# How Do Dogs Do It? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 17, 2003, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-dogs-do-it/208106 "2003-10-17T22:20:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hawkeyejo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e19b73/32.png) [@hawkeyejo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawkeyejo)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-dogs-do-it/208106/1 "2003-10-17T22:20:31Z")
Growing up in India, I got to experience more than my fair share of stray dogs. But much worse than the sight of stray dogs is the sight of stray dogs having sex. Believe me when I say it is one of the more fascinating sights for a 3rd grader. Now in the course of the aforementioned sex act (or before or after, I am not sure), the two parties in question used to stand with their posteriors touching each other. The more Calvinesque of the third graders used to giggle and throw rocks at these poor souls - remember, this is third grade we are talking about, but no matter what, these critters wouldn’t be able to break away from each other. Seemed like their bums were stuck with glue. Over the years the incidence of stray dogs has become pretty rare, and that of stray dogs fornicating rarer still, but I still stay up at nights wondering WHAT THE HELL WERE THESE DOGS UP TO? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-dogs-do-it/208106/2 "2003-10-17T22:29:23Z")
The male dog swells after ejaculation, so that his sperm can’t leak out, raising the chances of conception. He will stay swollen for a period of time (half hour or so?) Sometimes, breeders have to hold the dogs together, so as not to injure either dog. Can someone confirm this? I am at work and am unable to access dogbreeding pages, among other things. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-dogs-do-it/208106/3 "2003-10-17T22:34:13Z")
I think you’re misremembering the position somewhat. Dogs copulate with the male mounting the female from behind (hence the term “doggie style” for a particular sexual position). Dogs do get locked together afterwards. This is an evolutionary adaptation to prevent other males from fertilizing the female. They can remain stuck like this for up to a few hours. I’m not sure if the mechanism is the male’s penis swelling or the female’s vagina clamping down or both. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-dogs-do-it/208106/4 "2003-10-17T22:36:09Z")
[Here we go. Found something.](http://www.petpeoplesplace.com/Advice/dogs/breeding/05.htm) It’s called 'locking on." > [@](#): > > After entering the female, the male’s penis becomes further enlarged so as to prevent both the female from running away and to prevent other competing males from interrupting the process. According to the article, it has no bearing on conception success. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-dogs-do-it/208106/5 "2003-10-17T22:53:18Z")
The ass-to-ass position happens occasionally when the male tries to dismount by moving one of his legs over the female’s back. Unluckily for him, his his penis will still be trapped inisde the female’s vagina. I guess he’s trying to unscrew. ---
**Author:** ![Matchka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Matchka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Matchka)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-dogs-do-it/208106/6 "2003-10-17T22:57:40Z")
It’s a two-headed, six-legged double decker dog! ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-dogs-do-it/208106/7 "2003-10-17T22:58:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bibliophage \* > \*\*The ass-to-ass position happens occasionally when the male tries to dismount by moving one of his legs over the female’s back. Unluckily for him, his his penis will still be trapped inisde the female’s vagina. > > I guess he’s trying to unscrew. \*\* You mean it gets bent backwards _in the wrong direction_?? Yikes! ---
**Author:** ![Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horrifying_Howler_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-dogs-do-it/208106/8 "2003-10-17T23:47:06Z")
I worked for a sledding kennel once when the owner had decided to breed a few litters to get some young dogs to train the next season. Every breeding I watched ended with the dogs bum to bum. The male hops off, and then ends up facing away from the female. Longest I ever saw them stuck that way was 10 minutes though. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-dogs-do-it/208106/9 "2003-10-18T01:30:04Z")
This is known in professional breeding circles as “making the tie” and it is a requisite for the male canine to ejaculate. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-dogs-do-it/208106/10 "2003-10-18T02:36:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > \*\*You mean it gets bent backwards _in the wrong direction_?? Yikes! \*\* Yeah, happened once. During a friendly game of “ring toss”. Swelled up and everything.