4 tips from a sex therapist for making doggy style even sexier

Publish date: 2024-07-29
This article was medically reviewed by Sara Rosen, LCSW, CST, a certified sex therapist with her own private practice in New York City. Medically Reviewed Reviewed By Check Mark Icon A check mark. It indicates that the relevant content has been reviewed and verified by an expert Our stories are reviewed by medical professionals to ensure you get the most accurate and useful information about your health and wellness. For more information, visit our medical review board.

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Doggy style is a classic sex position that offers many benefits — including deep penetration and an exciting view for the partner on the "giving" side. With the help of sex toys, people of all genders can enjoy doggy style. 

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Here are some tips to make doggy style even better and three variations you can try.

How to do doggy style

To get into doggy style position, follow these steps:

  • The receiving partner can start by getting into a tabletop position, resting on their hands and knees. 
  • The penetrating partner should kneel behind, with their knees in between or on either side of their partner. 
  • Your partner can then hold onto your hips and insert their penis or a sex toy into your vagina or anus.

    • Doggy style is a great position for deep penetration, which can be extra pleasurable for some people, says Lucy Rowett, a sexologist and certified intimacy coach. This is because it can stimulate the tip of your cervix, sometimes called the A-spot.

    If you have a vagina, "having sex in doggy style hits your G-Spot more easily and allows for deeper penetration," Rowett says. This is because the penis or sex toy is tilted downward in doggy style, causing it to rub directly on the front wall of the vagina, where the G-spot lies.

    If you're using doggy style for anal sex, it's also a good position to stimulate your prostate, aka the male g-spot, says Rowett.

    Because the receiving partner has little control over the movement in doggy style, "it can be thrilling and exciting to do a position that is more risqué, and you can experience deep surrender," Rowett says. 

    This makes doggy style a great option if you want to try taking a submissive role during sex — up to 65% of women fantasize about being dominated, though all genders can enjoy it.

    Tips for maximizing pleasure during doggy style

    If you want to up your pleasure and stimulation during doggy style, Rowen offers the following tips to make the position even better:

  • If you have a vagina, you can pile a couple of pillows in between your knees and place a vibrator on top to stimulate your clitoris, Rowett says. This can boost your pleasure and may make you more likely to have an orgasm — a 2018 survey found that 37% of women need clitoral stimulation to orgasm and another 36% say clitoral stimulation makes orgasms feel better.
  • If you're in the receiving position, bring your knees together instead of hip's width apart. This can make your vaginal or anal opening narrower, offering an extra squeezing, more pleasurable, stimulation for your partner.
  • The receiving partner can also try playing with the angle of penetration by lowering yourself onto your forearms instead of your hands.
  • If you're the penetrating partner, your hands are free to move around. "Make sure to kiss, stroke, or even spank your partner's butt," Rowett says. Make sure to communicate with your partner so they can tell you if the spanking is too hard or they don't like it.

    • Doggy style variations

    If you're a pro at standard doggy style, you can switch things up by trying one of the following doggy style variations:

    1. Flat doggy

  • The giving partner stays in the same kneeling position as classic doggy style.
  • The receiving partner starts in tabletop position, but then lowers their face and chest downward so their face lies flat on the bed. You can turn your face to one side to make this easier.

    • This position may work well for two people with penises, as it can offer deep anal stimulation that can stimulate the prostate.

    2. Side doggy

  • In this variation, both partners lie on their sides on the bed, both facing the same direction.
  • You can then get into a spooning position that looks like a sideways version of doggy style.

    • This position can be helpful if the receiving partner wants more control, as they may have more leverage to thrust backward.

    3. Standing doggy

  • Standing doggy looks a lot like regular doggy style, but the receiving partner is standing and bent over a raised surface like the edge of the bed.
  • The giving partner stands behind them and penetrates in the standing position.

    • This variation can allow the giving partner to move faster since they aren't on their knees, and also works well if either partner has sensitive knees.

    Insider's takeaway

    Doggy style can be a fun position for people of all genders and there are many ways to tweak the position to make it feel even better.

    "Don't be afraid to adjust it to what works for you, and also don't feel embarrassed if this position really doesn't work for you," Rowett says.

    If doggy style isn't your thing, there are plenty of other sex positions you can try to see what works best for your body.

    Madeline Kennedy Madeline Kennedy is a health writer for Insider covering a wide range of topics including reproductive and sexual health, mental health, nutrition, and infectious disease. Before joining Insider, Madeline worked as a health news writer for Reuters, and a domestic violence therapist. She has a master's degree in social work from UPenn and is interested in the intersection of health and social justice. Read more Read less

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