How to Stop Dog Humping: Tips & Tricks

Oh no – it’s happening again. Your friend just arrived, sat down on the couch, and was immediately greeted by your dog happily humping away at their leg. You quickly get up and run over to Cocoa, but she’s already stopped and gone back to her bed to lay down.

Dog humping can certainly be embarrassing for pet parents, but it’s a pretty common issue. I’ll explain everything you need to know about it below, including the reasons dogs do it and what you can do to stop it.

Why Do Dogs Hump?

Dogs hump things for a variety of reasons, including:

• Sexual Behavior: Mounting and humping can be associated with a dog’s desire to mate with other dogs. It can also be a form of masturbation, which is why the behavior isn’t limited to male dogs or always targeted at dogs of the opposite sex.
• Play: Humping can be a normal play behavior. However, unlike when male dogs hump things for sexual or reproductive reasons, they typically won’t have an erection when doing so as part of normal canine play behavior.
• Social Behavior: Some dogs will mount or hump other dogs when trying to establish dominance or work out social hierarchies. Male dogs may or may not display an erection when humping for social reasons.
• Overstimulation: Many dogs will display humping behavior after becoming overstimulated or (non-sexually) aroused. For example, your dog may become quite excited after meeting a new person or playing with their pet parent and then start humping another dog or inanimate object until the excitement wanes.
• Stress: Stressful situations can also trigger dogs to mount and hump things. This is likely a form of self-soothing behavior, which helps reduce the dog’s anxiety.
• Medical Issues: A few medical problems — including urinary tract infections, skin allergies, incontinence, and priapism (a painful and persistent erection) — can also cause dogs to hump dogs, legs, or objects.

Is Dog Humping a Problem?

Aside from the embarrassment it may cause you, dog humping is not a huge problem, provided that it doesn’t become an obsessive or compulsive habit (as occasionally happens). 

So, if your doggo tends to hump your leg when you get home from work each day, or if they start humping another family dog each day after playing in the backyard every afternoon, you don’t need to worry.

On the other hand, if your dog humps people, other dogs, or inanimate objects more than once a day or so, it’s wise to address the issue. You’ll want to start by visiting your vet and ruling out any potential health concerns (especially if the behavior has started suddenly). If your vet rules out any medical causes, you can start working through some of the steps I’ll share below.

There is one important caveat to all of this: Some dogs do not like being mounted or humped. So, it’s important to keep an eye on your dog during social interactions, to ensure that they’re not annoying other dogs. This could lead to a fight in some cases.

How to Stop Dog Humping: Tips & Tricks   

Because every doggo is an individual and canine humping behavior can be triggered by a variety of causes, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the problem. But you can try some of the potential solutions listed below to help put an end to your dog’s humping behavior:

• Monitor your dog and learn to spot the warning signs. Start by watching your dog closely and noting the kinds of things that trigger them to hump things. This may be an activity like vigorous play or the presence of a particular toy.
• Try to stop the behavior before it starts. Once you know the kinds of things that often cause Rover to get rowdy, start trying to anticipate when humping behavior may occur. Then, try to distract your pooch before their hips start gyrating. A beloved toy or treat may work, or you may even be able to take your pup outside for a minute to give them other things to see, smell, and hear.
• Minimize humping opportunities. Canine management techniques are often very helpful for reducing undesirable behaviors like humping. In this case, you’d simply want to avoid situations, scenarios, and stimuli that may cause your pet to start humping. For example, if new visitors always seem to trigger humping, consider keeping Benji in another room until they’ve calmed down before greeting visitors.
• Teach your dog a “Leave It” cue. Though this kind of cue is usually applied to dogs who’re trying to sniff or eat something they shouldn’t, a “Leave It” cue can also work for dogs who like to hump things. Just remember that you want to issue the cue in a calm, assertive manner; you don’t want to scold your pet for exhibiting a completely normal dog behavior.
• Teach your dog an alternative behavior. Another great trick for getting dogs to stop humping is to teach them to do something else instead. For example, you may start teaching your dog to grab a fun toy or perform a skill when they get excited. This gives your dog more mental stimulation and a constructive outlet for their excess energy.  
• Avoid stressful situations when possible. Humping that is triggered by stress is best addressed by simply avoiding stressful situations. So, consider doing things like drawing the blinds to prevent your dog from seeing things outside that are causing stress, using a white noise machine to cover frightening sounds, or avoiding people or other dogs who cause your dog to feel anxious.
• Consider spaying or neutering your dog. Having your dog spayed or neutered is a big decision, which you should always make in conjunction with your vet. You probably don’t want to have your dog spayed or neutered solely because they’re humping things, but if doing so also aligns with the health goals you and your vet agree on, it deserves consideration. Spaying and neutering do help reduce humping behavior in some cases, though it isn’t always a silver bullet.  

Additional Dog Humping Information: FAQ

Still have questions about your dog’s humping behavior? Curious about the reasons the behavior happens or what else you can do about it? I’ve rounded up some of the most common questions pet parents have below!

How do I stop my dog from mounting behavior?

There are a variety of ways you can try to stop your dog’s mounting behavior, but the best approach will depend on your dog’s reason for humping. For example, if your dog is humping as a way to cope with anxiety, you’ll want to try to avoid stressful situations. Or, if your dog is humping things because of excitement, you may want to teach them to do something else when they get overstimulated.

Can male dogs be trained not to hump?

In some cases, male dogs can be taught to engage in an alternative behavior. However, this is unlikely to work for dogs who hump things due to sexual desire or as a way of exhibiting dominance (regardless of the dog’s sex).

Should I let my male dog hump?

If your dog only humps things from time to time, you don’t mind the behavior, and your dog is not stressing out people or other dogs by doing so, it’s probably not the biggest problem in the world. Just be sure to monitor the situation and be ready to address the problem if it becomes chronic or your pet starts annoying people or pets.

Will neutering a dog calm him down?

In some cases, dogs do become a bit calmer after being neutered. However, this is never a guarantee; intact male dogs often continue to hump things. So, you should only have your dog neutered after conferring with your vet and weighing the pros and cons first.

Is it normal for female dogs to hump things?

Absolutely. Female dogs may hump people, objects, or other pets for many of the same reasons male dogs do — humping behavior is not always driven by sexual desires.

At what age do dogs stop mounting?

Some dogs never stop mounting people, pets, or objects. Some dogs mount things less often as they near sexual maturity, but others do not. Ultimately, it’s difficult to provide a specific timeline, given all of the factors at play.

Why is my female dog humping my male dog?

Your female dog may be humping your male dog for a variety of reasons, ranging from play to overstimulation to a stress response. Humping is not necessarily sexual, and it is a completely normal canine behavior.

Do neutered dogs hump things?

Yes, in some cases. Male and female dogs hump things for a variety of reasons, including many that have nothing to do with sexual behavior.

Get the Training Help You Need!

As you can see, dog humping behavior is usually not a huge problem. But that doesn’t mean you want to see Fluffy go through life happily humping anything that moves (or doesn’t move). So, head on over to your vet for a quick checkup and then try to employ some of the tips I shared above – you’ll probably find that one or more of them help.

However, if you’ve done all these things and your dog is still a humping machine, you may want to get some assistance from a certified professional dog trainer like me. I’d love to help you with this kind of problem!

Just head on over to my contact page and tell me a little about the issue. I’ll get right back to you and start devising a plan to help you and your dog enjoy a more harmonious life together.