Dogs hump for a variety of reasons, including:
- Play
- Humping is a common part of play for dogs, especially puppies. It can be normal for dogs to take turns mounting each other.
- Sexual motivation
- Unneutered dogs may hump due to hormonal reasons.
- Stress
- Humping can be a way for dogs to relieve stress or anxiety. It can also be a sign of displacement behavior, where a dog is anxious and uses humping as an outlet.
- Attention-seeking
- Dogs may hump to get attention. If a dog learns that humping gets a big reaction, they may repeat the behavior.
- Dominance
- Humping can be a way for dogs to establish dominance over other dogs or people. However, mounting alone doesn't necessarily indicate a status issue.
- Medical problems
- Humping can be a sign of infection, irritation, or prostate problems in male dogs.
- Socialization
- Humping can be a sign that a dog hasn't been socialized properly and doesn't know how to behave appropriately.
If your dog is humping inappropriately, you can try these things:
- Teach your dog commands like "sit", "leave it", "down", and "off". Use these commands to distract your dog when they start humping.
- Reward your dog for following commands, not for the humping behavior.
- Avoid situations that make your dog anxious, or try to reduce their stress.
- Talk to your veterinarian about medications that can help decrease anxiety and stress.