Introduction Humping is mostly associated with the male dogs. However female dogs also hump. They usually hump anything from people’s legs, other dogs, pillows or any other object. If you notice your female dog humping, then it could be for any of the following reasons:
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Sexual stimulation
When your female dog is humping, it could be because it is aroused. Therefore, it humps to rub its genitalia against other objects, other dogs, or even people so that it can feel good. Even young female dogs that are not ready to breed will start humping. This is usually accompanied by raising its hump and tail especially when it is ready to breed. Even if you have sprayed the dog, it can still get pleasure from humping others.
Excitement
Here are cases of humping associated with stress relief. Also, when the dog is excited, she will hump anything from furniture to your leg. She does this to show her excitement. You might have brought home a new dog, and your old one responds by humping it. If you leave your dog alone for a long time, it might just hump your leg when you come home because it excited to see you.
Medical reasons
Sometimes dog starts to hump all of a sudden and you realize you have never noticed it before. In this case, she could be having a medical condition. If you see that the dog is humping anything or everything for no reason, it may be time to act. Take it to the vet so it may be checked up. Sometimes when your female dog has a urinary tract infection, she may feel an itch. They will then try to scratch by humping. Some notable signs that will accompany the humping include licking and chewing its genitalia.
Domination
Your dog might just want other dogs or even people to see that she is the boss. Hence, she will hump to exert her dominance over others. At times, this is usually a defense mechanism when she feels someone is encroaching onto its territory. At times, you will notice that the dog is only humping one particular person in the family. You might also see one female dog humping in a house that has other dogs. Do not fret, as she could only be trying to express her dominance over the others.
Habit
Some dogs are so used to humping that it becomes a habit. Strange as it may seem, dogs can get addicted to the humping behavior, and it gets hard to stop. The dog will also develop the humping habit when it is seeking attention from you or other dogs. Try to find out if the dog has suffered abuse in the past. This is because it might be humping as a coping mechanism too.
Playing
You will also find some dogs that see humping as playing. They will jump on top of other dogs or even on people and start humping. This is because they believe they are playing with the others or with you. If you do not discourage him, she could develop it into a habit and could be very embarrassing. This is especially if your dog starts humping a visitor. It is good to train her on the kind of play that is fine and the type that is unacceptable.
Should I Be Worried If My Female Dog Is Humping?
Not all cases of humping are a cause for worry. However, it is not right to encourage humping behavior in dogs. As a matter of fact, you might need to take some action to arrest the habit. Here are some instances when the humping is cause for alarm, and when you should take some action.
If the humping behavior starts out of the blues and the dog persists on it. You need to observe your dog well for you to notice any changes in its behavior.
If she directs the humping to just one particular family member. Or even if it is only you alone that the dog is humping.
If she is excessively licking and chewing on its genitalia and humping at the same time. This could mean that she is sick.
If the tail is wagging and moving the tail from side to side accompany the humping. It may be time to breed it.
If there is aggressive behavior that also accompanies the humping. In this case, you need to act fast to stop the behavior.
How Do I Stop My Dog From Humping?
It is essential that you discourage humping behavior in female dogs as soon as you notice it. If you do not discourage it, it becomes a habit and eventually addiction. There are a few things you can do to deter and stop your dog from humping objects, people, and other dogs:
As soon as you notice the humping behavior starting, have a bottle. The bottle should preferably be a spray bottle with you to distract the dog anytime you see it humping.
If the behavior is persistent, take her to the vet. She will be examined and treated she has an infection. Keep the dog busy with other activities and games if you feel that it is getting addicted to humping. You can throw something for it to fetch when it starts to hump.
Do not be overly harsh to the dog. Sometimes the dog can hump because it came from an abusive environment so handle it with caution.
You can spray the dog to minimize its desire to mount other dogs so talk to your vet about it.
Try as much as you can to train your dog not to hump. You can do this by discouraging the behavior as soon as you see it starting. Do not wait for long because the dog will get used to it and to stop it will be harder.
If the dog is seeking attention, you can try ignoring it. This way, it can stop the behavior and keep it away from other people. If the humping gets aggressive, you might need help from a professional.
Give your dog the attention it deserves whenever you can and make sure your dog gets enough exercise. If she is very active, ensure you get it involved in lots of physical activities.
Conclusion
Most times it is really embarrassing when your female dog is humping and especially if she does it before other people. Stay calm and try to employ any possible method to make it stop. However, if she insists, then it might be time to see the vet.
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