Dogs can hump for a variety of reasons, many of which have nothing to do with the desire for sex. You might notice your dog humming frequently, which is humiliating behavior. So why does your puppy hump? There are several causes/ Read the article and find out the reasons.

Why Do Dogs Hump

The good news is that humming is a common behavior. If your dog enjoys humpbacks, you are by no means unique. Despite appearances, it isn’t always motivated by sexual desire.

Sexual/hormonal

Due to hormones and sexual attraction, an intact dog (one that has not been spayed or neutered) may hump another dog.1 If you don’t want this to happen, keep intact dogs of the opposite sex apart.

A neutered or spayed dog might occasionally be humped by an intact dog. Females also hump, and it might or might not be for sexual reasons. It’s possible that a dog is masturbating when it bumps into things or people.

The issue may be resolved by having your dog neutered or spayed, but you should be aware that some dogs may acquire the habit of humming before and after the procedure.

Excitement

Typically, when dogs hump, they are not imitating mating behavior. A dog is more likely to hump when not sexually aroused. It’s just a way for the dog to release excess energy or stress.1 Some dogs hump, while others bark, run, or jump.

Many dogs experience this naturally. Training may be able to stop the behavior if it occurs frequently by directing your dog’s excess energy to another outlet.

In a similar vein, some dogs hump in an effort to attract attention or simply out of boredom. If so, it would be beneficial to give them lots of exercises, mental challenges, and attention when they are not humming.

Why Do Puppies Hump

Playfulness

Play humping between two dogs can be completely normal and acceptable as long as it doesn’t annoy one of the dogs, similar to play fighting. Everyone is okay with some dogs playing roughhousing back and forth.

Some dogs hump just for fun. If one of the dogs seems irritated by the humping, make sure to stop it. The frequency and severity of play humping may be reduced with training (such as learning to run to your side when called).

Medical Issues

You should rule out any medical reasons for your dog’s hump before attempting to train it to stop. Although there are a few potential causes, humping is typically not connected to a medical condition.

Humping is comparable to other behaviors like licking the genital area or rubbing against furniture or other objects. It can be caused by priapism (persistent erection), skin allergies, and urinary tract infections.

If your dog is humming, your veterinarian should be able to rule out any underlying medical issues.

When Is Humping A Problem

Dogs may hump each other occasionally as part of normal play. Dogs, for instance, may alternately mount one another while running and playing as a cute way to show excitement. However, some dogs dislike being mounted.

So it’s worthwhile to put some effort into preventing even this mild form of mounting in the interest of averting any potential conflict.

If you catch humming early on rather than waiting until the behavior has become ingrained in your habits, it will also be simpler to stop. In the long run, it’s best to intervene and correct the behavior right away, even though you might want to laugh the first time you see your dog hump.

How To Stop Your Dog From Humping

Being a responsible pet parent requires teaching your pet that humping isn’t a proper social behavior, regardless of how funny you think it is. Here are some tips on how to get your dog to stop humming.

Tough Love

Humping is typically brought on by stress or excessive excitement. Allow them to calm down for a while by, for instance, sending your dog or puppy to their designated “time-out” location, making sure there are no toys nearby, and ignoring them.

Provide your dog with positive reinforcement, such as a treat or praise, if after a few minutes they haven’t tried mounting again.

Destress

In order to stop your dog from humping objects out of stress or excitement, try tossing them a toy or getting them to behave according to a pre-learned cue, such as lying down or sitting, and then give them a treat.

Minimize Humping Opportunities

Don’t yell or cause a scene if your dog keeps mounting guests and redirecting the behavior doesn’t work. Simply approach the dog and calmly lead them to a quiet area such as their crate.

To lessen humping, you can also control your dog’s surroundings. Ensure that they have access to chew toys and other amusements that will keep them occupied and help them burn off energy.

If a specific toy or other item causes the majority of your dog’s humming, remove it until the behavior has subsided.

Additionally, if you anticipate a “hummable” visitor, i.e. someone you do not want your dog to mount under any circumstances, simply put your pup out of the way while the visitor is around.

Neutering

However, before taking this path, keep in mind that recent research suggests that spaying/neutering some breeds at young ages can have long-term health implications.

If your dog is still a young puppy, you might want to keep using training to control the behavior until they are old enough to be neutered.

Seek Professional Help

The habit of your dog humping might eventually be broken. Some dogs, however, won’t give up so easily. If yours is one of them, you might want to get a professional dog trainer or behaviorist involved to work on the problem.