Humping - Opinions/experiences

[Simply Grand]

I'm just curious as to whether dogs show different behaviours when they are humping to try and dominate to when they are trying to mate or have a "sexual" motivation (in whatever form dogs experience that). As in, is it possible to tell what their motivation is by how they act?

I started thinking about this after talking to a friend yesterday, her sister has a 7 year old entire male GR and their whole family are convinced that he is gay because apparently he only ever humps male dogs (and the occasional male human) and has never once tried to hump a female. I haven't seen him do it but i suspect that his behaviour is actually about dominance and that he quite possibly has done it to a female at some time in his life and they either haven't noticed or have conveniently forgotten because they'd already decided he was "gay" *eye roll*. I would also be surprised if, in the presence of an in season female, he wasn't interested (I jokingly said to my friend that I'll take Quinn over when she's in full heat and then we'll see if he's gay - of course I won't but their attitude annoys me ).

My boy Riley started humping (or trying to) both males and females at around 8 months and continued quite vigorously until he was desexed at 13 months (he's now nearly 18 months and rarely tries to hump anymore) and there seemed to be a difference in the way he did it to males vs females. Hard to explain but with males he did seem more aggressive, appeared to try to hold the other dog still more and would have his nose pointing more forward or down. With females he would be sort of slower and gentler, and tend to tip his head back so his nose was pointing upwards. (If I were to describe it in human terms it would look like he was havin' a good time ;) )

So am I totally anthropomorphising with Riley and friend's family with their GR, or do you think they do behave differently depending on their motivations?

[persephone]

..and , guess what - it can often be neither of the scenarios you mentioned!

tiny baby puppies hump/thrust even before they have the ability to run. It's learning/a reaction to excitement /instinct.

A lot of adolescents start when they are excited when playing, etc ...and if their owners continue to laugh & joke and let them do it - it becomes a bad habit.

The GSD may well be a dominant personality ..hopefully one day he does not try & assert himself to the wrong dog!

[dancinbcs]

There are lots of reasons but except for dogs actually wanted to mate entire bitches or bitches in season wanted to be mated, it is just bad manners that the owner should have trained the dog out of. At the first sign of inappropriate humping the dog should be made to understand that it is just not allowed to do that. I have no idea why anyone finds it funny or acceptable.

[Alkhe]

Oooh, I'm going to hijack this a bit and ask for some opinions on this -

My 11 year old dog has never humped anything before. Not people, not dogs, toys.. she's just never done it (that I've seen, anyway). On a few occasions in the last 6 weeks or so, she has humped women who are sitting on the ground in our living room. It's very strange, all the women she has humped have been dog people - involved in rescue and training - and have been sitting on the floor, but that's the only thing I can discern. Why would she do this! It's such a strange turn of behaviour after all these years..

[LizT]

There are lots of reasons but except for dogs actually wanted to mate entire bitches or bitches in season wanted to be mated, it is just bad manners that the owner should have trained the dog out of. At the first sign of inappropriate humping the dog should be made to understand that it is just not allowed to do that. I have no idea why anyone finds it funny or acceptable.

[dancinbcs]

Oooh, I'm going to hijack this a bit and ask for some opinions on this -

My 11 year old dog has never humped anything before. Not people, not dogs, toys.. she's just never done it (that I've seen, anyway). On a few occasions in the last 6 weeks or so, she has humped women who are sitting on the ground in our living room. It's very strange, all the women she has humped have been dog people - involved in rescue and training - and have been sitting on the floor, but that's the only thing I can discern. Why would she do this! It's such a strange turn of behaviour after all these years..

I would suspect hormone problems, so get a vet check first.

[canine fun sports]

Oooh, I'm going to hijack this a bit and ask for some opinions on this -

My 11 year old dog has never humped anything before. Not people, not dogs, toys.. she's just never done it (that I've seen, anyway). On a few occasions in the last 6 weeks or so, she has humped women who are sitting on the ground in our living room. It's very strange, all the women she has humped have been dog people - involved in rescue and training - and have been sitting on the floor, but that's the only thing I can discern. Why would she do this! It's such a strange turn of behaviour after all these years..

I would suspect hormone problems, so get a vet check first.

The most common reason dogs hump (other dogs/bitches/people/toys) is that they simply discovered that it is an enjoyable sensation. I agree that in this human society it is not really a desirable behaviour and should be interupted and substituted that another, more desirable behaviour (eg getting ear scratched, or sitting etc, etc.)

The 11 year old may have some sort of hormone problem (eg a hormone producing tumour - so yes a vet check is warranted) but it may simply be that she discovered late in life that humpinb feels good.

Cheers,

[t a i l s.]

Also hijacking a smidgen, sorry. My entire male also humps, I feel a lot of it is excitement but also he is confident and assertive. He accepts correction from unwanted dogs and I ALWAYS discourage the behaviour. I find it not only embarrassing but dangerous if he did it to a dog that doesn't just say NO with some teeth showing and growls.

I would like to know, if anyone has some tips on discouraging this behaviour and placing his head above other dogs shoulders. He accepts correction well and is only placed with dogs I know will accept it or not go to far in their correction. But I feel as his guardian I need to be doing more and more. Should I remove him from the situation completely or just place him back onto his leash and remove him until he calms down. I use some training with treats at this point to encourage him to watch me and ignore he other dogs.

[Alkhe]

Thanks, canine dog spots and dancinbcs! I wish this had happened before, since I just paid $600 for a dental - could've got them to check then! Damn. Let's hope Mim's just belatedly discovering her sexual prowess...

[DeltaCharlie]

Oooh, I'm going to hijack this a bit and ask for some opinions on this -

My 11 year old dog has never humped anything before. Not people, not dogs, toys.. she's just never done it (that I've seen, anyway). On a few occasions in the last 6 weeks or so, she has humped women who are sitting on the ground in our living room. It's very strange, all the women she has humped have been dog people - involved in rescue and training - and have been sitting on the floor, but that's the only thing I can discern. Why would she do this! It's such a strange turn of behaviour after all these years..

I would suspect hormone problems, so get a vet check first.

The most common reason dogs hump (other dogs/bitches/people/toys) is that they simply discovered that it is an enjoyable sensation. I agree that in this human society it is not really a desirable behaviour and should be interupted and substituted that another, more desirable behaviour (eg getting ear scratched, or sitting etc, etc.)

The 11 year old may have some sort of hormone problem (eg a hormone producing tumour - so yes a vet check is warranted) but it may simply be that she discovered late in life that humpinb feels good.

Cheers,

Delta is a "bottom of the pack dog" with no desire to try and rise. Out of our 9 dogs, the only dog she is above is Charlie (who is pond scum LOL he doesn't even rank as a dog in our pack :laugh: ). She doesn't have a dominant bone in her body and was desexed at 6 months.

Then one day she discovered bean bags :laugh: Now there are times when she cannot be left alone with a bean bag as she is so intense I am scared she will put a hole in it and I will be picking up little white balls for the next year!!!

[Skye GSD]

We have a Maltese/Shitzu de-sexed bitch (18mths) and she humps the end of my bed cover that reaches to the ground. She will stop as soon as I catch her (verbal or tap with foot usually does it...lol!!) and I have never seen her do this to anything else.

[dancinbcs]

Also hijacking a smidgen, sorry. My entire male also humps, I feel a lot of it is excitement but also he is confident and assertive. He accepts correction from unwanted dogs and I ALWAYS discourage the behaviour. I find it not only embarrassing but dangerous if he did it to a dog that doesn't just say NO with some teeth showing and growls.

I would like to know, if anyone has some tips on discouraging this behaviour and placing his head above other dogs shoulders. He accepts correction well and is only placed with dogs I know will accept it or not go to far in their correction. But I feel as his guardian I need to be doing more and more. Should I remove him from the situation completely or just place him back onto his leash and remove him until he calms down. I use some training with treats at this point to encourage him to watch me and ignore he other dogs.

First, I would never let an entire male loose with other dogs I do not know well. It is perfectly acceptable for a higher ranked dog to put their head over the shoulders of a lower ranked dog and even placid adults will do this to puppies to teach them where their place is in the pack. An off lead dog park is not a pack but a whole lot of dogs from different packs interacting and that is why they are so dangerous. A pack that lives together will sort out their own order but there has to be constant battles when dogs who are strangers meet up.

So to answer your question I would definitely remove your dog from the situation if he humps other dogs or tries to stand over another adult.

[RubyBlue]

Dyson is 11months old and still entire. The only humping he has done has been to his soft toys. He has certainly attracted attention at the dog park though. There is usually a dog trying to hump him. He doesn't seem to notice it and the poor dog is left to hold on tightly as he races around.

Milly is generally a very submissive dog but in the last year or two shes started to turn in to the fun police. She tends to stop games that get a bit rowdy for her liking and if there is a particularly assertive puppy she will often tell them off and if they persist then mount them. I find it all quite interesting to watch, particularly the more subtle body language.

There was a malamute at the park today who was fascinated with Dyson. Most other males just do the head over his shoulders or humping but this one was licking around his lips, rolling over in front of him and mounting him. It was almost like he was apologetic but just couldn't help himself. Im wondering if the hormones have something to do with it. Or if Dysons just managed to score a minion.

[kayla1]

Oooh, I'm going to hijack this a bit and ask for some opinions on this -

My 11 year old dog has never humped anything before. Not people, not dogs, toys.. she's just never done it (that I've seen, anyway). On a few occasions in the last 6 weeks or so, she has humped women who are sitting on the ground in our living room. It's very strange, all the women she has humped have been dog people - involved in rescue and training - and have been sitting on the floor, but that's the only thing I can discern. Why would she do this! It's such a strange turn of behaviour after all these years..

I would suspect hormone problems, so get a vet check first.

The most common reason dogs hump (other dogs/bitches/people/toys) is that they simply discovered that it is an enjoyable sensation. I agree that in this human society it is not really a desirable behaviour and should be interupted and substituted that another, more desirable behaviour (eg getting ear scratched, or sitting etc, etc.)

The 11 year old may have some sort of hormone problem (eg a hormone producing tumour - so yes a vet check is warranted) but it may simply be that she discovered late in life that humpinb feels good.

Cheers,

Delta is a "bottom of the pack dog" with no desire to try and rise. Out of our 9 dogs, the only dog she is above is Charlie (who is pond scum LOL he doesn't even rank as a dog in our pack :laugh: ). She doesn't have a dominant bone in her body and was desexed at 6 months.

Then one day she discovered bean bags :laugh: Now there are times when she cannot be left alone with a bean bag as she is so intense I am scared she will put a hole in it and I will be picking up little white balls for the next year!!!

My youngest girl Annie does this too, not bean bags though, just one particular dog bed! She does it when she's excited.

[LizT]

A little Maltese X rescue I once had used to hump my moccassins if they were left unattended when I first got her. She used to wrap herself around the slipper and bounce across the floor! Sorry, but it really was hysterical to see, the first few times anyway. She learnt not to do this and I learnt to put my slippers away! She was entire all her 17 years though no puppies, at least while I had her anyway. I got her at about 18 months.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

is it possible to tell what their motivation is by how they act?

homosexual acts and possibly homosexualness are not limited to humans - budgies, cattle, sheep, etc - I've seen them all having a go.

Every time I see a thread along the lines of

My dog is humping (my leg / other dogs / its fav toy or cushion - it must be trying to dominate...

I think of the lyric from Hair the musical

over 40 years old and still naughty.

"masturbation can be fun"...

and "off the leash" has done a humping olympics cartoon.

http://rupertfawcettsdoggyblog.tumblr.com/post/28896880260/day-11-doggie-olympics-cushion-humping

I stop my dog / interrupt if she humps another dog or my foot. She doesn't seem interested in humping other stuff (yet). Hasn't discovered the joys of cushion humping yet. Possibly because she enjoys ripping them to pieces better.

[Podengo]

Can often be excitement related - my parents Dobe humps their other dog, but only when they first get in the car. Such chaos, trying to get organized to go somewhere and Libby slumps in the corner making sad faces while Lottie goes to town humping with a crazed expression on her face. She stops once the car stops moving.

[Simply Grand]

I know many people find humping the height of bad doggy manners, but it really is funny sometimes, some of these stories, hahaha!! I do stop Saxon when he does it to other people's dogs but he does look so funny doing it, someone said to me once he looks like a naughty teddy bear :)

So there are a range of reasons they do it, which I did know but does anyone know or think they do it in a different sort of way depending on what their reason is?

Like I was saying in the OP, I perceived Riley as having a different humping style with males (which I'm pretty sure was an attempt at dominance, based on a few things incl how the dogs he picked behaved) than with females (which didn't seem to be dominance). I'm not sure if it was just me thinking I saw differences because I knew whether he was doing it to a male or a female.

[Simply Grand]

So to put my question another way - as an eg (assuming homosexuality does exist in animals) could one tell by watching one male dog humping another male dog whether he was doing it because he was being dominant or because he was sexually attracted to it?

ETA - or possibly because he was excited and the other dog happened to be there.

Edited September 24, 2012 by Simply Grand

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Dyson is 11months old and still entire. The only humping he has done has been to his soft toys. He has certainly attracted attention at the dog park though. There is usually a dog trying to hump him. He doesn't seem to notice it and the poor dog is left to hold on tightly as he races around.

Milly is generally a very submissive dog but in the last year or two shes started to turn in to the fun police. She tends to stop games that get a bit rowdy for her liking and if there is a particularly assertive puppy she will often tell them off and if they persist then mount them. I find it all quite interesting to watch, particularly the more subtle body language.

There was a malamute at the park today who was fascinated with Dyson. Most other males just do the head over his shoulders or humping but this one was licking around his lips, rolling over in front of him and mounting him. It was almost like he was apologetic but just couldn't help himself. Im wondering if the hormones have something to do with it. Or if Dysons just managed to score a minion.

Entire dogs in the dog park is simply not appropriate! They might be OK but they will attract a lot of attention which can turn to fights.

Any reason why you can't desex your dog? If he's a breed or show dog that is fine but he needs to stay away from dog park situations.

Any dog that humps - if it is desexed, also shouldn't be in a dog park and if it is, it shouldn't be given the opportunity to hump or should be stopped immediately - you can normally tell when a dog is about to do this.

Dog parks are dangerous, it's no wonder.