What makes a neutered dog hump

Make sure to break it up if one of the dogs seems annoyed by the humping. Training for instance, to run to your side when called may be useful in decreasing the frequency and intensity of play humping. Before you try to train your dog not to hump, you should rule out any medical causes. While humping is not usually related to a medical condition, there are a few possibilities. Urinary tract infections, skin allergies, and priapism persistent erection may elicit humping. Your vet should be able to rule out health conditions as possible reasons for humping.

Since there are a few different reasons for dog humping, it may take a bit of trial and error to get your dog to knock it off. Obviously, you don't want your dog humping your guests. You also don't want humping to lead to a fight with another dog. Even humping an object can potentially cause damage depending on the object.

Fortunately, humping can usually be managed through training. First of all, if you want to stop your dog's humping, you need to address the behavior while it's happening. Call your dog's name and say a word like "off" or "stop. Likewise, the word "down" may be confusing if your dog knows how to lie down on command or if you ever want to teach it. If your dog stops humping when you say "stop" or "off," reward with a treat, a toy, or affection, depending on what your dog likes most.

Remove the humping target if possible. If it's a person, you might just need to remove your dog from the room. If you can't get your dog's attention with a verbal cue, you might need to lure it away with a valuable reward. Find something very appealing, like a treat or a favorite squeaky toy. Consistently repeat the "off" or "stop" cue each time the dog humps; then coax it away. Praise your dog when he moves his attention to the reward and away from the humping.

Eventually, you might be able to break your dog's humping habit. However, some dogs won't quit that easily. If yours is one of them, you may wish to seek the help of a professional dog trainer or behaviorist to work on the issue. Otherwise, you might need to accept that your dog is going to hump and avoid situations where humping will be a problem. If this is how things turn out, you'll need to know how to predict the humping behavior and prevent it whenever possible.

This is especially true when humping may cause a dogfight or an injury to someone. When to contact your vet How to stop your dog humping. Check your pet's symptoms. Print this page. It occurs for a number of different reasons not always sexual. Stopping your dog humping will involve distracting them, focusing their energy on something else, teaching them to be calm, and to play appropriately. Why do dogs hump? Sexual behaviour Unneutered dogs tend to hump more due to their hormones.

Play Mounting is a common when dogs get over excited during play. To calm themselves Some dogs mount or hump to relieve stress and anxiety.

Excitement If a dog is over excited, or very energetic, mounting and humping can help get rid of excess energy. Medical problems A dog may mount and rub against an object if they have itchy skin.

When to contact your vet Contact your vet for advice if your dog is excessively mounting and humping, or becomes aggressive when you try to stop them. Find out about PDSA's veterinary services. Neutering Castrating a male dog will help if their humping behaviour is solely hormone related. Socialisation Socialising your dog with others from a young age will help teach them to play and interact nicely. Exercise Ensure your dog is getting enough exercise and healthy play. Teaching calmness If your dog humps when they get over excited, help keep them calm by controlling how excited they get, and teach them to settle with treats.

Published: November Neutering may not shut off the behavior in a large percentage of dogs. Even neutered, a male dog is still a he. Here are some reasons for humping:. During a particularly stressful or exciting time for a dog, such as meeting someone new, dog humping is a normal response. Medical Problem. Humping can be a sign of a urinary tract infection, urinary incontinence, priapism painful or persistent erections , and skin allergies.

If your dog engages in humping try to distract the dog by diverting their attention by throwing toys, giving a command to perform a trick, or give a treat.