How Can I Stop My Dog’s Humping?
Having a dog in your life brings many benefits. And many owners genuinely enjoy their canine companion. Most human-and-dog teams, however, are struggling with one challenge or the other. Here at Fenrir, we often hear the words: “My dog is amazing – but there is this one thing they are doing…” This one single troubling behaviour can be chewing, play-biting, digging, or humping. And in this article, we will see why dogs hump, and what we can do to stop this undesirable behaviour.
Why Is My Dog Humping?
So, what exactly is driving dogs to hump in the first place? Having a dog that humps toys, people, or other dogs can awkward. Some owners even think that there is something wrong with their dog. And there can be certain medical conditions that cause excessive mounting, and rubbing against people and objects. These include skin allergies and urinary tract infections. Consulting your vet in cases of sudden, dramatic increases in your dog’s humping behaviour is recommended.
Nevertheless - most of the time, mounting is quite a natural behaviour for canines. Obviously, males mount females during the fertile period of their cycle. But humping is not restricted to the reproductive act: Wild and domestic canines mount others of their kind for various purposes.
Oftentimes, the behaviour is rooted in sexual arousal. Hearing this may surprise owners of neutered males and spayed females. But once a puppy has reached their sexual maturity, neutering or spaying them does not take away all of their sexual urges. Depending on the dog’s breed and size, they reach sexual maturity between 6 and 16 months of age. Some vets recommend allowing the dog to reach full physical maturity before spaying or neutering them. Others believe in “fixing” dogs at the 6 months mark to prevent behaviours like humping, mounting, roaming, or dog-on-dog aggression.
And this brings us to the second cause for canine humping, which is motivated by the desire to assert dominance over another individual. In packs of wild dogs or wolves, such behaviour is quite common. It serves to establish, and maintain, the hierarchy within the group.
But humping in social interactions is not always an attempt to dominate the other dog (or person): It can also be play-behaviour. Such playful humping often occurs in energetic dogs that tend to get carried away during playtimes.
Another cause for humping is caused by stress. Even dogs that lead apparently happy and carefree lives can suffer from chronic stress, tension and frustration. And once they have experienced the temporary relief that humping brings them, they are prone to repeating this behaviour – until it becomes a deeply ingrained habit. Oftentimes, such stress and frustration are caused by lack of exercise. Many dogs never receive enough daily physical and mental stimulation to tire them out. As a consequence, they develop all kinds of problematic behaviours. These behaviours are simply the dogs’ attempt to release some of their pent-up energy. They include humping, spinning in circles, scratching, excessive barking, digging, or chewing.
How To Fix My Dog’s Humping?
Now that we have covered the causes for canine humping and mounting, let us look at ways to remedy this behaviour. If your dog humps their toy or another object every once in a while, you may not feel the need to intervene. But having a dog that routinely humps you or other people can be quite frustrating. It can even be dangerous: Without meaning harm, your humping dog could knock an elderly person or a child to the ground, and injure them. And dominant dogs may even respond with aggression to attempts of stopping the behaviour.
For these reasons, we do not advise applying any corrective measures - unless you absolutely trust your dog not to harm you. If in any doubt at all, we recommend hiring an experienced canine professional in your area. A balanced dog trainer or behaviourist can evaluate your dog’s temperament, and devise a course of action. In this section, we will list some measures you can take to reduce humping. If you continue this training, you can stop the behaviour completely. But if you are feeling uncomfortable about implementing these methods, please do not hesitate to seek professional help. And the same applies if you have tried all the suggestions listed, but the behaviour still persists.
1. Exercise Your Dog More
Undesirable behaviours such as excessive humping, chewing or barking are often caused by surplus energy. Most domestic dogs are severely under-exercised, and hold lots of pent-up energy in their system. As our dogs’ loving leaders, we want to help them to release all that energy. This in itself can significantly decrease problematic behaviours such as humping, jumping up and play-biting.
Here at Fenrir, we are big proponents of providing plenty of exercise and mental stimulation for our dogs. By taking them on long walks, and allowing them to run, play, and explore, we ensure that their primal needs are met. Tired dogs indeed are good dogs. And tired dogs typically do not mount other dogs, or hump their owners.
To tire your dog out even more, combine mental stimulation with their exercise regime. Teaching heel walking is an excellent place to start. Having to hold the heel position for around 15 minutes on walks, for example, tires dogs out more than you would think. Walking to heel means they have to pay close attention to you, and adjust their movement to yours. It also gives them a job to do, and dogs thrive on having a set task. By completing this task and getting rewarded (by time off-leash, a game of tug, or food), their confidence grows. And a happy, fulfilled, confident dog will feel no need to obsessively hump people or mount other dogs.
Another great way to mentally stimulate dogs is by taking them on adventures: Start bringing your dog with you on road trips, picnics in the park, hikes, family visits, and camping trips. Every exposure to an unfamiliar environment is a veritable feast for your dog’s senses: There are many different scents, sights and sounds to process. And combined with the physical exercise involved in exploring these places, this tires dogs out like nothing else.
2. Use Dog Training Tools
But how can you stop your dog right in the act of humping your leg, or mounting another pet in your home? This is where training leashes come in. By keeping a leash on your dog indoors, you can instantly correct their attempts to hump you. Do this first with a verbal correction, and then (should they choose to ignore you) with a pop on the leash.
Our Ragnar Slip Leash is an ideal tool for such instances. The leash is also perfect for quickly intervening should your dog start mounting another dog out in public. Humping is a self-rewarding behaviour. But in blocking it with the leash, you can effectively break this habit. Easy to handle and suitable for dogs of all ages, this lead is very safe to use: Unlike conventional slip leads, this model has an adjustable metal plate. This feature allows you to control how far the leash contracts. In this way, you can communicate with your dog, but without ever putting their health at risk. Once you have corrected your dog’s attempt to hump, you can redirect their attention: For example, by asking them to make eye contact, using a cue such as “Watch!” or “Watch me!” Then, once your dog is looking at you, lavish them with praise: Give treats, play with them, hug them – whatever makes them happy. This teaches your dog that humping is not acceptable. At the same time, they learn that looking to you for guidance and direction gets them amazing things.
3. Establish Calm, Consistent Leadership
We explain this proven 3-step formula of correcting, redirecting and reinforcing in our online training courses. If works perfectly for stopping dogs from humping. But this method also works for other problem behaviours, such as jumping up, excessive barking, or counter-surfing.
Conclusion
Humping is a common behaviour for male and female dogs. But having a dog that routinely humps people and mounts other dogs can be frustrating. It may be natural, but it certainly is not a sign of good social manners. Here at Fenrir, we are dedicated to helping you raising and training perfect canine companions. And that perfect canine companionship includes impeccable manners. We want you to be proud of your dog, and for your dog to succeed in all social situations. In this way, you can include them in fun activities - such as outings, vacations and visits to friends and family. We want you and your dog to live the best lives possible. As your dog’s high-level leader, your success in stopping your dog’s humping is guaranteed. Be patient, stay consistent, and soon enough, your dog’s bad habits will be a matter of the past.