Ummm, boy dog question

[amcal]

Ummm, I'm going to try to put this delicately but, our 5ish mo chihuahua gets ummm....excited every time he's excited. If you pick him up to play with him, he's in a constant state of arousal. At least that's what I think it is - two large, hard lumps at the base and penis sticking out. Is this a puppy thing? A male thing? Will it get better as he gets older or once he's neutered?

He's so cute, everyone wants to hold him but, the constant "excited" state is a bit, ummm....well, you know.....

[2xand2y]

I've only see this addressed once so I'll share that experience with you. I was at a breeder's home for a meet and greet. At one point while we were there the dog we were meeting had his penis out and the breeder said something like "weenie" and the dog pulled it back in. I must have looked at her with a questioning expression because she explained to me how she trained the command. Starting when the dog is very young if she saw their penis out she would spritz it with water and say "weenie". Eventually, the dog was conditioned so the water was no longer needed and she could use only the command.

I've never owned a male before and haven't researched it any further. I have no idea if there is a good reason not to do this, but there very well could be. Good luck.

[stardogs]

Most dogs will grow out of this behavior, though neutering may help. It's not a sexual thing, just purely related to excitement and as the dog matures they generally learn more about impulse control.

I can't believe that someone would punish a dog for something he wouldn't even know he was doing! People complain about oversexualizing breasts when it comes to breastfeeding and to me this is a similar issue - it's normal dog behavior that isnt harming anyone. :/

[MaWhit]

Time to get him fixed!

[amcal]

We're going to - he's just so small, the vet wanted to wait until he was a bit bigger/older before putting him under anesthesia.

[Raene]

I'm grossed out by this too, but I don't agree with PP that you should get him fixed right away. There are many studies done to prove that you should wait about a year before fixing a dog. If you fix too early, it shortens their lifespan. Too late, and you have a higher chance of cancers. Never fix and strangely that's the shortest lifespan in the studies.

[SophieAnn]

I'm not so sure that getting him fixed would necessarily change this behaviour.

This is purely anecdotal of course but...

I've seen this type of behaviour in neutered males, in puppies I've met (status unknown) but...

I never saw it happen with my male who was neutered at 14 months... and I currently have a 2 year old intact male whose inner bits I've never seen... (no other way of putting it I guess)...

I'm not so sure it's a case of being intact or not is what I'm saying...

It's perfectly natural, it's not a big deal, but yes I understand it's a little embarassing. He might grow out of it, he might not. He will certainly grow out of his puppy-excitement levels.

[somegirl99]

My 13.5-year old still does this, he was neutered at 3 years old.