I am an avid dog person who specializes in large dogs. I raise and rescue Border Collies and have a mix Rottwieller/German Shepherd. I have had as many as 50 Border Collies in my lifetime and never had problems at all.

Recently we acquired a Benji type dog. Wife wanted a little dog, and of course I said yes. Found one at the Animal Shelter I usually pull dogs from and took him to the vet. All healthy, and found him to be neutered and heart worm free.

Having little or no experience with little dogs, I found him to be delightful and energetic. Which was good for my Border Collies. But this guy humps everything in sight. My oldest male Border Collie has this look of disdain since the little guy focuses on him. As he does the others. He also likes my pillows, blanket, balls, etc.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do? I took him back to the vet stating this guy could not possibly be fixed, but the vet insists he is.

Any suggestions will do!

Humping is not just hormone related; Humping = Dominance

I used to own hearding breeds such as Rough Collies, Shetland Sheepdogs, Austrailian Shepards, etc... but my new passion is now small breeds and I own two Pomeranians.

What I have learned is "Small but Mighty." Little dogs think they are the king of the world. They are very energetic and most tend to want to rule the roost. Theres always a misconception that they are "easier" to deal with. In my experience it is the total opposite. They require stronger leaders and firm obedience.

Looks like your Benji wants control of the house and to claim his belongings.

There are many ways of correcting this behavior. A simple solution to start with is a basic spray bottle with water & lemon juice. Everytime he humps, spray him right in the face. If he continues then spray with the combination of "no!" or "ah!". Be sure to always look him right in eyes with a stern/tense expressing. In dog language this claims leadership.

Feed your Border Collies FIRST and make him watch. This will display the border collies having higher leadership roles which leads to respect. Ultimately in a pack of dogs you do not get to chose who is dominant, but humping is an unhealthy way to claim control so it is allowed to be corrected. This behaviors shows he's not capable of being the leader and is lashing out. Correct, redirect, and show you are in charge.

If you'd like any other tips or suggestions to modify this behavior let me know. Best of luck.

My female does this to other dogs, the vet said it is a dominance thing. Don't like it though.

I hate to post the same message but this is dominate behavior. It should be correct EVERYTIME you see it.

But again, you need to establish yourself as the pack leader. Enforce rules for your dog without bullying or anger. Be calm and assertive.

You have to commit to watching for the behavior and correcting it. Right now, he doesn't respect your authority.

For free articles on dominance, check out Dog Training. Great stuff from top trainers. Sign up for the free newsletter to get tips on curbing all dog behavior by changing your behavior. We (full disclosure, I contibute to the site and wrote a book for it ) go into great detail about this. The course would work great, esp with small dogs but at least check out the free articles on the left side and sign up for the tips newsletter

Chad Thompson
Behavior Modification
Dog Training