Hormonal behavior?

[IliamnasQuest]

I thought I'd pose this question here where the breeders who have been breeding for eons might have an answer for me.

My four year old intact chow bitch has an interesting behavior that is evidently linked with me rubbing her belly. She likes to have her belly rubbed and will "ask" me by jumping onto the bed and rolling onto her back within easy reach. I'll massage her belly and she'll lay there as long as I'm willing to continue.

But when I stop, she gets up and either remains on the bed or goes to one of the dog beds and starts nesting. She digs and grunts and turns circles and digs some more. On the bed, she'll push all the blankets into a heap if I let her. She'll do this for five, ten minutes and then she'll stop and stand there for a minute and then walk away and lay down somewhere else.

This happens <u>consistently</u> after I rub her belly. Is there some sort of hormonal connection? Is it because I rub where her nipples are? (do I WANT to know this? *L*). Is this a common intact female behavior after having the belly rubbed, or is it a weird chow thing?

None of my other dogs have done this. I had another intact chow until she was six years old, and my youngest GSD bitch is intact (19 months old at this time), plus I've had several spayed bitches. I can rub their bellies and no nesting behavior happens.

Any insight from you experienced breeders?

Melanie and the gang in Alaska

[IliamnasQuest]

Evidently I just have a weird chow .. *LOL*

Melanie

[Lauri & The Gang]

Melanie,

You have a Chow with obedience titles AND that serves as a service dog. OF COURSE she's weird!

(Just kidding!!)

Is she coming into season?

[IliamnasQuest]

*LOL* .. never looked at it that way, Lauri!

She's in season now, but she always does the nesting even when she's not in heat. She tends to get a tad bit clingier and wanting more belly rubs when she's in heat, and I always wonder if dogs don't get some sort of cramping like humans do. She will lay on her back for as long as I'm willing to rub her belly, and when I stop she brings a paw up to her nose in a "keep going" command (yes, SHE commands ME .. *L*).

I've just never quite found an answer to the nesting behavior being related to the belly rubbing. The chow people I talk to are mostly oblivious to dog behavior so I thought maybe the shepherd people would have an idea.

Melanie

[Chris Wild]

Our girls will occasionally do some nesting behavior on their dog beds, our bed, couch, etc... but it's infrequent and random as far as I can tell. At least I've never associated it with any thing preceeding events, including belly rubs, though now my curiosity is peaked and I'm going to try to keep an eye out for if there are any common factors when they do it.

But I'm sort of going with the weird Chow theory too.

[IliamnasQuest]

*LOL* Well, if it IS weird chow behavior, I'll accept that too! I think it's kind of humorous - she's a funny girl and one that always makes me laugh. She gets so darn serious when she's digging in the dog beds, though .. she grunts and carries on like she's irritated that she can't get things EXACTLY like she wants. And then she just stops and stands there, and then walks away.

If I ever get my hands on a video camera, I'll have to video this so I can show what she does.

Melanie and the gang