Stop a Dog from Humping

A dog that engages in obsessive humping can be both an embarrassment and a safety concern. The behavior is troublesome enough when a dog does it to you or another human, but if your dog decides to do it to another dog, a fight could break out. If you want to stop your dog from mounting, you need to look at the problem from both a medical and behavioral perspective.

Steps

Part One: Medical Solutions

1. Neuter or spay your dog. Your dog may hump for reasons that are unconnected to mating, but at its root, humping is a mating behavior. As a result, neutering or spaying your dog is the absolute first thing you should do before taking any other corrective measures. Moreover, you should also get your dog fixed as early in its life as possible for the greatest effect.
   • Getting your dog fixed will almost always decrease mounting problems, especially in males, but this alone may not eliminate the problem completely. With older dogs, the habit is often ingrained, making it psychological just as much as it is hormonal. That's one reason why getting your dog spayed or neutered as a puppy is so important.
   • Some studies even indicate that one-third of male dogs experience a rapid decline in mounting and another one-third experience a gradual decline.
2. Check for other medical conditions. If your dog still humps even after being neutered or spayed, the behavior is likely connected to dominance, stress, or habit, and you should try training your dog to stop the behavior. If training proves useless, however, or if your dog humps obsessively, there could be another underlying medical condition causing your dog to act that way.
   • Possible medical conditions that could be contributing to your dog's behavior include urinary tract infections, urinary incontinence, priapism, and skin allergies.
   • An underlying issue might have more serious implications than some unwanted mounting behavior. If you suspect a medical condition to be behind the behavior, it's important that you get that condition diagnosed and treated.
3. Ask your vet about appropriate medications. When humping is clearly connected to stress, giving your dog an anti-anxiety medication might be enough to stop the humping and improve your dog's overall mental and physical health.
   • Medication should only be used as a last resort, and even then, only in extreme conditions. For instance, if a dog is displaying other signs of anxiety, like obsessive licking or destructive behavior, he or she might have a serious anxiety issue that needs to be addressed.
   • There are also "natural" supplements you can give your dog for anxiety, but always consult with your vet before introducing one of these to your dog's diet to verify that it is safe.

Part Two: Corrective Training

1. Make a loud noise. As soon as your dog starts to hump, say “NO” in a strong (but not angry) voice or make a similarly loud noise. Dogs often get into a trance as they hump, but a loud noise might be enough to startle your dog out of that trance.
   • Your tone should be assertive, but you need to keep anger out of it since anger can heighten a dog's energy instead of lowering it.
   • If you are not confident in your ability to keep anger out of your tone or if your dog does not seem to respond to your voice, try using another source of noise, like a whistle or air horn. Just make sure that these noise makers are far enough away from your dog to prevent damage to the ears.
   • You must make the noise when the dog is starting or in the middle of doing the behavior, not afterward.
2. Separate yourself from the dog. Since a dog often mounts people as a way of getting attention, showing the dog that the behavior will cause you to ignore him or her is a good way to make your dog lose interest in it. You can accomplish this by either pushing the dog away or turning away from the dog yourself.
   • To push the dog away, gently take the dog by its front legs and set those paws back on the ground. If your dog has a fairly submissive disposition, this action alone might be enough to correct the behavior.
   • If you are unable to move the dog, move yourself. Turning away from the dog or walking a few paces in another direction can work well as long as you remain calm. If you panic and move away too quickly, you might inadvertently increase your dog's excitement and make the behavior more persistent.
3. Put your dog in "time out." In more persistent cases, you may need to physically remove your dog from the area altogether. Lead him or her out of the room and into a quiet, closed room for a few minutes. Let the dog stay in that room alone for a few minutes until he or she calms down.
   • When you take your dog to a "time out" area, make sure that there are no toys to play with. This isn't a punishment, per se, but you need to force your dog to cool down by limiting sources of possible excitement.
   • Leave the dog in "time out" anywhere from 30 seconds to three minutes. Make sure that your dog is calm before releasing him or her, and when you do release your dog, stay calm and act as though nothing happened.
4. Consider keeping a leash on your dog. When humping is a persistent or obsessive behavior, you will likely need to work with your dog every time another person or dog visits your house. Putting a short leash on your dog during these visits can make it easier to direct your dog as needed.
   • You could either use a tab or a drag-line. A tab is a short piece of leash measuring 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15.25 cm). A drag-line is a 4 to 6 foot (1.2 to 1.8 m) nylon cord.
   • In addition to making it easier for you to grab your dog during non-aggressive situations, it also makes it easier and safer for you to remove a dog from an aggressive situation involving other dogs. Many dogs respond to mounting with aggression, and if you notice some aggression beginning to build, grab your dog by the leash before it breaks out and remove it from the situation.
5. Redirect your dog's energy. After you get your dog to stop its initial humping, redirect that energy into an acceptable behavior, like fetch or other forms of play.
   • Aside from toys, you could also distract and redirect your dog by giving him or her an interactive toy that dispenses treats or by asking your dog to perform a previously learned trick.
6. Block your dog from the temptation. When you break your dog away from another dog or person it's been humping, you need to keep your dog away. If your dog moves back toward its target while displaying dominant behavior, put yourself in between your dog and the target to physically block your dog from returning.
   • Stay calm as you step in front of your dog. If possible, consider leaning forward or gently knocking your dog with your hip or knee to send a message. Remember that the purpose is not to hurt your dog, but to snap it out of its fixation and let it know that you are taking command of the situation.

Part Three: Preventative Measures

1. Exercise. When a dog has too much energy, he or she can direct that energy toward an unhealthy or unwanted behavior, like humping. If you can thoroughly drain the dog's energy each day with structured exercise, you can also prevent your dog from using its energy on that behavior.
   • Walking your dog is crucial. You can drain a lot of energy by letting your dog run around in a backyard on its own, but walking forces your dog to exercise physically and mentally.
   • Structured exercise is always better than unstructured exercise. To the same end, obstacle course training or other forms of exercise intensive training also work well to drain a dog's energy.
2. Do not encourage the behavior in any context. Some pet owners think it's cute when their puppy humps something like a stuffed animal, but if you want your dog to stop humping other dogs or people, you need to stop the behavior in all forms. Encouraging or allowing the behavior in one form will create an inconsistency in your training, making it less effective.
   • You may end up encouraging the behavior without even realizing it. For example, if you laugh or show signs of happiness whenever your dog mounts its favorite plush toy, you are indirectly praising your dog for the behavior.
3. Distract your dog before it starts. Watch your dog and observe how he or she acts immediately before starting the behavior. When you start to notice these signs in the future, immediately distract your dog with a toy or game before it can engage in the behavior itself.
   • Common warning signs include panting, licking, whining, pawing, or rubbing against the target.
4. Teach your dog an acceptable behavior. Some dogs will start humping for attention when guests visit. If you suspect that this might be an issue, teach your dog an acceptable trick to perform for company—like sitting or begging—and make sure that this trick earns your dog the same amount of attention.
   • Ideally, the behavior you teach your dog should be one that he or she cannot do while humping. Your dog will have the choice of doing one or the other, and if the trick receives positive attention while the mounting receives negative attention, your dog is more likely to want to perform the trick.
   • Consider rewarding your dog with a treat or toy after it performs the trick to reinforce the positive behavior.
5. Keep your dog away from excessively stressful situations. Humping can also be a response to stress. If you notice that your dog displays this behavior when faced with a source of anxiety, avoid putting your dog in that stressful situation. If the situation is unavoidable, look for ways to make the experience less stressful.
   • For example, petting and grooming can be a trigger for some dogs, in which case, you should limit the time spent doing these activities to a degree your dog can tolerate.
   • If visitors are your dog's trigger, keep the dog in a room until the initial energy and excitement of the visit calms down. Let the dog out once it and all of your visitors are calm.
6. Work on standard obedience training. If your dog frequently humps you, he or she is trying to exert dominance over you. Similarly, a dog that frequently humps people in general demonstrates little respect for humans. To stop this behavior, you need to let your dog know that you're the boss. Standard obedience training is a healthy and effective way to establish this.
   • Obedience training can also help dogs focus and release their energy on something more productive and welcome than mounting.
   • Standard obedience training includes basic commands like “heel,” “sit,” “down,” and “stay.” The overall goal of an obedience training program is to train your dog to listen to you no matter what the command might be.
7. Seek help from a professional trainer. When nothing you try on your own seems to help, consider enlisting the help of a professional dog trainer or dog behaviorist.
   • Also note that if your dog sinks his claws into the skin of a human it mounts or growls when you try to remove it, this is a more serious problem and should be addressed by a certified applied animal behaviorist.

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Sources and Citations

See also

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