My dog is a humper

[SpringerDog]

Fergus' first trip to the dog park was great, no problems at all. Second trip he started humping a few dogs, and got humped himself.
At obedience class, first class when they were let off lead to socialize he was great. Second class he found a submissive dog and just wanted to hump.

When he is at the dog park or in class, he doesn't really play, or at least what I think is play, like chasing a ball etc. He is more interested in sniffing rumps and licking genitals. He will occasionally get into running with another dog, but he wants to sniff and lick more than anything.

He doesn't hump anything or anyone at home. The very first night we brought him home (he's a rescue that's three years old), we had one of those fleece covered beds and he bunched it up and started humping it. That is the one and only time at home that he's done that. I put it down to be scared and unfamiliar with us. But now with the school and the park, it's like once he gets over the initial experience, he wants to hump, so there goes my being scared theory.

Maybe he just needs more exposure to other dogs and this will get better, I'm not sure. Can this behavior be limited by training?
I had asked for advice in another post on dog park etiquette and the consenus was not to let him hump other dogs, which I agree with, but how do I stop it? Treats and toys are low priority compared with getting to sniff, etc., he could care less even with high value treats.

Anyone have any insight or suggestions? Thanks for any help.

Edit: I reread this and I feel like I should be in a twelve step program and say "Hi, my name is....and my dog is a humper."
I also feel like I'm an old maid who is horrified to have a dog that does this, and I admit part of that's true.

 

[Sweet72947]

A few questions:
I'm assuming that since he's a rescue, that he's neutered, so I won't ask you that.

How much exercise does he get every day? If he was tired out he might not be inclined to hump as much.

Have other dogs corrected him for this? Sometimes that works to curb the behavior. Benji is a humper, but he stops when dogs correct him for it. But it doesn't always help. My neighbor in the old neighborhood had a brittany spaniel who I used to bring over to my house to play with my dogs. But the brittany would only play for a little while, and then hump and not stop! My dogs would correct her and she still wouldn't stop. I would have to leash her and take her home before a dog fight broke out. Eventually I stopped bringing her over altogether.

You could try putting him on a leash and pulling him off the other dog every time he tries to hump.

 

[Zoom]

I know dogs that are serial humpers and I have yet to find a darn thing that will get them to quit it for longer than 5 minutes...this includes letting the other dog correct them for it, grabbing a garden hose and spraying their hind end, actually pulling them off and body blocking them away from their victim...some dogs just don't "get" it. I've even seen some that are so bad that even as they're standing there panting because they've been chasing the other dog for so long, they're still licking them on the back of the neck, wishing they had the energy to hump.

The best I can tell you is that if your dog starts pestering another, leash him up and move far enough away that he loses sight of him and teach him a very solid "leave it" command.

 

[HoundedByHounds]

do you know his history? Was he ever bred? If so...you could have a really hard road with this...

 

[malmo]

How old is your dog? Neutered?

It seems to me (and I'd like Doc or Doberluv or someone with better grasp on behaviorism to step in here) that you can either (1) avoid other dogs for the rest of his life, or (2) strap on your patience for a long ride.

His reward is the humping. You want to eliminate the reward. The earlier you eliminate it, the better. What I mean by that is that you'll want to pull him off the other dog -- but not after he has gotten in two or three good humps. The sooner you see him starting to position himself, the better. If you can nip it at that stage, the humping will be much less rewarding. Give him an "uh uh" as a verbal marker. Take the leash and lead him a good 20 feet away from the action. Wait there until he settles down. Have him sit and focus on you or run him through some heel or loose-leash walking. Essentially, you give him a timeout -- not a punishment, just no opportunity to hump.

Then, you try again. The second he starts to position himself to hump (with Milo, he lifts one front leg from the shoulder in just such a way that I can tell what he's up to), you give him a verbal marker "Uh uh" and pull him away from the action again.

The patience part comes in because you will likely have to do this in repetitions of dozens, if not hundreds, of times. Gradually, he will likely at least slow down with the humping. You may never be able to offer him a reward big enough to outweigh the reward of humping entirely. Plus, at least at the dog parks around here, you generally aren't allowed to take treats into the park. But, you can at least try to deter him by removing the reward before it delivers.

That's my thinking, anyway. Could be wrong.

 

[SpringerDog]

He'll be four in November, he was neutered as a puppy.

He gets walked every day for over three miles altogether, rain or shine.

He does stop when another dog rebuffs him. If another dog allows him to do it, he just keeps after them.

It was suggested by our trainer to put him on a long lead (15 to 20 foot), and let him run in the dog park with that, and to pull him off when he starts humping, but not to get in between the dogs to grab his collar. I haven't tried that yet. I haven't had the courage to go to the dog park again.

 

[MafiaPrincess]

Cider's a humper. More I watch her, the more I think she does it from a lack of socialization as a pup, and living in a petstore alone for lord knows how long. She will do it in an attempt to dominate, but most of the time it's her screwed up way of initiating play. Hump dog a few times, then run like h*ll, hoping they'll chase, then do it again.

If we are staying with people I let the dogs work it out, I know how friend's dogs are likely to respond. If we go to a park, and she's a nuisance, I will go remove her and tell her enough, send her off in a different direction. She usually stops harassing that dog. Smudgie is now attempting a similar play style at 6 months, but it's not about the humping I don't think. It's that he's a 1/3rd or less the size of the dogs he wants to play with. Seems he wants to see their faces at times, and prevent them from running off on him so fast.

Cider is my problem child though. I watch her like a hawk so I can end inappropriate behaviour.. If it was all she ever did though, I'd have trouble letting her play with others much.

 

[malmo]

Cider is my problem child though. I watch her like a hawk so I can end inappropriate behaviour.. If it was all she ever did though, I'd have trouble letting her play with others much.

MP, do you feel that these interventions have helped reduce it?

 

[MafiaPrincess]

Sometimes. It's more effective if another dog tells her off. If they tell her off, she never tries again.. but if I don't know other people's dogs well.. I don't know how minor or majorly they will tell her off about it... She doesn't seem to understand they don't like it unless they tell her.. but she doesn't enjoy being humped. From my human perspective it's a 'duh' moment..

If she's being a pill and I stop her and redirect her.. she often looses interest in humping and starts games of pure chase, nothing more. I really feel she has a lack of manners, but having tried to have her play more often with dogs I know have better manners, it hasn't rubbed off on her. At times she looks awkward and a little lost.. backs away from play as if she doesn't know what to do. Hoping in time that Smudge may help to teach her a better play style.. but she's still not a fan of him so far.

 

[SpringerDog]

The last 10 minutes of obedience class about did me in today. The dogs got free play. I spent the entire time following Fergus and saying "leave it" and "watch me" and then giving him a treat to deter the humping. He licked every back end and underneath side, actually drooling. He's got issues and I have even more I think. Of course he wanted to give me a big kiss when we got home. :yikes:

 

[malmo]

Sometimes. It's more effective if another dog tells her off. If they tell her off, she never tries again.. <snip> I really feel she has a lack of manners, but having tried to have her play more often with dogs I know have better manners, it hasn't rubbed off on her. At times she looks awkward and a little lost.. backs away from play as if she doesn't know what to do. Hoping in time that Smudge may help to teach her a better play style.. but she's still not a fan of him so far.

This is a great description of Milo, who also has a bad humping problem. I'm afraid it has to do with not socializing him well enough. That's one of the reasons I am in turbo socialization mode with McGee.

For now, when he tries to mount her (he's 12 pounds and she's 2.5) I separate them and give him a timeout in the bathroom. I'm hoping that the message will get through.

 

[malmo]

The last 10 minutes of obedience class about did me in today. The dogs got free play. I spent the entire time following Fergus and saying "leave it" and "watch me" and then giving him a treat to deter the humping. He licked every back end and underneath side, actually drooling. He's got issues and I have even more I think. Of course he wanted to give me a big kiss when we got home. :yikes:

I feel your pain. From my experience with Milo, the more consistent you can be the better, but it will take lots of time.

 

[Squishy22]

All I want to say is that I would be VERY careful about his humping issue. I have seen some bad fights break out at the dog park from persistent humpers and their victims. Some dogs will not put up with it and will bite. Its a scary thing. I always worry when I see a dog at the park trying to hump other dogs.