How to Stop Your Dog From Humping: 8 Vet Approved Tips & Tricks
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As dog owners, most of us have felt embarrassed by Fido at some point in our lives. Whether that’s pooping in front of a full restaurant, letting off gas in the queue and turning around to blame you (the audacity!), or not coming back when you call for him.
His cheeky personality is one of the very reasons why you love him. But for some, the constant humping of anything and everything in sight is too much embarrassment to handle.
Sound familiar? Don’t despair, because you are not the only desperate dog parent. Humping behavior in dogs is more common than you think, and it isn’t always because he has the horn. Whatever the reason, it’s got to stop. Either for your neighbor’s dog’s sake or your red cheeks that cannot possibly get any redder!
But how exactly do you stop your dog from humping? Well, you’ve come to the right place because in this quick guide, we will take you through the eight tips and tricks to stop him humping.
Why Is Your Dog Humping?
You need to know how to stop humping behavior, but it is also essential to learn why your dog is doing it in the first place. Understanding why dogs hump ’til the cows come home will help you to stop it more effectively.
Not only is it beneficial to get inside your dog’s head, but it might also lead you to the step that is going to work best.
So, why is he humping? Let’s take a look at the most common reasons.
Sexual Behavior
Mounting and masturbation is a normal behavior in all dogs, including females. Even though neutering and spaying can reduce these behaviors, some dogs will still mount and masturbate to some extent. And contrary to popular belief, altered males can present erections and ejaculate, too.
Sexual behavior is often accompanied by flirtatious behavior, such as pawing, play bows, licking, and tails up. Unfortunately, being an animal, just like all animals, it is normal behavior. Just don’t let it go unchecked.
Play Behavior
Humping is a part of everyday play behavior, and it is guaranteed that at least one dog will mount another in group play. Poorly socialized dogs who do not know how to play appropriately will mount excessively, and they might get aroused too. Be sure to keep a check of his behavior, as other dogs will not appreciate too much mounting.
Overstimulation or Stress
During intense, stressful, or exciting times, some dogs won’t know how to handle it, and they’ll resort to humping. Their feelings will become too much to manage, and they’ll have to direct their excitement or stress out on you, another dog, or a close object.
Overexcitement is the number-one reason that an immature puppy will engage in humping behavior.
Social Behavior
As we have already mentioned, humping behavior could be a result of feeling the need to exert their dominance in a group of dogs, or testing the waters to work out where he or she stands in the pack. This is a normal canine behavior.
Compulsive Behavior
If your dog is forever humping and he is always getting away with it, it becomes part of his daily life. And day after day, it becomes habitual behavior for him.
It’s hard to stop the routine if this is the reason that he is humping. So, be patient with him. After all, it’s not entirely his fault. His humans have allowed him to carry on with his humping rituals up until now, but it’s not too late to get it in check!
Could Medical Problems Be Causing His Humping Behavior?
Yes, if your dog is feeling unwell, he might turn to humping behavior. Either he is confused and he doesn’t understand why he is feeling ill, or he has an itch that he needs to scratch.
Medical conditions such as urinary infections, prostate issues, or priapism could be causing him to hump. So, if you have exhausted the tricks and other reasons for humping outlined in this guide and you still cannot work out why he is humping, it’s a good idea to take him to the vet. It is probably nothing to worry about, but you need to rule out medical concerns just to be safe.
Hopefully, you can now pinpoint why your pooch is feeling frisky. If not, it’s not a problem because below are the eight tips that all dog owners need to stop their dog’s embarrassing behavior.
Just remember that not all of these tricks will work on every dog. It’s important to try each one and understand which your dog responds better too. You may need to deploy a few tactics to prevent the thrusting, but it only takes one to work, so let’s get cracking.
The 8 Tips & Tricks to Stop Your Dog from Humping:
1. Remove Any Environmental Triggers
If you recognize certain environmental stimuli that trigger your dog to start humping, you should remove these before the behavior becomes a habit and is transmitted to other objects or people.
2. Use Distraction Techniques
If the removal of triggers doesn’t seem to work, it’s time to whip out your bag of doggy games. Many owners find this step confusing because it’s almost as if you’re rewarding your dog for getting humpy, but this step is all about distraction and good timing. Just make sure to choose a game or toy that the dog cannot simultaneously play with and hump, such as going for a run, swimming, or fetching a small ball.
The second you notice that he has got the frisky fidgets, find a way to distract him and engage him in a physically incompatible behavior, like gasping as loud as you can, as if you’ve seen a giant squirrel, and running toward the yard. You might feel silly, but there’s a good chance that he’ll follow you and leave his feelings behind.
3. Discourage the Behavior
This is often the most successful step, and the easiest. Just like most things in life, the simplest things are often the most overlooked.
Whatever training command you have taught him, such as ‘no’, ‘leave it’ or ‘away,’ you should use it here. The second he latches onto his victim, tell him no. If he ignores you, shout it again and pull him off. Or if you can’t pull him off, remove the thing he is getting worked up about.
With a loud, sharp, and firm command, he will know instantly that his behavior isn’t acceptable.
4. Spay or Neuter
Sometimes, the only way to stop the horny hormones from rushing is to put a stop to them. So, if your boy or gal hasn’t been neutered or spayed yet, it’s time to discuss it with your vet. Research has shown that neutering and spaying can reduce sexual behaviors, sometimes up to 70%. So, unless you are planning to breed your pooch, there is no real reason to keep them intact.
Thankfully, spaying and neutering have a multitude of other benefits too, such as a reduction in the risk of serious health concerns and preventing the birth of unwanted pups, to name a couple.
5. Time-Out Time
No, this step is not about allowing him and his favorite pillow to get a room. Instead, you need to take him to a place where he hasn’t got access to anything that he can hump.
Time-out works on many dogs not only because they are removed from the situation, but because it distracts them. It makes them think about what they have done to deserve such treatment.
Choose a room where there are no people and no toys to play with. Shut the door, and wait for a minute or two. Then, once their time is up, let them out and pretend as though nothing ever happened. If he starts to get humpy again, repeat the step a few times and he should get the message.
6. Practice More Training
Mounting is a sign of dominance in dogs. This doesn’t mean that he is the dominant dog. Instead, he is likely to be testing the waters to see if the other dogs will accept it and to work out his place in the pack.
A great way to suppress any dominant behaviors in a dog is to practice training and encourage obedience. By getting him to learn different commands, not only can you distract him with a trick to stop him from humping, but you are also stimulating his brain and encouraging him to listen to the boss (you!).
- See also: Best Puppy Training Treats
7. Avoid the Situation
If you know that your dog humps in certain situations and the above tricks aren’t having any effect on him, try to avoid those situations.
This isn’t always possible, but if certain toys push his buttons or there are individual dogs at the local doggy park that always tickles his fancy, don’t enter the park if you can see that dog strutting their stuff.
8. Call in a Professional
Sometimes, there are reasons for excessive humping behavior that cannot be understood. If your dog finds himself in this category, fear not.
Professional canine behaviorists will more than likely be able to help you. Get in touch with one who states they have experience in abnormal humping behavior and do your research on them before you financially commit to them. Just know that there is light at the end of the tunnel!
The Wrap Up
Hopefully, you can now see that with just some simple tips and tricks you can gain control again over your dog’s humping behavior. It doesn’t always have to be like this!
It’s all about understanding why your dog might be humping and addressing that reason. By removing him from the room, using firm commands, or avoiding certain situations, you can eradicate the heinous humping behavior almost immediately.
As with the retraining of any learned behavior, be both consistent and persistent and you should start seeing positive results in no time. And if they really aren’t working, do not feel embarrassed about seeking help.
See Also:Â
- Can Neutered Dogs Still Mate? Vet-Aproved Facts & FAQ
- Why Does My Female Dog Hump My Male Dog? 6 Vet-Approved Reasons
Featured Image Credit: Koldunova Anna, Shutterstock
