JaxD Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 My 13 week old Jack Russell pup today started humping my arm while we were busy training. I was getting him to 'down' and he just grabbed my arm!.. and now he's just done it again as I was sitting on the floor with him giving him a cuddle. I realise its a behaviour that I need to nip in the bud now but aren't sure whether to just get up and walk away ie. ignore it and don't reward it.. or whether to actively correct it with a 'NO' or similar. I've done a search on the forum but they seem to be with older puppies so I'm not sure what the right thing to do in this situation is.. Please help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Ask yourself one simple question: "Is this behaviour I want in an adult dog" I think the right answer is "no" Push him off and give him a "BAH" sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaxD Posted March 30, 2010 Author Share Posted March 30, 2010 Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 (edited) You know, humping is one of those behaviours that crops up for a few different reasons. The only time I've ever stopped a dog humping is if the dog (or person, or other animal) being humped really doesn't like it. My 11 week old puppy humped whenever he was unsure of himself for a couple of weeks. He stopped doing it on his own once he settled in and gained more confidence. Often these things are just a symptom of an emotional state. If you want them to go away you aim to change the emotional state rather than the symptom. Edited to make it clear I'm not the one that humps! Edited March 31, 2010 by corvus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 (edited) You know, humping is one of those behaviours that crops up for a few different reasons. The only time I've ever stopped a dog humping is if the dog (or person, or other animal) being humped really doesn't like it. My 11 week old puppy humped whenever he was unsure of himself for a couple of weeks. He stopped doing it on his own once he settled in and gained more confidence. Often these things are just a symptom of an emotional state. If you want them to go away you aim to change the emotional state rather than the symptom.Edited to make it clear I'm not the one that humps! How would you know exactly what a dog was thinking? It could just as easily be a quick test of social status. Frankly I'm not a theraputic tool and I absolutely refuse to tolerate being humped by a dog FOR ANY REASON. I can guarantee any dog that tries it on me will harbour no uncertainty about that. Edited March 31, 2010 by poodlefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Frankly I'm not a theraputic tool and I absolutely refuse to tolerate being humped by a dog FOR ANY REASON.I can guarantee any dog that tries it on me will harbour no uncertainty about that. wot PF said . Perhaps teh pup is unhappy/anxious about the training - how are you teaching the 'down' ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaxD Posted March 31, 2010 Author Share Posted March 31, 2010 Thanks everyone for your thoughts.. Persephone, I clicker train my pup and he does already know the down. We were practising rather than learning a new behaviour. Rather than being anxious, he seems to love training and gets very overexcited which I think may have led to the humping to maybe release his excitement? Is this possible? But anyway, I did what poodlefan said and said a loud 'BAH!' when he did it the next few times and he seems to have stopped it. Also helped by me remaining much calmer during training (I tend to get very enthusiastic too!) Thanks again for the advice.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 (edited) How would you know exactly what a dog was thinking? It could just as easily be a quick test of social status. Humping doesn't exist in isolation same as any dog body language doesn't exist in isolation. Pretty obvious what his hips were doing, but his ears and tail were saying "anxious" and there was a lot of flicking from anxious to interested and back that I would generally associate with uncertainty. It could have been a quick test of social status and the anxiety was linked to that instead of the other way around, but if it was it didn't work because it seems most puppies (and a few adult dogs as well) either ingnore it or don't even notice. At any rate, the anxiety-humping link disappeared on its own within a couple of weeks. No biggy. No intevention required. I can guarantee any dog that tries it on me will harbour no uncertainty about that. Good for you. If the dog was using humping as a displacement behaviour you can tell him in no uncertain terms to displace on something else. Should sort his stress right out, don't you think? ETA yes, I think it is entirely possible his excitement may have led to humping. When you use the loud "BAH" you're probably bringing him down a notch or two on the excitement front. If he were my dog, I'd start doing a little doggy zen training (or "dog's choice" game), and maybe start doing some massage and pair it with a "cool it" cue. To me, a dog that humps when excited is having a little trouble with self control. I think it's a good idea to gradually introduce self control games even if it's not a real problem now. That's just me, though. Edited March 31, 2010 by corvus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted to Dogs Posted April 1, 2010 Share Posted April 1, 2010 (edited) JaxD Your pup may be reacting to the training - perhaps it's too intense or going on to long for him, even if it only seems to be a short session for you. Try shorter sessions with perhaps even just one or two reps then a break or play time. Even the cuddle time might have been too intense for him if he's not 100% comfortable being touched all over or restrained. Try it and see if it makes a difference. It may also be that he's just finding it over stimulating - same technique would apply. He may also be trying to get your attention and if so then if he does it turn and immediately walk away and ignore him, no words, looks (except out of the corner of your eye) or touch for a minute or so. If he sits or stands quietly you can praise him. With consistency he should get the idea that the behaviour does not get what he wants. But if his reason was to try and break off from too intense a session (as would by my first idea) then if you go for this then he might learn that this is a way to redirect you - so I would advise trying shorter sessions first and if it happens at other times then try the 'time out' as described here. Good luck - and we expect an update Edited April 1, 2010 by Addicted to Dogs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaJ Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 I have a bitch that humps anything she can grab when she's in season......like right now Our neuter doesn't like it but he gets her back - with his cold wet nose fair up her bits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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