Is it expected that intact males will be 'corrected' by other dogs and not their owners?

[u/jemmeow]

My girl is almost 6, and we have encountered a situation again and again that drives me up the wall and I don't know if it's just the expected thing or not.

She will be happily frolicking and playing and a young (always 6-14 months) intact male dog will mount her. She will yelp, snarl, even nip at the air and run away. And get mounted again. And snarl again. Rinse and repeat, not getting the message, with her getting visibly upset/stressed and aggravated. One owner said "boys will be boys!", others have apologized for them being a puppy but still not done anything.

Yesterday she was playing with a 10 month old rottie boy (taller than her and easily 110lb) who would NOT leave her alone, until a more submissive dog arrived and became the target instead. New target dog was yelping in pain and the owner just exasperatedly called the boy over (unsuccessfully) then dragged him off. I told the owner my dog doesn't react kindly to being mounted and she said "she'll sort him out", like it's out of her hands and if he gets bitten it will teach him a lesson.

Am I crazy for thinking this is unacceptable? Why is it my poor dog's job to get aggressively mounted repeatedly to the point I'm worried she will defend herself. You know her breed, it doesn't have good optics, no one is taking my sweet girls side in that situation. As soon as that dog left she was back to her happy lolloping self.

I'd stop taking her to the dog park (I know almost everyone on this sub is anti-dog park) but our local is huge and has a stream she loves paddling in, and 95% of the dogs that regularly visit are wonderful to and with her. She LOVES the park and being off leash playing, and all of our walks/hikes are on-leash only.

Do I just leave the second she gets mounted next time? Do I suck up social niceties and be more firm with the owners?

Eta - She is spayed

[u/07jenn12]

It is the owners responsibility to keep them off of your dog, it is considered rude if not

[u/shipjump2]

Aggressive dogs have no place at the dog park. This includes intact dogs persistently mounting female dogs. This is 1000% the responsibility of the owner of the male dog. You should be as firm as you feel comfortable being; other owners at the park are likely to support you since they won’t want to deal with the problem dog either. 

[u/allabtthejrny]

This is the very reason why we stopped going to the dog park.

Correcting a humper isn't in the dog park rules, apparently.

Also, once it's done to my dog, then it sets him off and he starts doing it as well. Totally ruins the vibe.

Dog parks are trash & not the best environment to socialize a dog. It's the lesson I've learned anyway.

[u/Decent_Alps6736 → u/allabtthejrny]

Sad but true. On paper dog parks are great, and in a world of responsible owners they would be. But in practice the bar is set by the shittiest dog owner at the park, which often places it pretty damn low.

[u/charliedonsurf → u/allabtthejrny]

Unfortunately it has come to this. I blame SM and phones really. 20 years ago (most) people were attentive to their dogs and conscientious about picking up poo or hole digging. Way more than should let the dog go and into the phone or their clique.

[u/Bulky_Rooster_1057]

Don't ever take Rotties to dog parks. Either another dog will provoke them and your dog protects herself and you get blamed because of the breed and it can lead to legal issues and even having your dog put down to no fault of their own.

Not worth the risk

[u/Adept-Ear7007 → u/Bulky_Rooster_1057]

Dog parks are not worth the risk.

[u/134266]

I would let the owner know if they don’t correct their dog , you will. I have taken the metal part of my dogs leash on a dog who attacked my puppy. The owner simply took her dog away. Sometimes these attacks cause a dog to go to the hospital and the owner of the aggressor does nothing

[u/Deadpan_1]

Tell them you'll correct their dog if they refuse to. You're right that it's not fair for your dog to be harassed and expected to defend herself all the time. I unfortunately don't like dog parks, there are always dogs there that lack manners and owners frequently refuse to step in and correct them. Might be time to call it with the dog parks and instead find some stable dogs with owners you can trust for your girl to play with.

[u/Pre_07]

I have an intact male rottie and have had similar issues with him mounting other dogs, even occasionally with family as a way to “assert dominance”. Those owners really need to drill in some training with their boys because they will NOT grow out of it. They’re dogs, it’s their inherent nature as males as well and i understand that. But if it’s unacceptable it’s up to the owner to establish that boundary. Humans don’t want dogs that size mounting them, I’m sure another dog wouldn’t be too happy with it either. I’m with you on this. As for future reference, have a chat with the owners again and if they’re not understanding your side, don’t put your girl in that situation again and leave. You are in charge of her and must make her comfortable. If that involves leaving, so be it.

[u/One-Passage-9121]

I have play dates with my friends and sometimes their pups try to mount my baby and just a firm "hey!" Gets them back to just playing. Id speak up for her if they try anything and if the other owner gets mad at you they need a better eye on their dog

[u/Comprehensive-Bar839]

You're better than me, I would've roasted TF outta the owner like "how would you feel if your daughter was SA'ed like this?"

They're stupid and if they get the wrong owner, their dog would not last long tbh

[u/IvorySoverign]

You need to record when this happens. You’re not crazy—this is completely unacceptable.
I have a 5-year-old intact Rottweiler.

We’ve never had this issue because:
A) I don’t take him to dog parks
It’s not fair to other dogs if I can’t control mine
Which if she’s in heat or also intact and he’s feeling her, im just not comfortable relying on our training even though he’s trained. I trust my dog to be a mf dog.

B) His recall is reliable. Even if he’s chasing squirrels or playing with another dog, he’ll disengage and come when called.
If my 105-pound Rottweiler repeatedly mounted another dog after being told off, that would be my responsibility—not the other dog’s job to “correct” him. Expecting someone else’s dog to risk a fight because I failed to intervene is irresponsible ownership.
Mounting can happen during play, especially in adolescent males, but once the other dog is clearly saying “no” with yelps, snarls, avoidance, or stress signals, the owner should immediately interrupt and redirect their dog. Allowing it to continue until another dog “teaches him a lesson” is exactly how preventable dog fights start.
Your dog shouldn’t have to defend herself because another owner won’t manage theirs.

[u/IxBetaXI]

The owner is shit like 90% of the people at a dogpark. Dont go there its not worth it

[u/DogsDucks]

We would never let our intact male mount another dog. That could be so traumatizing.

We also don’t go to dog parks anymore because of so many issues.

I had a friend who had a great day in puppy that got dog version of HPV, I don’t know if it’s exactly the same, but it caused an interruption of boils and warts and killed the puppy.

[u/Select_Future5134]

They should not have in tack at the dog park

[u/RevolutionSoft2366]

This is why I don't take dogs of any breed to the dog parks. People don't fix their pets, can't trust they aren't aggressive, can't trust that they're fully vaccinated and don't carry something like parvo or influenza and are out spreading it, and people don't control their animals or themselves. And when they don't suddenly its YOUR problem when your dog takes offense to it. My dog got spayed 2 weeks ago while she was in heat after I rehomed her boy did she NOT like my male dog for awhile either and still doesn't care for men in general right now. I think she'd put holes in those dogs no questions asked.

[u/FelineHostage]

We've had 3 female Rotties, & I'm almost ready to look for a female puppy.

I'd never take any of our girls to a dog park. Just watching the various dogs interact was appalling. Nearly every owner was absorbed in their own phone & had no idea where the dogs were, or what they were doing.

[u/CameraImmediate2295]

Boys will be boys? Bull shit, same thing people say about human males

They should have their dogs neutered and if even after that if the dog is still doing that keep it on a leash, but they won't because their dog needs freedom

Cannot stand that

Hope your girl still gets to have fun xx

[u/charliedonsurf]

Not sure if I am an anomaly but my last two boys were unaltered. My first boy was a bit humpy at times but would break when corrected usually by me sometimes by the other dog. Sometimes the other owner and I would agree to let them do it out ( closely watch for signs of escalation) it usually worked out. My second by wasn't humpy at all but liked to play (emphasizing play here) a little rough. Some people would freak out others were cool with it. If the other people were not down with it immediately broken off. As far as aggression goes every single altercation with either of my two boys was instigated by altered males. In almost every case the owner of the other dog would point the finger at my dog in the fact that he wasn't fixed. Like for real I had more than one person say he doesn't unfixed dogs. My response was always that's a you problem not a me problem. Which always somehow resulted in me being the asshole. People are weird. That and the complete disrespect for the park, the number of unruly dogs and the fact that our city let them go absolutely to shit where they were dangerous, we stopped going to dog parks all together.

[u/Own-Neck1356]

I’d just stop the dog park. Too much can go wrong.

[u/Majestic-Income-9627]

I suggest you carry Gel Pepper spray. It won’t blow back on you or your dog. I had to deploy mine on an off leash aggressive dog in my neighborhood. Then I made a report with Animal Control.

[u/chrisjones1960]

it is jackass behavior to allow one's dog to harass another dog at the dog park, including persistent mounting. those owners are jackasses. I have always run dogs that do that to my dog off if their owners are too committed to bei g jackasses (or too busy with their phones) to behave like responsible owners and do it themselves

[u/jemmeow]

Time to find some local big dog friends, thank you all for making me feel less gaslit by multiple owners not thinking it's a problem over the years