Is my dog just a 'tart'

[Peegee]

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My female, spayed, dog who has just turned 1 displays some very dubious behaviour when approached by or approaches another dog.  She often either lays on her back with legs akimbo or just squats and lifts one leg.  She does this especially with males but also females.  They, of course, are very pleased to sniff or even lick her.  Can anyone explain what this behaviour means and will she grow out of it as she gets older.  Also should I be concerned about this or is it just part of her development.  Thanks. 

 

[arealhuman]

Sorry I can't help, but the title of your post drew me in and I'll admit I did laught a little bit.  Sorry.  It does sound like Saturday in the town where I live, but with "people" of course (I use the word people loosely )

 

[excuseme]

Was she spayed at an early age ? maybe she is confused and without her hormones is not developing as she would had she had her first season ! 

However I will try to attach a picture of 2 mature girls, neither of them were in season or even due at the time, it was a regular behaviour between the two of them !        I'm sure Gypsysmum2 or joanneF will be along soon to help you and answer your question

 

[Peegee]

She was spayed at 5 months, before her first season and on advice from vet.  I love the photo!  Evie did go though a period when she was humping anything but seems to have worked through that one.  I think it was Gypsysmum who suggested that might be due to over excitement and not knowing what to do with herself and that sounds about right.  Will wait to hear further about the 'tarty' behaviour. 

 

[excuseme]

Just a pair of middle aged girls who enjoyed each others company !!

The upside down one was put to sleep 2 years ago with major heart failure ( I wonder why, hmmm ! ), other one sitting beside me now  almost 12years old.

I have the picture as a video clip "in action" but too big to send.

 

[JoanneF]

This is usually a submissive behaviour. It's a dog's way of showing through body language that she is no threat; through exposing her vital organs and throat for the other dog. She may well outgrow it as her confidence develops - even if she shows no clear sign to you of lacking confidence. You could perhaps help this along with meeting and walking with dogs you know to be safe and steady.

 

[Peegee]

Thanks Joanne. I did think that might be the issue but the trainers where we've been going isince she was tiny suggested it was also a personality trait and was flirty behaviour.  She used to be a lot less confident and would often lie on her tummy when she saw a new dog, now she gets very excited wagging tail and running towards them before sitting 'nicely' a few feet away, it's when they come up to her that she starts displaying this submissive type of behaviour,. If any dog shows signs of play then she is very happy to charge around with them.  She is happy to go on walks with other dogs, including a very large Doberman.  you have reassured me that this is a confidence issue and I'm happy that I'm pretty sure she isn't too anxious and will hopefully grow out of it.   I've just realised that there is a very boisterous male Doberman (a different one) at our training class who is always lunging at her and trying to get to her, when he's let of lead people have to stand in front of us to stop him getting at her.  He's not aggressive, just very interested.  He is quite intimidating and perhaps this isn't helping her confidence. 

 

[leashedForLife]

At a yr old, i'd just label it appeasing behavior & wouldn't worry about it  - she's likely to outgrow it as she matures. // I doubt it has much to do with a 5-MO spay, as 5-MO Fs do come into estrus now & then, it's no more aberrant than Fs who fail to have an estrus till they're 9 to 12-MO - nobody thinks that's shocking, & i'd say a month early puberty is much closer to the average than one that's 6-mos late, LOL.
Pediatric S/N is quite common in U-S shelters, as they need to get pups & kittens into adoptive homes & out of the shelter, so i've seen plenty of early-desex dogs [F & M] & they've all been quite normal - 
the obvious signs of a pediatric desex are smaller genitalia [vulva in Fs, prepuce in Ms], but the small size causes no issues, it's just a cosmetic difference.

the leg-lifting to allow other dogs to sniff her inguinal area is an invitation, pure & simple - "I wanna get acquainted, how about U?..."   -- she's being overtly friendly & making overtures from a distance, which is a very nice behavior, certainly an improvement over yearlings who lunge & bark to get the attn of a nearby dog they don't know!  :b  Now, that's embarrassing...
- terry

 

[Peegee]

Thank you LeashedforLife.  That's very reassuring.  She is a lovely friendly dog to both dogs and humans and she does quickly get the message from grumpy dogs and leaves them alone.   Sometimes over friendly with humans with a tendency to jump if they show any signs of encouragement but even that is getting a bit better.

 

[leashedForLife]

...  Sometimes over friendly with humans with a tendency to jump if they show any signs of encouragement, but even that is getting a bit better.

Cheat. 

Whenever she's about to meet a human, whether they seem 'encouraging' or not, set her up for success --  STAND on the leash with both feet about shoulder-width apart - that's more for Ur safety than anything else, she might overset U if she's a really-big dog, or if she goes straight up & U're standing in poor balance, & U don't want to stagger aside & let her complete that forceful leap, nor do U want to land hard on yer bum on concrete or other unforgiving surfaces.  :--\   ...Ow.

Make the leash just long-enuf that she can 'sit' - Sit requires a tiny bit more leash than Stand, as her front goes up when her bum goes down. //  Cue her to sit, or lure a sit; draw the leash under the arch of yer foot to set the length correctly, then plant the BALL of each foot firmly on the leash so it cannot be drawn out, even if she hauls on it.

She now has no choice to leap up - she can SIT, or she can STAND, but she can't get her forefeet off the ground.    She's goof-proofed - she can't do the one thing in this context that's The Worst Thing, leaping up to put her paws on someone's person or clothing, & possibly scratching them, scaring them, or dirtying / damaging their clothes.
- terry

 

[gypsysmum2]

Sorry to disagree, but standing with both feet on a lead is not to be recommended. A big dog could easily take you off your feet. One foot on the lead and one firmly planted on the ground would be safer.

I, personally, would turn every person you meet in to a dog trainer. As them never to touch her if she does not have four feet on the ground. Give them a treat for her and ask them to get her to sit before giving it to her. If everybody complies it will not be long before she sees another person and goes to sit in front of them in the hope that they will produce a treat. If they don't have one then give her one yourself. All my dog walking friends do this for each other. We never touch a jumping dog and always find a treat for a sitting dog

 

[Peegee]

Thank you both.  The actual jumping problem is really when she's off lead and I can't get to her quick enough.  If people coming towards us have a dog off lead then it's not a problem as she's more occupied with the dog its if they are on their own that she is likely to jump if they look encouraging.  I used to always put her on lead if I saw in time but she is getting better and it's becoming less of a problem now.

 

[leashedForLife]

Agree with the theory of "make everyone U meet into a training experience", but of course, lots of folks won't co-operate for one reason or another - some don't mind dogs jumping up, some can't be arsed to listen, & some won't grasp the idea despite good intentions. However - U can always try!   :thumbsup:

So far, @gypsysmum2 , even with giant dogs over 125#, I have not been overset by a dog with both feet -apart- on the leash.  [Of course, there's always a 1st time...]
As a trainer, my concern tends to be the potential for the dog to escape / injure someone else, & while i'm mindful of my own safety - i'm never reckless!  If anything, i'm risk-averse - i want to ensure the dog won't leave me or my client liable for personal injury or property damage.  For APOs, their priorities could be completely different, & that means they decide what suggestions work for them.

Part of the reason no dog has overset me [yet!...] is, of course, the limited length - 
there's not sufficient slack in the leash for the dog to build MOMENTUM, with only enuf leash to let  them sit or stand; their forefeet can't get off the ground, & they can't accelerate sufficiently to upend me. // For the record, i'm 5'8" & 150#, so definitely not petite, but neither very tall nor very heavy, compared to a 150# Dane or a 185# Bullmastiff, both of whom were hardcore  jump-on-any-adult-human  habitual offenders, LOL.

But i might underestimate the next dog i ground-tether with both my feet, & pick myself up to dust off my butt with a wince. Never say never. 
- terry

 

[leashedForLife]

Another simple cheat, just for set-up training:
TETHER the dog to a solid fixed object, & ask any friendly stranger who'd like to help, to step away if the dog tries to break a sit. Bum comes up?... NO PETTING, step back. Bum is glued to the ground?... Pet soothingly & don't squeal when U praise, or that bum will blast-off like a missile, LOL.

Once the dog is solidly tethered with a short length [2-ft max], anyone can practice this - family, friends, neighbors, total strangers.  Don't verbally scold, the consequence drives the dog's behavior - if s/he sits & doesn't get up, there's plenty of calming pets & warm praise. Break the sit? - just turn aside, step back, say nothing - don't touch the dog, & no eye-to-eye contact to lure the dog upward, nor any patting one's thighs or other inviting body-language & gestures, that may incite jumping.

It's also possible to goof-proof a dog by adding 'STAY' to the sit cue, then without using the dog's Sacred Name , make gestures or say things that encourage jumping.
Squeal, act silly, jump up & down Urself, clap palms to thighs, & so on - re-seating the confused dog when s/he breaks, & give a jackpot when they hold their 'sit' in the face of this "Simon Says..." challenge.
A jackpot is a string of individual pea-sized or half-pea sized tidbits, 6 to a dozen delivered in sequence as fast as the dog swallows the one previous. They are used to make a breakthru or an intuitive leap in training, more memorable for the dog - they make a big impression, just as giving a toddler a mini-cupcake isn't as memorable as a dozen Gummy Bears given individually would be.  Dogs gulp their food, they don't even chew much - a series of single goodies stands out more in memory than a 6-oz hunk of chicken breast that they'll devour in one swallow.

Teaching impulse control / self-control games
my favorite way to teach a dog self-control is,  'Go WILD!... annnd - Freeze'   It's a fun game, kids are especially good at it - everyone jumps around, shriek, laugh, squeal, & act like eejits, then the trainer / grown-up / owner calls out, "Freeze!" - & they themselves lock-up in mid-gambol, instantly.
Dogs are very, very alert to body-language & gestures, so the act of stopping all motion is a visual shock to them, & most dogs quickly get the idea - U can start off with mild mania & work up to real shrieking craziness, over time, as the dog becomes more & more fluent at self-control & can easily move from wild racing & leaping to SIT in a second.

'go WILD! - & Freeze' is especially good as a group game -
only the dog whose butt hits the floor 1st gets a treat, the others are all runners-up & get warm calm praise & soothing pets, but no edibles.    Dogs aren't dumb, & can be just as competitive as any bunch of humans.  They quickly suss out the criterion of speed vs latency, & everyone has a fun time, too.
 - terry