Dog humping - To leave him to it?

[Devilshands]

I have a dog, just out of puppyhood - 14 months. He’s a big breed so not yet an adult.

Since day one he has been a humper - toys, beds, bushes, my other dogs (attempts to - he usually gets within two foot and thinks better!), blankets, cushions, etc. I thought there was something seriously wrong with him and took him to the vets several times - turns out he’s just a raging sex pest. More than adequately exercised (before anyone says that’s why!)

Anyway. I usually leave him to it. Doesn’t bother me or him or my other dogs. No intention of getting him snipped as he’ll be shown once he’s older (before someone tells me I should).

This morning I get a knock on my front door from my neighbour. Her garden backs onto mine, but her house is down the hill. This means that from their top floors they can see into part of my garden (I have a big wrap around) and I can see into theirs. Anyway, she tells me I need to control my dog and stop him humping. Apparently it’s deeply traumatic for her and her children (primary age - but not young). No opportunity to say anything and then she calls him a pervert and stalks off!

I go outside, and he’s got his sofa bed (you fling it over the sofa to stop fur getting on it) in the garden and is merrily humping it whilst staring into their garden. He looks so happy…and he’s not actually doing anything wrong.

So, AIBU to let my dog hump in the privacy of his own back garden?

Yeah I thought from your OP that he's overstimulated and from your subsequent posts you confirm that. I think you'd do best to treat it as a signal that he's struggling with too much stimulus and redirect him to alternative calming and self-regulating activities, (a frozen kong, teaching "settle" on a bed, slow stroking him), simply because I see it as a sign that a dog is struggling, not something that brings them any joy or relief. It's also not the most desirable or social of behaviours, and you don't want that to become his primary go-to self-soothe activity, because it will be inappropriate and embarrassing in some situations, even if you're not embarrassed by it in your back garden.

My spayed bitch does it sometimes and it's definitely a sign that she's struggling and overwhelmed with too much going on. In her case I interrupt it and encourage her to lie down and give her some calming fuss. She drops off to a deep snoring sleep within a couple of minutes, it's a bit like having an overtired toddler who is acting out when they really need to have a nap with her, which is why I see it as a sign that they are struggling and need help to self-regulate.

Can't believe your neighbour actually had the balls to come round and demand your dog stops humping in his own garden and called him a perv! 🤣 why is she even nosying in your garden? Don't like it don't look. Perhaps you should attach an advisory warning to the top of your fence?

My dog (small breed) is 19 months now, she was spayed 3 months after her first season and she tries to hump me once almost every day in the evenings after her meal. 😳 she has never tried humping anything/anyone else in her life, just my arm.

I've always presumed it's because she's happy but tired, she's been walked/fed and right after I stop her humping me she curls up on my lap and sleeps the rest of the evening. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Ignore it, basically, and reward the dog for being calm and quiet. It's difficult when the dog isn't yours and the behaviour is rewarded elsewhere though.

It's normal to see an increase in the barking when you change tactic, but hopefully long-term it will go. You could also do something like ask for an alternative behaviour and reward that instead.

So if he barks for his dinner, you ask him to sit and wait quietly before he gets fed. If he barks to go into the garden, teach him to ring a doggy doorbell etc.

Have you considered chemical castration if you don’t intend to have him cut? Possibly a discussion with the vet is in order. One type is not as goofy for the dog’s health long term. I admit, I’d be pissed off if mine constantly humped, it is anti-social.

One of mine thought every other dog was fair game, I did neuter. He’s a very lively 14 year old, but I’d rather not chop off bits unnecessarily. I’d go the chemical route now.

My cousin's dog has spunky monkey, he merrily humps it daily, luckily nothing or no-one else.

The fact it was just after 07:30 in the morning made it even worse! Who has time to be that angry about a dog thrusting merrily against his bed that early in the morning?! TBH I'm just glad she didn't notice my other two dogs lurking in the bushes watching him...she'd have had a field day with that.

But yes! As soon as he was done, he just curled up in a ball on his abused bed and went to sleep - just like your dog does 😁

Anyway, after lunch today I carefully watched him out of my kitchen window to see if he would repeat this mornings ritual. Only this afternoon he carried did it on his back with the bed between his legs and up in the air...honestly, it felt a bit like he was putting on a show on purpose!

It's one of the 4 Fs of dog play 🤷

Fight
Flight
Feeding
Fornication

Humping isn't just about sex! It can be done to show dominance and over enthusiasm.

Our dog is done, and still loves to hump cushions and blankets after he's been playing in the garden. You can't have a blanket on the sofa without him seducing it!

So, so funny that your neighbour has come round - that is truly batshit!

Hope her kids don't watch the Discovery Channel!

My smallish male (neutered) dog, when younger, used to like humping large male Staffies. His advances always seemed welcome, judging by the other dog’s expression.

MsDataPotata · Today 08:26
Thanks for the Amsterdam rug! I’m still laughing!

My silly humpy dog really seems to not mind/ quite like it if other dogs do it to him as well.

He has a female golden retriever pal who always tries to hump him but she is smaller than him so she can't really get up properly and he actually lowers his back end to let her do it. That looks really very odd a small female dog humping a massive male one. Clearly it is not a sexual thing.

I actually used to know a dog called Baxter, and English Bull terrier, and he would sit there, legs asplay with the lipstick out, panting and staring intently at me. Then rubbing against all and sundry, I think to his credit me might have had some sort of itchy skin condition...I told his owner he needs to stop wanking in front of his dog!

My neutered ddog used to hump my leg if he'd had a particularly delicious dinner. The more he enjoyed it the faster he'd hump.

If we had roast beef or steak and he had some his humping was a blur of speed.

Not an ideal behaviour, but mine have all been working gundogs as well, but I don't allow humping of beds or other items. Fine when puppies as you can usually redirect the behaviour - mine don't hump each other as the intended humpee won't tolerate it. Any youngsters who stay with us for short periods soon get a lip curl and flash of teeth if they ignore the warning signs.
One lab was a particularly rude boy but had just had no corrections from other dogs and owners very inconsistent in teaching him manners, he learnt pretty fast food plates for example were not for him.

If it doesn't bother you then no harm? Neighbour is bonkers 🤣

My terrier bitch is 6 years old. She's spayed. She loves to hump feet when the mood takes her... The fluffier the socks the better! Not all dogs grow out of it, some like the feel therefore continue 😅 some will do it to certain people as a dominance thing, but that's different to teddies etc... He just knows what he likes bless him, and he's in his teenage boy stage where he can't leave it alone... She'll understand if any of her kids are male and she reaches the stage of finding crispy tissues and socks hidden under their bed...

omg she called him a pervert 🤣🤣🤣

This thread is amazing
Pervert dog
wanky Blanky
Amsterdam rug

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I am crying laughing here.
This thread is fucking gold

It's not very appealing to look at, but I'm not certain what she expects you to do about it!

My female dog used to do this when she was younger, even after she had her surgery. Our younger male dog does it, too, despite being neutered and old enough to have grown out of it, if he were going to. I'm afraid it's just who he is. 😬It's almost always only at certain times/situations, almost like it's a tradition! 😂I hate seeing him do it and pull him off her to make him stop, though she's perfectly capable of telling him off when she's had enough.

I’m surprised so many people voted YABU and this is coming from someone who doesn’t like dogs at all 😂 but as long as a dog isn’t doing it to me or my possessions or in my private space, it wouldn’t really bother me. And even if it did bother me, I’d not think to tell the neighbour off for it. I’d just avert my eyes since it is happening in their garden.

I do remember dating a guy once who told me his parents massive dog jumped up at people and humped them and their parents allowed this. I told him straight up I wouldn’t ever be visiting his family home. Your neighbour should count herself lucky she isn’t living next to people like that lol

My terrier bitch is a humper. She only does it in moments of high over-excitement (usually just after her dinner), and she'll hump my shoulder when I'm sitting on the sofa, but ONLY my shoulder. No toys, no cushions, just me. It mystified me, as I've had dogs and bitches all my life, neutered and unneutered, and this is the only one that's ever humped!

I'll tell her she's a pervert. It's probably nicer than a lot of the things I've called her...

@Devilshands having a dog is always good for sex education lessons for kids!! we have always had bitches but my kids, when they were young, though that I came into season every month!!! hilarious! my daughter was a dog breeder so her kids had both dogs and bitches and often saw them being mated with other dogs who come along for a few hours for the mating! your neighbour is an absolute idiot! calling a dog a pervert lol

We have friends who have two male KCC spaniels who are always humping each other. And I mean always. That seems to be about domination, mostly. They don't seem to do it to humans.
But they also enjoy quite a lot of mutual genital licking. That seems to be more about sex...

Ha! I’ve got a humpy intact dog. I have taken away his preferred humping items and he’s stopped. I just tell my young kids it’s “piggy back rides” when he’s at it with other dogs.

I don’t think you are unreasonable at leaving him to it, he’s in your home and he’ll likely grow out of it, or at least develop a smaller appetite.

If it really bothered you (and I don’t think it does) then you could try chemical castration. Then you can still show him.

This thread did make me smile - owned an intact Goldie that regulalrly used to hump cushions and strangely my Cocker does the same. They do eventually grow out of it - although you can expect a number of years of this behaviour.