BehavioRx Case of the Month
for August 2005

Hygiene - It Comes Out in the Wash

The young couple complained via our Diagnostics Service that their neutered, 11 month-old male Labrador Retriever's humping constantly "humping" of their 8 and 9 year-old daughters. He had tried this mounting with both parents, was soundly scolded, and it stopped after a few days. This occurred when he was 6 months old. He then went to work on the girls, but only when no parent was present. The clients reported that otherwise he was a great dog and was doing well with them in obedience class. They also said he was in excellent health at his last veterinary examination a few weeks ago.

During our email correspondence we found no evidence that the daughters were doing anything to encourage the mounting. The only game they played with him was fetching a ball... no roughhousing or prolonged petting was practiced. The girls were beginning to ask the parent to "Please put Barney away when you go out
of the room, please." They were getting afraid of their own dog!

Without no environmentally based sexual stimuli apparent, we asked how often Barney was bathed, and what exactly was done during the bathing. Barney was bathed about every two weeks in a tub on the enclosed patio. Mother did the bathing and Barney seemed to enjoy it, according to her report. However, when asked if she cleaned Barney's penis by drawing back his foreskin, she said she had never done that, and "If that's got to be done, Frank will have to take over!"

We advised that Frank should do so immediately, washing Barney's "privates" with plenty of shampoo. Frank's reports was too graphic to describe here. Let us report only that he found and washed away "a real mess." With the mess cleansed away, the couple reported that Barney stopped the mounting immediately, without even one incident reported by the girls.

Case Outcome: The family dog was saved, the girls were thrilled, and Frank was awarded a new family chore!

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