogs too.
Gay dogs?
This is the controversial part: Many an owner has remarked that his or her dog is “gay” as it seems to be sexually attracted to the same gender. Having owned and observed many captive and wild animals, I believe that it is natural for a certain percentage of animals to be attracted to the same gender, especially when put under stress. When a large number of animals is forced to live in a small area, this causes stress and same sex attraction seems to occur more frequently. Physical contact is a stress reliever, so it should not be discouraged, no matter how morally wrong you think it is.
Letting your dog have sex, just once
There are some dog owners who feel that they should let their male dogs mate with a bitch “just once, so he doesn’t feel deprived”. This is a very misguided notion as it could backfire horribly. When dogs mate they end up back to back and stay locked for up to 20 minutes. This can be a terrifying experience for all concerned, if they haven’t done it before. If they are forced apart (which sometimes happens when the owners panic), this could be painful or even cause injury to either dog. Then there’s the obvious problem of the pregnancy, pups, finding homes and so on. Once your dog knows what it’s all about, he will want more, even if he’s castrated. This is rather cruel in my opinion as you are allowing him to have an experience that he can never repeat. Letting a bitch have one litter of pups before spaying her, is also misguided. This will not improve her behaviour, but is a huge health risk and burdens the world with unnecessary puppies, not to mention the inconvenience and expense this will cause you.
Dogs have been living with humans for about 10 000 years and we have to take responsibility for their well-being. They are no longer natural wild animals and are reliant on us for all their needs. This includes sterilization, which will make them easier to live with as pets.
Actually we want to prevent ANY sexual behaviour in our pets, unless we are professional breeders. “Deviant” means abnormal, so we won’t go there, but will discuss normal UNACCEPTABLE behaviour instead. So what is sexual behaviour in animals? It can cover a whole range of behaviours that are influenced by sex hormones like testosterone and oestrogen. Here are some:
Humping or leg riding
When excited, many young animals (including humans!) do this to any object, be it another animal, a soft toy, a leg or whatever…. Sometimes the penis emerges, although female animals also do this sometimes. Despite the fact that this is totally normal and natural in very young animals, it can be embarrassing to others and we certainly don’t want to encourage it, as it may become a problem later on. The best way to deal with it is to ignore it, walk out of the room or distract the animal by throwing him or her a chew toy. Usually young animals grow out of this on their own as they discover it is not socially acceptable and is not rewarded. Remember that dogs are often rewarded when we think we are punishing or reprimanding them. If we shout the dog’s name, stare at him and touch him in any way, this may actually encourage the behaviour. And please don’t assume your puppy is being raped when this happens to her. She probably won’t even notice it.
Leg cocking
While you may think this is just urinating, you are mistaken. Male dogs cock their legs to mark territory, which is related to sexual status in the pack. The higher the mark, the bigger and stronger the dog is. All sorts of other messages are also carried in the urine. Some dominant bitches also cock their legs, but not quite as high. If a dog is insecure about his status in the home, he may mark and remark areas, much to the annoyance of his owners. By eliminating testosterone (sterilizing male dogs), this behaviour is usually greatly reduced, especially when it happens around the home.
Spraying
This is leg-cocking for cats. It can also occur around the house if your cat feels threatened by another animal. Neighbours’ cats have been known to enter houses by night and leave their smelly messages on curtains or furniture. Female cats (queens) also do this on occasion. Again sterilization helps to solve the problem in most cases. Hormone treatment usually works when the neutering has not. If you have a multi-cat household and spraying is a problem, then it’s worth considering Felliway spray or a Felliway dispenser. This is cat pheromones that make cats feel less threatened and more comfortable in their homes.
Masturbating
This may be bordering on the deviant, although I have heard of it so often in certain breeds (e.g. Staffordshire Bull Terriers) that I’m not sure it isn’t normal. Adult male or female dogs may masturbate and it can become a problem for the owners. Usually it is something the dog is “addicted to” in that it does it often and seems to get a “high” from the activity. Sterilization may help, but in problem cases the dog has to be taught to do it in private, rather than in front of humans. The cause seems to be boredom, for example: lack of walks, training, toys and other forms of mental stimulation.
Caterwauling
That’s what cats do when they call each other, usually when they’re on heat. If you don’t like being woken up at 2am by cats fighting and mating noisily, then sterilize all your cats, and your neighbours’ cats. Keeping your cats inside at night helps too. Remember to have a litter tray available if you keep them in.
Dog fights
You may think this isn’t sexual behaviour, but in male dogs testosterone in the system makes them more aggressive and more likely to have fights with other dogs and perhaps even people. A castrated male is easier to socialize with other dogs and easier to live with.
Wandering
This is another testosterone-influenced behaviour. Entire male dogs are more likely to wander around the neighbourhood looking for bitches on heat, than those that are sterilized. However, once a dog has learned that roaming is fun, it’s very difficult to stop without a really secure boundary around your property. Sterilized cats also roam less and are therefore less likely to get run over.
Dominant behaviour
It is much easier to train a sterilized dog, male or female. In the case of a sterilized male, he is less likely to be dominant, aggressive or stubborn than an entire dog. Having said all this, it is assumed that if an entire male dog is more dominant, aggressive and territorial, then he will make a good watchdog. This is NOT TRUE! I have found that sterilized dogs make more reliable watchdogs as they are calmer and don’t over-react or let their hormones take over. (If an entire dog smells a bitch in season he will leave his home without any remorse to seek out the bitch.) They are much better companions and therefore more likely to warn and protect their families. In the case of a bitch, she will be more stable without having to go through a season every 6 months. She also won’t attract strange dogs to your door. Spayed bitches often make fantastic watchdogs too.
Gay dogs?
This is the controversial part: Many an owner has remarked that his or her dog is “gay” as it seems to be sexually attracted to the same gender. Having owned and observed many captive and wild animals, I believe that it is natural for a certain percentage of animals to be attracted to the same gender, especially when put under stress. When a large number of animals is forced to live in a small area, this causes stress and same sex attraction seems to occur more frequently. Physical contact is a stress reliever, so it should not be discouraged, no matter how morally wrong you think it is.
Letting your dog have sex, just once
There are some dog owners who feel that they should let their male dogs mate with a bitch “just once, so he doesn’t feel deprived”. This is a very misguided notion as it could backfire horribly. When dogs mate they end up back to back and stay locked for up to 20 minutes. This can be a terrifying experience for all concerned, if they haven’t done it before. If they are forced apart (which sometimes happens when the owners panic), this could be painful or even cause injury to either dog. Then there’s the obvious problem of the pregnancy, pups, finding homes and so on. Once your dog knows what it’s all about, he will want more, even if he’s castrated. This is rather cruel in my opinion as you are allowing him to have an experience that he can never repeat. Letting a bitch have one litter of pups before spaying her, is also misguided. This will not improve her behaviour, but is a huge health risk and burdens the world with unnecessary puppies, not to mention the inconvenience and expense this will cause you.
Dogs have been living with humans for about 10 000 years and we have to take responsibility for their well-being. They are no longer natural wild animals and are reliant on us for all their needs. This includes sterilization, which will make them easier to live with as pets.
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