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Times Pets
Times Pets
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Dog mounting other dogs, toys or legs? Here's what it actually means

Most owners assume mounting is a male dog problem, or a hormonal one, or something that disappears after neutering. All three assumptions are wrong often enough to be unreliable. Mounting is a normal, multi-purpose behaviour that dogs use to communicate, self-soothe, and sometimes just burn off energy they do not know what to do with. The behaviour itself is not the problem. The context tells you whether it needs attention.

It starts earlier than most people realise

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