Here's Why Your Dog Won't Stop Humping!

Nothing can be quite as embarrassing as having company over and see your dog humping your visitor’s bag. You hastily excuse yourself from the table and swiftly ask him to stop, hoping that nobody picked up on the commotion.

This cringe-worthy experience is nothing new to many dog parents, having caused much embarrassment. But the real question is, why on earth do some of our four-legged family members seem to have an obsession with doing this? Should you be worried? There seems to be four main reasons as to why this obsessive activity might be taking place.

• For some dogs, humping is associated with a high sex drive and sometimes an assertion of dominance.
• Hormones have all kinds of behavioral effects, and unsterilized dogs often display this type of behavior.
• For our other four-legged friends, it may just be an outlet for excessive energy or anxiety. They may find the quickest and easiest mechanism to release the tension to be, unfortunately, on top of your favorite scatter pillow.
• Then the most frustrating reason is that your dog may just be doing it to get a reaction out of you. Positive or negative attention does not matter to all dogs, some just want your attention regardless of the outcome.

While this behavior often leaves us red-faced or grossed out, the best thing you can do for your dog is to ignore it or deflect the behavior. When you see the behavior starting, throw a toy to distract your dog, and hopefully over time they will stop this behavior indefinitely! If that does not work, the option of seeking professional help always stands.

Feature Image Source: Pixabay