This week we’re talking about humping dogs. This is a classic adolescent dog problem, but it can occur in both female and male dogs of all ages. It quite often isn’t sexual behaviour at all. But, like all behaviour, it does have a function. Here, we’ll discuss why your dog is humping, how you can manage it and how you can prevent inappropriate humping.
Why does my dog hump people/other dogs/ objects?
Puppies and adult dogs will often hump people, other dogs and objects when they’re overstimulated. Let’s say you’re having a BBQ and your dog is meeting a bunch of new family and friends. For a lot of dogs, that experience would be overwhelming. Young dogs in particular may not be able to just take themselves away from all the excitement for a break and so they might hump guests instead. Humping feels good for dogs and can help release tension and frustration, especially when they’re not sure what to do with themselves.
Similar to when they’re overstimulated, your dog might start humping when they’re stressed. It can be a form of self soothing when your dog doesn’t know how to deal with a certain situation, such as meeting new people or dogs.
Whilst humping is often not a sexual behaviour, sometimes hormones do have something to do with it! Dogs can smell a female in heat from a significant distance away and can lead them to hump other dogs and people.
Occasionally, dogs may hump as there is an underlying medical issue, such as urinary tract infection. Humping may relieve some of the discomfort for this. If you think this may be the case, seek the advice of your vet.
How do I stop my dog humping?
If your dog is regularly humping, we need to look at why. Assess why they may be overexcited, overstimulated and/or stressed. This is key to preventing situations that may lead to humping in the future. If you take your dog to the dog park and they try to hump every other dog in there, it’s probably best to give it a miss, at least in the short term. They are likely overwhelmed and not sure how to deal with this situation.
It’s important to not punish your dog for humping. Whilst it may be frustrating and embarrassing, it is a normal natural behaviour for dogs. Dogs don’t really understand what no, stop or don’t mean. You will have more success asking your dog to do something else instead. This could be asking them to settle on their mat (we have a guide on mat training here) or providing them with an activity to help them calm down a bit. Long lasting chews and toys that promote sniffing are great for this as sniffing and chewing are naturally calming behaviours. You can read more about teaching your dog to be calm here.
Redirect the humping
If you’re comfortable with it, you may wish to provide your dog with an old pillow, dog bed or stuffed toy that they are allowed to hump. If they try to hump you or others in the home you can redirect that humping to their allocated humping object. This can be particularly useful for adolescent males.
Other dogs hump people when they’re not sure what to do with themselves. I noticed our dog Duke would often try to hump me and other family members when they stood up to leave at the end of a visit. I started preparing him for these ‘transitions’ by doing a scatter feed or giving him a snuffle mat as our family got ready to leave. This gives him something to do and helps calm him down. Give your dog something calming to do if there are moments when your dog turns to humping.
Will neutering stop my dog from humping?
It depends (I know, not helpful- sorry!). When we look at the scientific research, neutering does appear to reduce humping and mounting in males but not in females. However, the research also shows that neutered dogs are more likely to roll in ‘repulsive materials’ (eg fox poo), more likely to run away or escape, and more likely to be fearful and anxious in general. Neutered dogs were also much more likely to eat poo! If you’re considering neutering your dog, it’s worth doing as much research as you can to get a full picture of the potential effects. In my anecdotal experience, neutering generally reduces humping, particular in young males. However, time and time again I see dogs become fearful and reactive after they’ve been neutered, particularly towards other dogs. Neutering certainly doesn’t stop dogs humping completely. Given the potential fall out after neutering, I recommend other ways of reducing humping by setting up your dog for success and reward based training.
What next?
- Looking for help with your dog? Contact us to arrange in person or online training.
- Read more blog posts here.
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