All dogs, whether they are male or female, can and do hump occasionally. Although it can be humiliating or uncomfortable, mounting another dog, especially a smaller dog or a child, is seen as a perfectly typical activity. It can also result in harm. But it’s crucial to understand that humping is regarded as a typical play action in dogs and is not merely sexual in nature. Male and female dogs both occasionally hump.
Why does my female dog hump at random?
Most dogs engage in mounting, thrusting, and masturbating as natural actions. The ways in which dogs masturbate vary. They mount and push against other animals, people, and items like toys, dog beds, and wadded-up blankets. Dogs occasionally lick themselves or simply rub up against people or objects without mounting them.
Puppies frequently mount and hump one another, other children, adults, and objects. According to some specialists, this conduct serves as a warm-up for upcoming sexual interactions. Puppies begin mounting other dogs in sexual situations as soon as they attain sexual maturity. Many male and female dogs still mount and even masturbate after having been neutered or spayed because they have discovered that the behavior is pleasurable.
If they are prevented from contacting a female in heat, intact (unneutered) males frequently engage in masturbation. Females in heat frequently mount and hump their male “suitors” during courtship. When one or both of the females are in heat, female dogs frequently mount and hump the other female.
Why Does Your Dog Do It?
Sexual Conduct Both altered (spayed or neutered) and intact dogs engage in regular sexual behavior, which includes masturbation. Male and female dogs can mount each other, humans, and objects. Most people are unaware that intact male canines are not the only ones who exhibit this behavior, and they are also unaware that neutered males can exhibit erections and ejaculate just like intact males. Flirtatious body language and courtship activities frequently accompany sexually motivated mounting and masturbation (tail up, ears rotated backward, licking, pawing, play bows, etc.).
Play Conduct Sexual actions like mounting and thrusting are common in children’s play. In the course of play, dogs rarely show erections or ejaculate. In response to play invitations, some poorly socialized or undersocialized dogs excessively mount other dogs. They don’t appear to know how to play well, and when they do, they become overexcited.
Reaction to tension or excitement Some dogs mount or masturbate in response to challenging or exciting circumstances. For instance, a roused and excited dog may mount another dog, his owner, or a nearby object, like a dog bed or a toy, after meeting a new dog or person.
Obsessive Conditions When a dog masturbates in response to stress, it can develop into a compulsive habit. A dog’s natural functioning might be hampered by compulsive behaviors like mounting and masturbating.
Social Conduct Sometimes dogs will mount people or other animals to show dominance or social rank. An erection may or may not be seen in a dog mounting for this reason, but he is not likely to ejaculate.
Medical Problems to Rule Out
A dog’s tendency to mount can be influenced by a number of medical conditions, such as skin allergies, urinary tract infections, urine incontinence, and priapism (repeated, frequently painful erections). If left untreated, these problems can become serious and call for medical care rather than behavioral therapy. Dogs with one of these conditions or others frequently spend a lot of time licking and chewing their genitalia. Take your dog to the vet to rule out any medical issues if you find him excessively mounting, licking or gnawing himself, or rubbing his body against objects.
What to Do About Excessive Mounting and Masturbation
Avoid attempting to stop your dog from mounting other dogs, people, or things if you believe he might become hostile. Consult a qualified specialist instead, such as a board-certified veterinary behaviorist or a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB or Associate CAAB) (Dip ACVB). Whether you are unable to locate a behaviorist in your region, you may be able to work with a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT), but make sure to check to see if they have formal training and a lot of success in treating aggressiveness. The CPDT certification does not require this kind of knowledge. To learn how to locate one of these specialists in your region, please read our article Finding Professional Behavior Help.
- It’s not necessary to stop your dog’s behavior if he mounts just occasionally (once or twice a day at most) and it doesn’t upset you, other people, or pets.
- Try to divert your dog if its mounting or masturbation is upsetting you, other people, or other dogs. Get his attention if you can before he mounts or starts masturbating. Before mounting, some dogs exhibit amorous-appearing behaviors, so if your dog approaches a person or item and begins to pant, lick, whine, paw, or rub against them, he may soon begin to mount or hump. Give your dog a chew toy, play a game, or encourage him to perform some previously taught simple obedience skills or tricks that he likes if you notice your dog engaging in any of the aforementioned behaviors or if you notice him beginning to mount someone or something (sit, down, shake, etc.).
- Consider neutering your male dog if he is still an intact male. Although neutering doesn’t always prevent a dog from mounting or masturbating, it does lessen his desire to engage in sexual activity, particularly if the behavior is prompted by the presence of a female dog that is in heat. Similarly, if you have a female dog that is unaltered, think about spaying her. If she only mounts when she is in heat or when she is among other female dogs in heat, it might lessen her desire to hump other dogs. Other advantages of spaying or neutering your dog exist as well. It stops undesired puppies from being born and aids in the prevention of grave illnesses including testicular and mammary cancer.
- Beware: If your dog mounts another dog, danger could result. Numerous dogs dislike being humped. If they feel offended, they might attack your “amorous dog.” You might want to train your hump-happy dog to leave other dogs alone when you ask him to if they bother him. When your dog has learned what the command “leave it” means, you can begin using it when he interacts with other dogs. When your dog plays with his friends, keep a close eye on him. Tell him to “Leave it” as soon as you notice him getting ready to mount another dog. Don’t forget to praise him if he succeeds. If he doesn’t, stop the game and work on leaving the area empty for a little while. You can also try teaching your dog to play games with you if he frequently bumps other dogs in order to make him less interested in them. Pulling and fetching are fun!
- If your dog has a tendency to mount you or other people, teach him not to hump by pushing him away, turning your back on him, sitting down, or in some other way adopting a stance that precludes mounting. Say “Nope!” and take your dog right away to a secure, quiet room for a brief timeout if he won’t stop. (Confirm that the time-out space is devoid of any entertaining things for him to play with.) For a minute or three, let your dog be by himself. Let your dog outside after the time-out is over and act normally. It’s not necessary to act enraged. Repeat the steps above and give your dog another time-out if it tries to mount again. If you have to put your dog in time out more than a few times, you could find it difficult to capture him when you yell, “Nope! If such is the case, it will be beneficial to attach a lightweight two to four-foot leash to your dog’s collar and let him to walk on it while you watch him at home. When you need to take your dog to his time-out area, you can then pick up the leash. If you can’t see your dog, make sure the leash is off so it won’t unintentionally catch on something or get tangled around your dog’s legs.
- Discouragement won’t stop climbing from happening again on its own. Additionally, you need to practice prevention. You’ll need to educate your dog a different behavior so that when he’s with humans he may behave that way instead of humping. For instance, teach him to sit when called. You can start using your dog’s willingness to sit when asked to receive a treat as a deterrent to humping. Say “Sit” as soon as you notice your dog beginning to climb. If he sits, congratulate him joyfully and give him a sweet food. Then you can ask him to sit again or have him do one of his other tricks. You can give your dog a few minutes of playtime with a favorite toy once he has shown some good manners and has cooled down a bit. Your dog may no longer be motivated to hump as a result, depending on how this affects him. Asking your dog to sit and stay whenever you engage in the acts that set off his mounting behavior will help if the humming only happens in particular situations, such as in response to exciting or tumultuous human interactions (hugging, embracing, arguing, etc.). Don’t forget to often praise your dog if he acts nicely rather than mounting.
- If your dog only mounts in high-stress circumstances, such as when interacting with strangers, try to stay away from those situations as much as you can. Try to lessen your dog’s tension as much as you can if you can’t avoid a circumstance or thing that makes him uncomfortable. Take your dog there frequently for social visits if, for instance, he finds going to the vet stressful. Give your dog lots of delectable goodies during these visits to the vet, and keep an eye out for any unpleasant events. Your dog will begin to look forward to going to the vet’s office after a few weeks or months of sporadic “cookie outings there. This shift in how he feels will make going to the veterinarian clinic less unpleasant for him in the future. Distract your dog when he meets strangers if he is frightened while greeting new people to make the situation less intimidating for him. When guests arrive at your house, try teaching your dog to sit for tasty treats or fetch his favorite toy.
- It’s not necessary to stop your dog’s habit if he only licks to pleasure himself occasionally (once or twice a day at most) and it doesn’t disturb you.
- Try to divert your dog, particularly as soon as he starts to lick himself, if his behavior to lick himself bothers you or irritates his skin. Play a game, throw a ball, give your dog a chew toy, or ask him to perform some tricks or basic obedience exercises that he has already mastered (sit, down, shake, etc.). Additionally, you might consider relocating your dog to a different area.
- Try to divert your dog as soon as he begins to mount or masturbate. Play a game, throw a ball, give your dog a chew toy, or ask him to perform some tricks or basic obedience exercises that he has already mastered (for example, sit, down and paw).
- You might require assistance from a skilled specialist if your dog’s behavior has turned compulsive and is interfering with his regular daily activities. For information on where to find a board-certified veterinary behaviorist or a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB or Associate CAAB), please read our article, Finding Professional Behavior Help (Dip ACVB). If you are unable to locate a behaviorist in your area, you may be able to find assistance from a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT). However, you should make sure to ascertain whether the CPDT has formal or informal training as well as significant experience treating compulsive behavior, as these qualifications are not necessary for CPDT certification.
Why do the stuffed animals on my girl dog hump?
- One of the typical canine activities that embarrasses owners the most is humming or mounting.
- Humping, which is not always sexual, might signify dominance, excessive excitation, or underlying physical conditions.
- Redirecting behavior and teaching positive reinforcement are two strategies for reducing problem-causing behavior.
The dog misdeed that will most likely make an owner’s face flush beet red is humping. It’s tempting to yell, drag the dog away violently, or wish for the ground to open up and swallow you when your dog gets that sparkle in their eye and mounts their friend (or, worse yet, you). However, with a little patience, owners of boisterous, hump-happy dogs can discover why their dog is humping as well as effective redirection techniques to stop the behavior.
Why Do Dogs Hump?
The good news comes first. Humping is a highly widespread habit. You are not alone in owning a dog that enjoys humpbacks. And despite appearances, it’s not always motivated by sexual desire.
According to Dr. Mary Burch, a trained applied animal behaviorist, humping frequently has nothing to do with sex.
So what’s the big deal? Dr. Burch says that humping frequently represents an effort at dominance. This holds true whether the other party is a person or another dog. It may be an indication of stress, excessive stimulation, or irrational behavior in the dog.
According to Dr. Burch, if your dog is showing fondness for a cushion or plush animal, it’s likely that the dog has become overexcited and aroused.
Some canines might become out of control during boisterous play.
Humphing can occasionally be an indication of a medical issue. Humping, for example, may indicate an infection, discomfort, or, in male dogs, prostate issues. It’s also true that humping can occasionally be a sexual, pleasurable behavior. Younger dogs who haven’t been spayed or neutered are more likely to hump in a sexual manner.
When Is Humping a Problem?
Dogs may hump each other occasionally as part of natural play. Dogs, for instance, may alternately mount one other while racing and playing as a cute display of excitement. However, some dogs dislike being ridden. Therefore, it is worthwhile to put some effort towards preventing even this moderate type of mounting in the purpose of averting any future dispute.
If you detect humming early on rather than waiting until the activity has been ingrained in your habits, it will also be simpler to stop. The first time you see your dog hump, you might want to chuckle, but in the long run, it’s best to intervene and correct the behavior right away.
How Can You Stop Your Dog From Humping?
Your dog’s humping behavior can be a symptom of a medical condition if they are also licking or chewing their own body or exhibiting other signs of distress. Make an appointment with your veterinarian if this is the case.
It’s crucial to take into account any potential sources of stress that may be driving your dog to act out. Do they have enough stimulation and exercise? Are they being irritated by anything in the house, and if so, what can you do to make it better?
Once a medical or environmental cause has been ruled out, you can focus on behavioral solutions. Training is the first step toward a house without humps. Effective training is crucial because it establishes your authority and communicates to your dog that you are in charge because humping is frequently about dominance.
Both the dog and you will benefit from this. They feel more at ease knowing they can rely on your authority. Additionally, with proper training, they will find it simpler to get along with both people and other canines. Think about enrolling in training sessions or, if you want to take it a step further, the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) program.
You may put that training to good use if your dog is well-trained but still humpback. Redirecting is the most effective approach to handle humping. This communicates to the dog that the action is undesirable and enables positive reward when they obey another instruction. Ask the dog to sit, lie down, or remain when the humming starts, and give them a treat when they comply. Instead, distract the dog by playing fetch with it or by taking it outside for some exercise.
Minimize Mounting Opportunities
Don’t yell or cause a scene if your dog continues to mount guests despite your attempts to redirect the behavior. Simply approach the dog and politely lead them to a quiet area such as their crate.
To reduce humping, you can also control your dog’s environment. Make certain they have access to chew toys and other amusements that will keep them busy and help them burn off energy. If a certain toy or item causes the majority of your dog’s humming, remove it until the activity has subsided. Additionally, move your dog out of the way while the visitor is present if you’re expecting a “unhumpable visitor,” or someone you do not want your dog to mount under any circumstances.
Finally, some specialists advise neutering your dog if it has not already undergone spaying or neutering in order to prevent sexually motivated mounting. However, before going down this road, keep in mind that current research suggests that early spaying/neutering of some breeds can have long-term health effects. If your dog is still very young, you might want to keep using training to control the habit until they are old enough to be spayed or neutered.
Do you need assistance training your dog? In spite of the fact that you might not be able to attend live training sessions during COVID-19, we are still available to you electronically through the AKC GoodDog! Helpline. With the help of this live telephone service, you may speak with a qualified trainer who will provide you with unrestricted, personalized advise on anything from behavioral problems to CGC preparation to getting started in dog sports.
