For the most part, dogs are our adorable furry friends, but sometimes they can be very annoying too. One of the things that annoy humans is their dog humping them. Most people assume that their dog is trying to fulfil its sexual urges, but only a few take time to learn that it is not always about their arousal. The dog could be humping you for several different reasons. Here we come up with why does my dog hump me and no one else and how to stop it. Let’s get into it.
Why Does My Dog Hump Me And No One Else?
Dogs humping on people is not always for sexual reasons. Your pet could be humping you because it is too happy to see you or maybe because it knows that you would not punish them for it. Even other than these, there could be various reasons for your dog humping your leg, such as –
#1 Excitement
The reason that your dog humps you and no one else could be that it only gets excited about seeing you. Humping is just one of their ways of expressing that excitement. It is mostly the case with really active dogs.
#2 Stress
Stress or anxiety often causes an excess of energy that needs an outlet. Your dog could be humping your leg because of some stress that it needs to release. It often degenerates into a compulsive behaviour where the dog would start humping every time it is stressed or nervous.
#3 Lack of Activity
Dogs need regular exercise to release their pent-up energy. If they do not get enough exercise or none at all, they may resort to other means to release all that energy – one of them could be humping.
#4 Trying to Grab your Attention
As we all know that dogs try to gain attention by barking or pawing. If they can not catch your attention with them, then they may resort to other antics, such as humping. Giving them attention in this situation would be like rewarding their behaviour and facilitating it.
#5 Comfortable
Your dog may be comfortable with you and know that while this behaviour will land them in trouble with other members of the family, you would not punish them.
#6 Playing
Your dog might hump your arm or leg when they feel like playing if you’re already playing. It is common for younger dogs, who get over-excited and start humping you to show it.
#7 Sexual Urges
Most people believe this to be the reason for their pet’s behaviour, but it may not necessarily be true. If you think they act on a sexual urge, you should observe when they hump you. The sexual humping is more likely to happen if you contact a female dog in heat before going near them. It is common in unneutered young pups.
#8 Natural Behaviour
why do puppies hump? It is natural for both male and female dogs to hump so that they may be humping you just out of instinct.
#9 Habit
Once your dog starts seeing humping as a way to relieve its stress and release energy. Compulsive behaviour can turn into a habit. It might be humping you just out of habit.
#10 Being Bored
It is a weird way to amuse themselves, but dogs sometimes hump things or people when they are bored. This boredom is generally a result of a lack of physical or mental activity.
#11 Lack of Socialization
Your pet humping shows a lack of socialization in its younger years. It may lead them to hump, not only you but also other objects around the house such as a pillow. It shows that they crave some interaction. Previously abused dogs may also take up humping as a way to interact.
#12 Itchy Genitals
If your dog happens to have a skin infection, their genital area may get itchy, and the best way to get rid of the itch is to rub or hump it against someone else’s body.
#13 Medical Conditions
Though it is not very common, some dogs tend to hump if they have some prostate medical condition.
Myths about Dogs Humping
People think that dogs hump their owners to establish their dominance. While it is true when they hump other dogs, it is not in the case of humans. Dogs do not get into the dominant struggle with their humans. Instead, it is behavioural when two dogs communicate with each other. If the owner believes that their pet is trying to dominate them, they may take a poor decision or some unnecessary way to train that behaviour out of it, but this is not true.
Do Female Dogs Hump?
Ever wondered why do female dogs hump? It is not as behavioural for female dogs to hump for males, but it is still natural. Of course, they might hump their owner or something else when they are in heat, as they are the most aroused at that time, but it is not necessary. Besides sexual reasons, stress is the most common cause of this behavior.
The same goes for neutered dogs. The chances of them humping you are lower than other male dogs but not zero. Their sexual arousals are fewer but still there, or as already discussed, they could be humping you for any of the various non-sexual reasons as well.
How to Stop a Dog From Humping?
Though it is natural for dogs to hump, it could get annoying after a point. It could even turn into an embarrassing situation if they continue this behaviour in front of others. But as we know that proper training can change any habit. Here some tips to stop your pet jumping on people.
#1 Medical Attention
Before you train your dog to stop humping, you need to rule out the medical possibilities. Though rare, there is a chance that your dog might be humping you because of skin infections, urinary tract infections, persistent erection, etc. If you find your dog licking their genital area, humping the furniture, or simply rubbing against something, it may be because of one of these diseases or itchy genitals. In this case, they need medical attention and proper treatment.
#2 Neutering
Castration or neutering is dog is one of the most effective ways to prevent them from humping. Though this does not guarantee the results, it will certainly lessen the activity by a lot.
#3 Change your Position
Whenever your dog starts humping you, remove your foot or hand from its reach, sit down, or change your position into one in which it can not hump you again. It is not a permanent solution, but it is the fastest way to get them to stop.
#4 Do not give Them Attention
If you think that your dog is humping as a way of seeking attention, do not give them any. In this case, even negative attention or command will fulfil their need. It is best to ignore them in this situation.
#5 Exercise and Play with Them
Make sure that your dog’s energy is burnt properly by exercising and playing so they will not look for other outlets for all that pent-up energy.
#6 Use Commands
When your dog starts humping you, stop them with commands such as ‘stop’ or ‘off’; ‘No’ could be a confusing command as it is used in conversations every day.
#7 Reward Them
Once they listen to your command and stop, reward them with a dog treats. This positive reinforcement technique will make the dog think that listening to this command will reward. Eventually, it will stop.
#8 Seek Professional Help
If you are having a hard time training your dog out of this behaviour, you can seek help from professional dog trainers or dog behaviourists. They will prove more effective if your dog is stubborn.
Conclusion
If you have a dog, you know that you have to accept them with all their habits, some cute and some might be annoying. Now you know that your dog does not necessarily hump you because of its arousal. Make sure to keep this in mind before you get disappointed or irritated at them. If it is any consolation, they are probably doing it because you are their favourite human in the house. Anyway, proper training will take that behaviour out of them and save you from future embarrassing situations.