There’s a reason why some dog owners may think their dog could be gay… Why Do Dogs Hump?Īlthough most dog owners recognize it as a sexual act, humping or simple mounting can occur for many different reasons. Several years ago, the University of Oslo in Norway, opened a new museum exhibit that features models, photos, texts, and specimens of some of the nearly 1000 species where homosexuality has been observed. Remember that for animals, homosexuality is recognized as ‘homosexual behavior’ which is not inherently sexual, but may feature brief same-sex courtship, or long-term bonds potentially presenting any mixture of affectional, courting, copulating, or parenting behaviors.Īdditionally, although the idea of animals being homosexual is primarily recognized in mammals, other animals like birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and other invertebrates can all display homosexual behaviors. To oversimplify, this means that most dogs who might be classified as gay are, in reality, willing to have sex with both genders, making them better identified as bisexual if they had to be labeled. The majority of dogs who may be labeled as gay, however, will happily mate with a female to produce offspring. If a male dog is truly homosexual, he will refuse a female even when she’s in heat. The best and most recognized way to tell if a dog is truly gay is whether or not they are willing to breed with a dog of the opposite sex if the potential for offspring is high. Can A Dog Be Gay?īecause dogs can’t speak and communicate to us it can be difficult to distinguish between an animal that has a true long-term preference and an animal that engages in normal, homosexual behaviors. To make things short and sweet, a dog cannot be gay, or at least not in the same way we recognize that a person can be. Homosexuality in animals is behavioral rather than a sexual orientation, meaning they will have sex with whoever they want, whenever they want without regard for any of our perceptions or ideas about it. Long-term pair bonds between same-sex partners that might involve any combination of courting, copulating, parenting, and affectional behaviors.Same-sex courtship or copulatory behavior occurring over a short period of time.Same-sex behavior that is not inherently sexual in character.Gay, or the preferred term when speaking of animals, homosexual, can be used to refer to various aspects: Homosexuality in animals, which has been studied and discussed as far back as the 8th century BC, is defined quite differently.
For humans, being gay or homosexual refers to a sexual attraction or preference to those of the same sex.