How to Stop my Dog from Humping

 How to Stop Your Dog From Humping

A common (and unpleasant) activity is dog humping. If your dog enjoys humping people, especially those who don't own or don't like dogs, it is very embarrassing. Some dogs will hump their shoes, toys, furniture, and even other house pets. However, humping is typically a harmless practice, and there are a number of solutions you can tackle beginning at home.

You may prevent your dog from humping in an inappropriate way by using the methods listed below.

Why Do Dogs Hump?

The act of humping, also known as mounting, seems to have a sexual undertone. This isn't always the case, though. Most significantly, humming is a fully natural behavior for dogs and is a combination of instinct and acquired behavior. Not only can male dogs hump; female dogs are also capable of engaging in this behavior. Even so, humping often only develops into a behavior issue when your dog humps people, agitates other dogs by mounting them, or when humping is overdone.

There are a few different reasons why dogs hump.

Sexual/Hormonal

As a result of hormones and sexual attraction, an intact dog that has not been spayed or neutered may hump other dogs. 1 If both dogs are entire, they normally end up mating, thus if you don't want that to happen, you need to keep intact dogs of the opposing sex apart.

A neutered or spayed dog may occasionally be humped by an intact dog. Females also hump, and it might or might not be for sexual reasons. A dog may be masturbating when it bumps into things or humans. Although getting your dog neutered or spayed may help with the issue, you should be warned that some dogs may acquire the habit of humming before and after the procedure.

Stress

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Humping is a type of self-soothing behavior that stressed or overstimulated dogs may engage in. If your dog has a history of humping guests at your house, this is probably the root of the issue. The dog is merely reacting to the stress or nervousness of having a guest over. Other stressors that can cause humping include schedule changes, boarding, your return from a hard day at work, and the addition of a new pet to the family.

Excitement

When dogs hump, they typically aren't imitating mating activity. A dog is more prone to hump in response to nonsexual excitation. It merely serves as a means for the dog to let off steam or decompress. Some dogs hump, while others sprint or jump. For many dogs, this is typical. If the activity is repeated, training might be helpful in getting your dog to use its excess energy in a different way.

In a similar vein, some dogs hump to attract attention or just because they're bored. If so, it might be beneficial to give them lots of activity, mental challenge, and attention when they are not humming.

Playfulness

As long as it doesn't offend one of the dogs, play humping can be entirely normal and acceptable behavior between two dogs. Everyone is okay with some dogs playing roughshod over each other. Some dogs hump just for fun. If one of the dogs appears to be annoyed by the humping, make careful to stop it. It could be helpful to train (for example, to run to your side when called) to lessen play humping's frequency and intensity.

Dominance

Dogs will occasionally hump one another in a show of dominance or to establish social order. The more subservient dog doesn't necessarily get humped by the more dominant dog, whether it's a male or a female. A subservient dog may occasionally hump a more dominant dog, frequently without any indication of conflict between the two.

Medical Issues

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You should rule out any medical reasons for your dog's hump before attempting to train it to stop. Although there are a few potential causes, humping is typically not connected to a medical problem.

Humping can be brought on by priapism (persistent erection), skin allergies, and urinary tract infections.

Other actions resembling this include licking the vaginal region and rubbing against furniture or other objects. Your veterinarian should be able to rule out any underlying medical issues that could be causing humping.

How to Stop Humping

Given the variety of causes of dog humping, it could take some trial and error to convince your dog to stop.

Of course, you don't want your dog to start humping your visitors. Additionally, you don't want humping to start a dog fight. Even humping something could potentially harm it (depending on the object). Happily, humping can frequently be controlled by training.

Catch Your Dog in the Act

In order to stop your dog from humming, you must first deal with the habit when it arises. Once the behavior has stopped, there is no need in reprimanding your dog because this will simply cause confusion.

When you see your dog humming, call his name and firmly command "off" or "halt." Due to its frequent use in speech, the word "no" is not optimal. Similarly, if your dog can lie down on demand, the word "down" can be unclear (or if you ever want to teach it). Use a firm voice that's not yell-y. To capture your dog's attention, you need to come off as authoritative, but not threatening enough to scare him.

Offer a Reward

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When you command your dog to stop humming by saying "stop" or "off," give him a treat, a toy, or your affection, depending on what he enjoys the most. When the humping stops, give the treat right away to help your dog make the connection between the behavior and the reward. Attempt to get rid of the humping target. You might just need to remove your dog from the room if it's a person.

Your dog may need to be distracted with a worthwhile treat if you are unable to attract its attention verbally. Find something that is really alluring, such as a treat or a beloved noisy toy. Every time the dog humps, repeatedly say "off" or "stop," and then entice the dog to leave. When your dog shifts his focus from the humping to the reward, praise him.

You can typically break your dog's behavior of humping on your own with patience. Some dogs, though, won't give up so readily. If yours is one of them, you might want to work on the problem with the aid of a qualified dog trainer or behaviorist.

If not, you might need to accept that your dog will hump and steer clear of circumstances where it will be an issue. If things go as planned, you'll need to learn how to anticipate the humping behavior and avoid it whenever you can. This is especially true if humping might result in a dogfight or a person getting hurt. Keeping your dog locked up before guests arrive, preventing your pet from experiencing too much stress or anxiety, and other measures .