My Dog Is Trying To Hump My New Puppy

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Photo by Justin Hall on Flickr

One of the most exciting and rewarding aspects for many people about bringing a new puppy into their home is that they will get to see their beloved dog take on the role of “big brother” or “big sister.” 

The only problem with this scenario is that your older dog will often try to hump the new puppy.

Humping and mounting is a natural behavior in dogs, and in fact, the discomfort exists only in the minds of their owners. 

Because the dog sees nothing wrong with this behavior, it falls to the human in the relationship to establish the inappropriateness. 

In addition to being embarrassing, this behavior does have the potential to harm the puppy, either through physical injury or aggression on the part of the older dog.

The first step is understanding this behavior before moving on to trying to control it.

Why do dogs mount and hump each other?

Mounting, thrusting (humping), and masturbation is normal behaviors exhibited by most dogs.

In addition, dogs sexually self-stimulate in various ways.

For example, they mount and thrust against other animals, people, and objects, such as wadded-up blankets, dog beds, and toys.

Sometimes, dogs just rub against people or things (without mounting them) or lick themselves.

Both spayed or neutered and intact dogs mount as part of their normal sexual behavior.

Dogs of both sexes mount other canines, humans, and objects.

Most people are unaware that this activity isn’t confined to intact male canines and that neutered males can have erections and ejaculate in the same way as intact animals can.

Mounting for sexual reasons is frequently accompanied by “flirty” body language and courting behaviors.

Is it normal for a new puppy to be humped?

It could be due to a multitude of factors, including domination, fun, sexual attraction, excitedness, anxiety, or a more serious medical condition.

But, unfortunately, this unpleasant characteristic is, in reality, commonplace.

Because mating is a perfectly natural occurrence, it can be challenging to train a dog not to engage in this behavior.

While dogs will generally wait until a puppy reaches sexual maturity and enters heat, it is not at all uncommon for puppies to be humped by older dogs.

Usually, this behavior proves harmless, but it does have the potential to harm the puppy in extreme cases.

What is the best way to stop a dog from humping a puppy?

If your dog has developed the habit of humping your new puppy, push him away. If your dog refuses to stop, tell him “No!” and take him to a quiet, safe room for a brief time-out.

(Make sure there are no entertaining toys in the time-out room for him to play with.)

Allow one to three minutes for your dog to be alone.

Allow your dog to go outside when the time-out has ended and act as if nothing has happened. It’s unnecessary to appear outraged.

If your dog tries to mount the puppy again, follow the steps above and give him another time-out.

In extreme cases, it may be necessary to keep your puppy isolated from the older dog altogether until the older dog learns to control its impulses.

In addition, behavioral intervention by a professional may be needed before the behavior is fully controlled.

Consider reaching out to a professional dog trainer to see if they have experience intervening in these types of behaviors, or simply look for videos online to see how other owners have handled the situation.

What’s the best way to stop humping in general?

Don’t yell or make a fuss if your dog is constantly mounting a puppy, inanimate object, or guests, and redirecting doesn’t work. Instead, simply approach the dog and lead them quietly to their crate or similar quiet location.

You can also reduce humping by controlling your dog’s environment.

Ensure that they have chew toys and other activities that will keep them active and expend energy.

If a particular toy or other object is the source of your dog’s huffing, remove it until the habit subsides.

If you’re expecting a visitor you don’t want your dog to mount under any circumstances, simply move your dog out of the way while the visitor is present.

Finally, if your dog hasn’t been spayed or neutered, some professionals recommend neutering to prevent sexually driven mounting.

However, keep in mind that current research suggests that spaying or neutering certain breeds at a young age can have long-term health consequences.

Therefore, if your dog is still young, you may wish to continue to manage their behavior through training until they are of an age where neutering is safe.

Will a puppy sometimes hump an older dog?

Littermates, older dogs, people, and toys are frequently mounted and humped by puppies.

According to some specialists, this action serves as a warm-up for future sexual experiences.

As puppies mature sexually, they begin to hump other canines in sexual situations.

Many female and male dogs continue to mount even after they have been neutered or spayed because they have discovered that the activity feels really good.

At what age does humping start?

Dogs don’t reach sexual maturity until they’re six to eight months old, so humping before then is considered non-sexual play.

It’s one of the first techniques a puppy learns about establishing power and standing in the pack.

As a result, even if your dog is female or has been spayed or neutered, it can persist into maturity.

Some dogs mount items when they are in a tense or exciting environment.

So if your puppy greets you at the door with a welcoming leg-hump, it’s most likely because they’re happy to see you.

It could also happen in the dog park if your puppy is terrified.

Body language associated with sexually motivated mounting includes tail up, sniffing, crying, and pawing.

Do neutered males hump more or less than unneutered males?

Although neutering helps to reduce the quantity of testosterone in a dog’s system, some testosterone can still be found in the animal’s body.

As a result, certain animals will still mount, but it will be less often.

Hormones have a role in mounting or humping, although they can also occur in non-sexual situations.

In this circumstance, it’s referred to as a displacement behavior, which is an act performed out of context.

Mounting may be an indication of a medical problem, such as a urinary tract infection, in some situations, especially if it’s a new behavior.

Consult your veterinarian if your dog has never mounted before and the habit is frequently occurring.

On the other hand, it could be a symptom of an illness or a hormonal disorder that mimics a testosterone boost.

It may be vital to look at the health of a dog that has been suddenly mounted.

Do female dogs hump? And why?

Females in heat frequently mount and hump their male “potential candidates” during mating.

Also, when one or both females are in heat, female dogs will frequently mount and hump one other.

Dogs of both sexes mount other dogs, people, and objects.

The majority of people are unaware that this activity isn’t restricted to intact male canines.

Sexual actions such as mounting and stroking are common in canine play behavior.

Distressing or exciting circumstances can also trigger them.

Some female dogs will mount humans, dogs, or objects to attract attention, especially if they aren’t getting enough exercise and affection during the day.

However, negative attention (such as being told “no”) is preferable to no attention at all in the dog’s eyes.

Can humping lead to more aggressive behavior?

Most of the time, mounting behavior is unrelated to sexual activity. Instead, it is frequently a social activity and, on occasion, a source of pleasure.

Non-sexual mounting of other canines is typically a dominance, power, or challenge activity.

However, it is mostly about play and social learning when undertaken by puppies as early as 3-4 weeks.

People mounting is entirely non-sexual; it can be done for a variety of reasons, including domination, attention, and stress relief.

However, unwanted mounting is a frequent cause of aggression in the dog being mounted.

Unwanted attention of this nature can and frequently does cause the impacted animal to lash out aggressively to cause the behavior to stop.

For this reason, you must teach the offending animal that this behavior is not acceptable.

What are some of the strangest things that dogs will hump?

Toys, stuffed animals, blankets, and human legs are common recipients of dog humping behavior.

A dog can hump practically anything for many of the reasons outlined above.

There is no rhyme or reason to this behavior, so nothing that a dog humps can be considered “strange,” per se.

Final thoughts on dogs humping puppies

Mounting and humping behavior can occur for various reasons in dogs, and it is not uncommon for puppies to be the recipients of this behavior.

While the occurrences may be embarrassing, there is likely no cause for significant concern.

However, there are steps you can take to minimize this behavior if it concerns you or you believe it may be detrimental to the health of your puppy.

James Grayston

My name is James and I love dogs. have owned four Golden Retrievers in the past 15 years. Currently I own two "Goldies"- a five year old and a seven month old. The photo shows me with our youngest when she was about 7 weeks old!