I volunteer at an animal shelter and have really enjoyed it, but today I encountered a problem. While in the outdoor fenced play area with a very large, strong, young male dog, he began humping me and had his front paws clenched around me; I really couldn't get him off at first but then eventually could turn my back. He then did the same to my back side, except that his claws were raking up and down my back, so now I have scratches all of my back, arms, legs, et cetera. It really hurt and was very frustrating. Eventually I was able to get him walking again and for the most part we were fine (he stopped once and did it again) but I'm wondering how I could handle this differently in the future. It seems harder because she isn't my dog so I can't consistently work with her on anything, and volunteers and staff don't coordinate their training plans (if they even have any).
Thank you for sharing advice.
Humping Shelter Dogs
Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost
Re: Humping Shelter Dogs
I'd try one of two things, depending on the circumstances:
1) If you can safely do so without risking his escape, step outside the gate when he starts doing this. Wait for a few seconds, come back in. If he starts again, leave again. It may take a lot of repetition but it should help. (I would only suggest this if there's an airlock-style gate - so if he manages to slip out with you, he's not running loose.)
2) If you have him on leash, pass the leash around a sturdy fencepost, tree, lamppost, etc, so you can hold onto the leash and back out of his reach. Similar to the leaving the fence idea, it may take repetition.
As for training stuff - humping is generally from excitement and/or stress, and training in moments where he's not humpy could help tons. Could you work on teaching the dog to focus and work on self control? Something like It's Yer Choice (can dig up a link if you need - easy to find on youtube) tends to work well for self control. Scattering food on the ground to sniff works to reduce stress - or check out Project Sniff2Calm on Facebook. The snuffle mats like those are great for reducing stress in shelter dogs too. I don't think you can order them fully made in the States (if that's where you are), but they're pretty simple even for non-crafty folk. If you can tie a knot and cut fleece, you could make them, and there are instructions there. Note that this isn't a quick-fix kind of help, but something that could help in the long-term, both for this specific dog and any future dogs!
1) If you can safely do so without risking his escape, step outside the gate when he starts doing this. Wait for a few seconds, come back in. If he starts again, leave again. It may take a lot of repetition but it should help. (I would only suggest this if there's an airlock-style gate - so if he manages to slip out with you, he's not running loose.)
2) If you have him on leash, pass the leash around a sturdy fencepost, tree, lamppost, etc, so you can hold onto the leash and back out of his reach. Similar to the leaving the fence idea, it may take repetition.
As for training stuff - humping is generally from excitement and/or stress, and training in moments where he's not humpy could help tons. Could you work on teaching the dog to focus and work on self control? Something like It's Yer Choice (can dig up a link if you need - easy to find on youtube) tends to work well for self control. Scattering food on the ground to sniff works to reduce stress - or check out Project Sniff2Calm on Facebook. The snuffle mats like those are great for reducing stress in shelter dogs too. I don't think you can order them fully made in the States (if that's where you are), but they're pretty simple even for non-crafty folk. If you can tie a knot and cut fleece, you could make them, and there are instructions there. Note that this isn't a quick-fix kind of help, but something that could help in the long-term, both for this specific dog and any future dogs!
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
Re: Humping Shelter Dogs
Something else you could try is always to carry something like a bucket when you are with him. Then, when he looks like he might hump you, simply hold the bucket between you and him to block him. It may be enough to make him think twice. (This works a treat with my dog who sometimes gets overexcited when playing in the garden.)
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009