[cassandra_jo]

I have a 6 month old dachshund named Rebel. About once a day, I'll hear him grunting and squealing. When I look over, he is bent over forward, biting at his erect penis. He doesn't sound like he is enjoying whatever it is he's doing... it's more like it hurts, or itches, or is generally bothering him, but the penis is unmistakably erect to its fullest extent. If you tell him "no" and take him off the sofa and put him on the ground, he continues biting and licking at it, until eventually he just stops. My boyfriend thinks rebel is playing with it because it feels good to him, but he is my baby and I just get the feeling there is something seriously wrong with this picture.

Today, we were sitting on the couch talking, when I looked down and there was blood on my shirt. We checked out all of the animals to see what was wrong, and it was Rebel's penis. We took him into the bathroom and wiped him off, only to find that there was a big cut in the erect portion of his penis, where he had bitten it. He bit it so hard that it wouldn't stop bleeding. We put some hydrogen peroxide on it, but we are totally confused about what we should do. Please help.

-Cassie

[labman]

As with most strange behaviors, start with a visit to the vet. Something could be bothering him. Dogs were into ''If it feels good, do it.'' long before the 60's, but the drawing blood is excessive. If not already, neutering may reduce his interest in his penis.

If the vet doesn't find anything, look into enriching his life. Where does he spend all day, at home by himself? One good solution is doggy day care. Let him spend the day in supervised play with other dogs.

It is tough, but find more time in your schedule to spend with him.