Is Humping A Dominance Thing?

[kristin_e102]

Hi

I have a 9 week old male lab pup who has been humping things! It started with my partners arm, then he tried his "little friend" and now he has moved to the dog I am currently "babysitting". My boyfriend thinks its a dominance thing - is this right? I feel guilty for telling him off because it is a natural thing for him to do but I really dont want an adult dog doing this to people! He will be getting desexed at 4 months so should I just let it go until then?

Any feedback would be highly appreciated!

Cheers,

Kristen

[Borderpower]

Hi kristin_e102

I dont think is a dominance thing, but more of a natural thing to do.

I used to have a male dog that do that, I just keep yelling no at him and push him off, of what ever he was trying to mount.

Sorry I cant be much help then that right now...

Edited July 25, 2008 by Borderpower

[BC]

Yes, it can be a dominance issue, and if it were my dog it is not something I would encourage. Humping everything is not a natural thing for them to do ! Basically, anything you dont want your puppy doing as an adult, make sure you put a stop to it now

[Arnah]

When I did puppy training with Charlie, there was a dog (suitably named) called Devil who humped EVERYTHING. He was 16 weeks old and had been desexed, but because nobody stopped him from doing it the trainer told us he had developed a 'learned behaviour'that would be hard to shake.

Ive always been terrified of Charlie humping some poor unsuspecting puppy, dog or person, so Ive never allowed him to do it and have given him a irm no when hes tried. Hes not much of humper, more of a crotch sniffer, but I probably wouldnt let it go. Like you mentioned, on an adult dog it can be really annoying! (Especially if no leg is sacred!)

If hes a dedicated Humper, someone with behavioural training should give you a few pointers soon!

Good luck!

[Jigsaw]

I would say with a 9 week old puppy that the humping is more excitement that is being directed into the humping. Have toys on hand to distract him when he starts humping.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

You could try giving him a quick squirt of water in the face if he persists, I had to do this with my dog (rescued at 10 yrs of age but desexed years before) as he was like a limpet on my arm permanently, couldn't shake him off. Another dog owner suggested I try that and it only took a couple of squirts and he stopped completely thank God as it was very hard to live with.

[kristin_e102]

thanks so much for the great advice! I have been telling him NO every time he has done it so hopefully Ill continue to catch him so I can redirect him. Might give the water spray a go next time!

Thanks heaps!

Kristin

[morgan]

When I did puppy training with Charlie, there was a dog (suitably named) called Devil who humped EVERYTHING. He was 16 weeks old and had been desexed, but because nobody stopped him from doing it the trainer told us he had developed a 'learned behaviour'that would be hard to shake.

Did the trainer also mention that for most puppies humping is a normal thing, that is grown out of as they mature? But that desexing while in this growth phase means they frequently just don't grow out of it?

Discouraging one who does it excessively is fine, but desexing it before puberty is going to create lifetime problems. I know many, many serial humpers that were desexed at a few months of age.

As he is going to be a large dog he shouldn't under any circumstances be desexed prior to 6 months - early desexing such a young lab will cause him to grow too tall and increase his chances of hip dysplasia and cruciate ligament rupture. Preferably don't get him done till later, but never before 6 months.

[trishalouise]

In my opinion it is more an excitement thing at that age. They just don't seem to know what to do with themselves when they get excited. Our pup did (and still does occasionally) it if she got overtired. It was a sure sign for us that it was time for puppy to have a little time out in her crate!

We didn't growl at her, just redirected her or popped her away for a little rest. Worked really well for her.

Good luck.

[persephone]

I found this- for what it's worth-

from here

On the other hand, puppies raised in a family from 4 weeks of age (becoming used to dogs, cats and/or children), without renewed contact with the laboratory dogs, show greater familiarity with people than with dogs. An adult sheltie (who had lived with a cat and two children) showed sexual attraction for the cat and attacked all dogs (male and female alike); a beagle became "attached" to a vacuum cleaner bag; a basenji (who lived with a female dog) became a delinquent stray who attacked other dogs (Scott and Fuller, 1965).

Clinical practice shows that when a puppy is acquired at 6 weeks this is already a handicap in developing its adult social and sexual preferences.

We should also mention that the first signs of humping (pre-imitation of future sexual behavior) appear as early as 3 to 4 weeks (Scott and Fuller, 1965).

This behavior is provoked by pressing on the sternum or the stomach. It is possible that this is a factor in sexual imprinting, but it has yet to be proven.

To my knowledge, no statistical studies have been made on dogs raised in isolation, covering a broad range of breeds (for ethical reasons?), which means that crucial experimental data are lacking. Our knowledge is partially extrapolated from ethology studies in birds. Among birds, imprinting lasts throughout parental care and this period is shortened when there is a danger of mixing species. Preference is given to visual and auditory imprinting whose effects last almost a whole lifetime. With mixed imprinting, there is a preference (innate predisposition?) for one's own species over a neighboring species, and for this species over a more distant one (such as humans).

In conclusion, species identification (filial, fraternal and sexual imprinting) is acquired during a sensitive phase of development, and depends on "play-fighting" among puppies (litter-mates). This begins about the third (3±½) week and ends somewhere between 11 and 17 weeks (12±5), when the dogs loose their ability to play with unfamiliar dogs and become "serious" in defending their group. In the absence of siblings, a puppy establishes identification through care-giving, care-searching and/or playful interaction with its parents or other dogs. This interaction must last until at least, if not beyond, the 6th week. The presence of other species during this period does not hamper identification with one's own species.

I would not view this behaviour by a 9 week old puppy- still getting used to a new home,and having its senses bombarded with new things, as attempting to be dominant.IMHO it is merely a "reflex" to stimuli.

(like a dog scratching madly with a hind leg when tickled on the end of the sternum I LOVE doing that to baby pups with jellybean legs :) )

[sas]

Humping is not a natural behaviour???!!!! Why would you say that? Of course humping is a natural behaviourfor a canine, you may not appreciate it, but it's very natural, how you interpret it, is a whole other thing.