Humping is a much misunderstood behavior. Many people think that humping is a purely sexual activity, but humping/mounting also happens when dogs get excited, during play, when they are anxious, to manage movement, or as a displacement behavior when they are overwhelmed.
Humping generally occurs when a dog mounts another dog and moves his or her rear end in a repetitive motion. Both sexes will hump but this behavior is seen more in male dogs, especially when they reach sexual maturity at around six months of age. Humping is considered “normal” dog behavior if it happens briefly in these contexts:
- during play
- when two dogs meet each other
- when a person enters the room
- when the dog gets excited
- during a training session
- when a female comes into season
However, humping becomes a problem when the behavior happens repeatedly and the dog resists a person's attempts to stop it. While humping can relieve frustration, it also builds frustration to the point where the dog shows an aggressive response to being stopped.
Why do dogs hump?
Many dogs hump because they are excited when a guardian or fellow housemate comes home or because the behavior fulfills a need and has been conditioned and reinforced over time. Humping is an effective way for a dog to control the movement of other dogs or people, and is sometimes used as a displacement or coping behavior when the dog is uncertain. In some cases dogs will forcefully mount other dogs or people, including strangers, as a height seeking activity. Attempts to pull dogs off in this context often leads to aggressive response such as a snap or bite.
Whatever the cause, humping is a socially communicative behavior that annoys and embarrasses people and can be irritating and intrusive to other dogs. It might be cute when a puppy humps something, but this behavior becomes a serious problem as the puppy grows. To stop humping from getting out of hand, it's important to break the reinforcement cycle, even though humping is a behavior that is highly resistant to change and is often reinforcing by itself without human intervention.
How do I stop my dog humping?
Start by identifying the situations in which the humping occurs and make a plan so you can prevent it. This can be done quickly with management and skill building.
Management Solutions
One of the best ways to solve a humping problem is to manage the environment so that your dog doesn’t have access to what he likes to hump. When a dog can’t practice a behavior, the behavior is likely to go into extinction. Here are some ways to manage your dog’s environment:
- Remove your dog entirely by placing a barrier between him and the person, animals or object he likes to hump. The barrier could be a baby gate, crate, or door.
- Keep your dog away from a dog or person by keeping him on a leash when the either is present.
- Remove the person or dog from a situation if the humping is too intense.
- Provide another stimulus for the dog such as a treat or toy.
- Always consider checking in with your veterinarian if any behavior is done to extreme. If you have a male dog that is humping continuously, it might be time to think about . Always check with your veterinarian who will advise the best time in your dog's stage of life to do this and don't rely on neutering alone to stop the behavior.
Training Solutions
Many dog lovers complain about their dogs humping, but they rarely know what to teach their dog instead. You can curb humping by doing the following:
- Once you have verified that the humping is not from a serious medical condition, focus on something else that your dog can do instead of humping.
- If the dog is humping to excess during play, teaching a play bow can take the place of humping.
- If the dog is humping out of boredom, provide other types of enrichment.
- Listen to what your dog is trying to say. Often humping stops without you having to 'train' your dog because you listen to him and change the environment to meet his needs.
- Teach alternative behaviors to humping. You can teach your dog to stand, go to his mat, find a toy or search for food while he is in the same area of the person or object he likes to hump.
Humping is a communicative behavior so your dog might be trying to tell you something important. Once you understand why humping is occurring, you can take steps to modify the behavior by understanding your dog's needs and providing him with the different skills and plenty of enrichment.