Humping

[SkySoaringMagpie]

Just curious, we don't have a problem humper but we had a three hump chain just before which got me thinking

Do you permit your dogs to hump each other?

If not, why not?

If so, are there any circumstances (outside risk of mating) where you wouldn't allow it?

I'm assuming for the purposes of this mini survey that polite DOLers don't let their dogs hump strange dogs or people.

[persephone]

Ours have never done it - but I would not permit it if they wanted to .

And we have multiple dogs ..all ages .

[Hafhafa Hounds]

... we had a three hump chain just before ...

No pix??

Doesn't happen often here. It's a dominance thing with mine for sure (unless there's a bitch in season, like now! and then Thomas air humps the day away!!)

Sonia

[corvus]

Erik is what I call a "social anxiety displacement humper". Whenever he feels a little bit socially anxious he is likely to turn around and hump Kivi. If Kivi is lying down, that is. It almost always occurs when I have closed a door on him so he can't follow me. I come back and he's humping Kivi. I tell him to get off because Kivi doesn't really love being humped and I'd rather he came up with a more universally acceptable way to cope with me leaving him. I take it to mean my leaving him causes him more anxiety than it should in the first place and I'm working on that. The other time it occurs is if Kivi is trying to cuddle with me. Not always, just sometimes. I interrupt it because again, I would rather he found another means to cope with this kind of stress. I tell him to down and then make room for him to cuddle with me as well. I take the humping to mean he's not comfortable, but I am also aware that it's not a behaviour that is universally acceptable. He tries it with my mother's Sheltie and she will attack him for it. She hates it.

I don't like my chances of teaching him a more acceptable way to cope with mild social anxiety, but I can try!

[Vehs]

our dogs don't hump each other - D used to like to pick out a dog at the park and hump it. But the little dog always likes to hump his 'humpy' soft toy after eating dinner

[Erny]

Erik is what I call a "social anxiety displacement humper".

How did you draw to that conclusion, Corvus? What is it that doesn't have you thinking that Erik is simply trying to assert himself because he thinks he can? Why would Erik become "socially anxious" because you're having a cuddle with Kivi? Or is your phrase "social anxiety displacement humping" another term for "dominance"? Not sure, because I know you call things by different names.

ETA: My answer to the OP is "it depends". Depends on the dogs - whether the communication by one will be well enough received by the other and whether the deliverer of the communication is acting appropriately. I have a tendancy towards discouraging it and if necessary (eg if the communication isn't going to be well received and/or if the communication is OTT) I will step in to stop it. I don't permit it amongst dogs who have only just met.

Edited August 1, 2010 by Erny

[SkySoaringMagpie]

Ours have never done it - but I would not permit it if they wanted to .

I don't mind a one off but it if happens more than once I intervene mostly because I don't like it. Why don't you like the idea?

For me it's because it's often fairly rude behaviour in dog terms as well as human terms. The thing is, I will intervene even if the humpee doesn't appear to mind. So it may not be completely rational on my part, probably there's a fair whack of WASP uptightness as well.

Love the hold information at the vet that says "does your pet embarrass with inappropriate behaviour? We can help" - took me ages to work out what that meant!!!

[Trisven13]

Mine only hump when the Fauves are in season so we've had lots of humping the last 2 weeks. Daphne & Marie always come in at the same time and hump each other incessantly.

[OSoSwift]

No mine don't but if they did I would stop it.

I think it is very rude dog behaviour, and unless of acourse a bitch is in season it is most likely dominence or pack order orientated.

It is also a little human socially unacceptable. If I had a small dog that repeatadly humped a toy/pillow etc I would chastise that as well and remove the item.

[Christina]

Girls here come on heat together so hump each other. One girl humps cats on heat, as I breed them too. Cats don't care.

Other than that scenario I have never had a humper. Guess if I did I would try distraction as it can be just a habit.

[SkySoaringMagpie]

... we had a three hump chain just before ...

No pix??

No, no pix. They have a dignified reputation to uphold, and no-one needs to see a Saluki bitch sandwiched between an Afghan dog and a Saluki dog.

I checked the calendar and have my explanation, she's never been backwards in coming forwards when it comes to the dogs...

[persephone]

Why don't you like the idea?

I took the question to mean the humping of toys/people /in-house dogs/cushions on a regular basis. The odd quick hump ,accompanied by posturing and maybe a bit of noise when our dogs are let off chains/out of pens in the re-establishing of relationships is normal, I think -and it only lasts a second.

Anything else, luckily very absent , is unnecessary and can lead to an obsession, IMO.

[Ravyk]

I don't allow it. One of mine picked it up from a serial humper at the DOL meets, and occasionally tries it on other dogs. He gets told off quick smart because I don't like it, the other dogs don't like it and I'm pretty sure their owners don't like it.

ETA. only time I ever allowed it, was when he gave the serial humper a taste of his own medicine, and his owner was ok with her dog being given a taste of his own medicine. The look on the dog's face was priceless.

Edited August 1, 2010 by Ravyk

[Cosmolo]

Very very rarely happens (i can think of 2 occasions with a different dog each time) but i stop it. We run a pack of 5 of different sizes and temperaments and the others either would not tolerate it or could be injured by it. Funily enough the 2 dogs that have done it once each are both the lowest ranked dogs. In the context of my pack, i consider it to be no different to the dogs being rude and pushy with each other- which we don't allow.

[ninahartland]

No, not allowed here. Have just had my sons entire Rotty up for weekend who tried to hump my wolfhound (also entire), put a stop to that quick and lively!

Thats the last thing I needed was those two having a go!!!!!!!

[Dory the Doted One]

Dory sometimes humps when she gets a bit over stimulated, or when she gets conflicted.

I don't usually allow it. So I clap my hands and divert her attention to something else. Take her mind of what was bothering her and we are all good.

She doesn't physically mount any animals in question, she just stands behind them and air humps...or just air humps.

Fortunately it is not something that happens all that often.

[Diva]

Mine only hump when the Fauves are in season so we've had lots of humping the last 2 weeks. Daphne & Marie always come in at the same time and hump each other incessantly.

Ditto. Well not Fauves, but the same principle - only happens in season.

When I had male dogs I didn't allow it, because I thought it rude in dog terms and not exactly socially acceptable in people terms.

[juice]

Mine never did, then i got my old male bt, who is desexed, for the first few weeks he would hump the dog beds for ages, stop ,panting to take a break and then carry on

He has never tried it with my other 2 male dogs, however another doler has a setter, and he tries to hump him, what is interesting, is my cattle male ( desexed) has never humped anything, also tries it on the setter.

Apparently every dog the setter meets tries to hump him, and it has got much worse since he was desexed a few weeks ago, so much so that he had to leave the dog park after being chased by alot of dogs all trying to hump him?

Why is this? Is he giving off dominat signals? He is a typical dopey setter

[jesomil]

Girls would do it to each other when in season but otherwise I would never allow it, nor would I allow a dog to hump any other item.

For some reason, alot of other males we come across try to hump my entire boy which is really annoying. He hates it but luckily is a lover not a fighter and jumps out of the way.

[OSoSwift]

Lewis probably wouldn't care much, no-one has ever tried it, but anyone tries to hump Rommi and they might just lose an ear! Our desexed Stafford (was entire until he was 8) tried humping her when she was being a floozy and in standing season and she very nearly took his head off. With Lewis anywhere near however it was a whole nother story!!!!!!!