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Why Do dogs hump and how to stop them from humping?
Kindly, keep reading to the end and you will discover answers to these questions.
In case you’re a dog owner, it is very like you have observed your dog humping. As a matter of fact, mounting certainly is the most frequent habit among our canine companions.
But why do dogs hump? Discover the 7 main reasons why in this article
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Dogs Hump for Sexual Pleasure:
This is certainly the most obvious reason why dogs hump. In fact, masturbation is surely a part of normal sexual behavior for all spayed, neutered and intact dogs. Regardless of their gender, dogs mount other dogs, people and objects. Generally, our canine companion’s sexually motivated humping is associated with “flirtatious” body language and courtship behaviors such as licking, pawing, etc.
It is interesting to mention that humping, or mounting, is a sexual position for dogs, but veterinarians specializing in canine behavior claim that while humping can be sexual it is often done for other reasons, as well.
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Dogs Hump to Play:
This may seem like a gross way to play but dogs surely don’t have the same reasoning as we, humans, do. They may hump for fun or in order to socialize. Naturally, in the context of play humping, dogs don’t usually display erections or ejaculate. However, some under-socialized dogs may excessively mount their canine mates during playtime and get over-aroused.
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Humping May Be the Dogs Way to Respond to Excitement:
Some dogs may respond to exciting situations by humping. By “exciting”, we mean the non-sexual type of pleasure. While some dogs bark, run or jump, others hump to show happiness and burn-off energy. This is normal for numerous dog species.
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Dogs Hump to Relieve Stress:
Like we humans sometimes masturbate to relief stress, dogs that are feeling nervous or anxious may hump other dogs, animals, humans or even objects near them in order to alleviate stress.
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Dogs Hump to Seek Attention:
This is especially the case if the dog is humping his owner’s leg. It’s because the master would likely reach down either to push the dog away or pick it up to stop it from mounting. Although we generally perceive that as a clear refusal, dogs don’t have the same logic as we do. They’ll actually see our act as a reward and learn that humping will get a response from people.
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Dogs Hump to Show Dominance:
This reason applies only when dogs hump other dogs. In fact, our canine companions may try to gain a social status by humping. It’s because mounting can be a sign of dominance and control among dogs.
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Dogs Hump Because Of Underlying Medical Conditions:
This cause is actually the least probable. Certain medical disorders such as urinary tract infections and even allergies can be causing your dog to hump more often than usual. Even mental conditions like compulsive disorder or extreme anxiety, may be contributors the problem.
To sum up, dogs hump for various reasons. While mounting generally isn’t worrisome, it surely may be embarrassing and irritating to dog owners in certain circumstances. Thus, in case you want your dog to abandon humping, training it would surely be a must. However, if this excessive behavior doesn’t stop then, you certainly need to see a vet to check for possible underlying medical conditions.
And if you know other reasons why dogs hump, kindly comment and share them with our readers.
