Describes the formal ceremony of the Chinese emperor's acceptance of a new concubine into his herd of meat assets, by penetration before the imperial court, always a source of「internal strife and fighting」among the existing herd members jockeying to maintain their own positions on the emperor's horse-dragon horn. Part of the ordeal was proof of virginity personally by his royal highness, the emperor.
「Practices, shapes, forms, patterns」of「formal style intercourse」as TRIAL, ATTEMPT, TEST.「Words formal」are always a TEST (perhaps, questions and answers), an ATTEMPT to impress some royal person, or a TRIAL AND ERROR experience.「Ceremonial intercourse」is not the real thing as it were, intimating a TRIAL, ATTEMPT, TEST of one's mating partner at the moment, likely the initiation of a newly acquired concubine by a lord or wealthy man, or initial ATTEMPTS, TEST of anal coitus with「dog stake in soil, fecal seam intercourse with internal strife and confusion」and so on.
Not coincidentally, Japanese pronunciation of こころみる describes 'look at, show one's 心' as an ATTEMPT, TEST prior to actual engagement as perhaps a figurative display (not many folks can pull a beating heart from within a living ribcage), but certainly a literal display by physically dropping one's britches to allow an inspection. An ORDEAL is a difficult and painful experience that severely tests a person's character or ability to endure [ https://www.thefreedictionary.com/ordeal ]
「Intercourse of dog baculum working seam in flesh」to locate an accommodating bitch's orifice, but if referring to a human 'dog,' perhaps a TRIAL, ATTEMPT, TESTING to determine compatibility of partners for a fling later, or a longer lasting relationship (more than an hour? ten minutes?) when the participants could devote additional time to the matter as circumstances permitted, or determining whether that human dog is still too young to copulate. Right element is「seam of flesh doggy-style」that does not seem to be referring to a vaginal (冋) orifice, in this or other many glyphs, and that flesh seam with「intercourse」may easily explain all the meanings of TRIAL, ATTEMPT, TEST, an EXPERIMENT as the「practice, shape, form, pattern of intercourse」performed「dog-style」(the 'behind position').

External source definitions …excluding politically incorrect concepts and other meanings deemed offensive today; may include extended definitions, euphemisms, and mnemonics)
Chinese: to test; to try; experiment; examination; test
Japanese EDRDG: test, try, attempt, experiment, ordeal
Unihan extended: test, try, experiment