The first time you see your dog humping the furniture or your brother, it makes a great topic for jokes and giggles. You can still make fun of the behavior when it’s done to a friend who frequently visits.
But when your dog’s humping behavior becomes excessive, such as when he tries to hump every dog in the park—or random visitors that may not appreciate the scandalous act—it quickly turns into an embarrassing situation.
Mounting and humping can be a harmless behavior in dogs, but how do you know if it’s time for you to intervene? Aside from the discomfort it brings to you and your unsuspecting visitors, dogs that hump on anything can be quite an annoyance to other dog owners, and might even initiate dog fights.
Before your try to curb this annoying behavior, you have to know the reasons why dogs engage in this act.
Why Dogs Do it?
1. Sexual reasons
Humping, as a form of masturbation, is pretty common in both male and female dogs—whether they are intact or spayed. To differentiate motivated masturbation from other underlying reasons, dogs humping for sexual reasons often exhibit flirtatious body movements, such as licking, tail up, and pawing.
2. Stress and Over-Excitement
When dogs are overstimulated or stressed—like in the case of meeting a new dog or person, it may trigger them to mount an object, his owner, or another dog.
3. Play behavior
Dogs that have not been trained well on socializing often display mounting behavior as a response to another dog’s invitation to play. Because they don’t know how to play appropriately, they get overexcited and hump another dog.
4. Medical reasons
Sometimes dogs hump because of an underlying medical condition. You must watch out for other signs and symptoms to know it your dog’s humping requires a visit to the vet. Dogs with urinary tract infection, skin problems, urinary incontinence, and painful erection can be prone to mounting behavior.
If you also notice your dog licking or chewing himself, have difficulty urinating, and frequently rubbing his body against things, it’s time to have him checked to rule out other medical conditions.
5. Obsessive-Compulsive disorder
Like humans, compulsive tendencies also occur in dogs. It is even persistent if it’s related to stress. You need a veterinary behaviorist to assist your dog’s condition because excessive humping also affects your dog’s normal functioning.
Can You Stop Your Dog From Humping?
A dog’s humping behavior isn’t always abnormal. If your dog occasionally humps to relieve stress, let him be. You don’t necessarily have to stop a behavior if it isn’t bothersome.
If it’s something he does to you, you simply have to stand up and walk away so he’ll know it’s something he shouldn’t do. Most often, you need to address the underlying reason for the behavior to make it go away.
Some dogs are just more sexually driven than other dogs, and if they have not been trained when they were young, this will persist or turn into a compulsion. Older dogs would be more difficult to treat, so always observe your dog’s humping behavior, especially if it’s interfering with his daily activities, or if he’s becoming aggressive when being reprimanded.
Here are some of the things you can do to take your dog’s humping under control.
1. Reward-based training
Positive reinforcement is a popular training method that also works for this kind of behavior. You can use the NO or STOP command, and then pull him away from the object or person he’s mounting. You can also put him on a leash when you’re expecting a visitor, so you can gently tug him away from the person. Reward him with a treat if he follows the command.
2. Spaying
For sexually motivated humping, neutering may help curb the behavior. It is not enough to stop the behavior completely, as even neutered male and female dogs still hump as a learned behavior, but it will decrease his sexual motivation.
It’s still wise to consider spaying your dog because it prevents serious medical conditions, such as cancers of the mammary gland and testes.
3. Eliminate the source of stress
In cases when a dog uses humping to relieve stress, you must find what is causing the stress and eliminate or reduce it. Dogs often feel anxious in the presence of other animals and strangers.
A change in routine or moving to a new home also causes anxiety. Crate training your puppy will help prevent separation anxiety and you can be confident when you leave home to go to work.
4. Spend quality time with your dog
Dogs who are bored or looking for attention sometimes mount their owners. Some people mistakenly think of this as a display of dominance, but it could be your dog’s way of telling you to play with him. He probably learned that the best way to get your attention is by climbing for a ride.
For many attention-seeking dogs, being scolded is better than no attention at all. If you can’t spend a lot of time with your dog, keep him busy with toys and other appropriate objects.
This video shows you the inside scoop on why your dog humps and what you can do about it.
5. Add a source of distraction
Simply pulling your dog away won’t stop the behavior. You need to give him an alternative object to get busy with or redirect him to do appropriate activities, such as performing a trick or exercising. If toys and chew bones won’t work, you might need to manage your dog’s environment to minimize the behavior.
If he’s always bored inside the house, let him play in the backyard. If he harasses dogs at the dog park, keep his social activities to a minimum until he learns how to act appropriately.
Keep in mind that the longer the dog has practiced his humping behavior, the harder it will be to break the habit. Early intervention will increase your chances of successfully correcting your dog’s excessive humping.
If your dog is becoming snappy when thwarted, or becoming a risk to your guests and other dogs, you need to seek the help of a behavioral consultant. This is a serious behavioral problem that needs to be addressed by a professional.
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