It can be alarming and embarrassing when your dog suddenly starts humping more than usual. Humping is a normal dog behavior, but an increase in frequency often indicates that something is causing your dog stress or anxiety. There are several potential reasons why your dog may be humping more, ranging from medical causes like a urinary tract infection to behavioral causes like lack of exercise. Understanding the underlying cause will help you address the behavior appropriately.
Potential Medical Causes
Several medical conditions can cause an increase in humping behavior in dogs:
Urinary Tract Infection
A urinary tract infection (UTI) can cause your dog to feel an urgent need to urinate frequently. The constant urge to pee can cause anxiety, frustration and physical discomfort that may lead to humping behaviors. Other signs of a UTI include straining to urinate, blood in the urine, and frequently licking the genital area. If a UTI is suspected, a veterinarian can check a urine sample and prescribe antibiotic treatment.
Anal Sac Impaction
The anal sacs are two small pouches inside a dog’s anus that fill with fluid that is normally expelled when a dog has a bowel movement. If these sacs become blocked, it can cause pain and pressure. Dogs may hump or scoot their bottoms along the ground in an attempt to relieve the discomfort. Manual expression of the anal sacs by a vet can provide relief.
Skin Allergies or Infections
Allergies to foods or environmental allergens can cause itchy, inflamed skin. Bacterial or yeast skin infections can also create intense itchiness. The discomfort may lead to increased humping as a self-soothing mechanism. Anti-itch shampoos, antibiotics, or anti-fungal treatments can address the underlying cause of the itching and humping.
Arthritis
Arthritis and joint pain are common in older dogs. The chronic pain and stiffness caused by arthritis can cause dogs to demonstrate new behaviors like sudden increased humping. Prescription medications to control inflammation and pain can help manage this behavior.
Potential Behavioral Causes
Several behavioral and environmental factors may also contribute to increased humping:
Lack of Exercise
Dogs require regular exercise and mental stimulation. Lack of physical activity can cause boredom, frustration, and pent up energy. Humping provides an outlet for this energy. Ensuring your dog gets adequate daily exercise and playtime is important. Young adult dogs may require 1-2 hours per day.
Stress and Anxiety
Major changes in a dog’s environment, routine, or family situation can cause stress. Introducing a new baby, pet, or family member, moving homes, or boarding can all be anxiety-provoking. This stress may manifest as an increase in humping. Creating a predictable routine and providing affection can help dogs cope. Pheromone diffusers, toys like Kongs stuffed with food, or calming supplements can also help with anxiety.
Attention-Seeking Behavior
Some dogs learn that humping garners attention from their owners. Even negative attention, like yelling “No!” or pushing the dog away provides the reward of attention the dog is seeking. Ignoring the behavior and rewarding good behaviors is the best approach. Distracting with obedience cues or toys when humping starts can also redirect the dog’s focus.
Overexcitement
When playing, some dogs may become overstimulated and the arousal leads to humping behaviors. Discontinuing play and allowing the dog to calm down can help prevent this. Lower impact activities like training games, fetch, or walks can prevent overexcitement.
Fear and Reactivity
Anxious, fearful dogs may react to strangers or novel sights and sounds by humping. It’s a self-soothing mechanism. Desensitization training using positive reinforcement can help dogs learn to stay calm and look to their owner for reassurance when they encounter triggers.
When to Seek Help from Your Veterinarian
Schedule an appointment with your vet if your dog’s humping is:
– Accompanied by signs of illness like lethargy, loss of appetite, or panting
– Excessive to the point it interferes with normal behavior
– Directed at specific objects to the point of self-harm or destruction
– Causing inter-dog aggression or mounting humans
A vet exam can help identify underlying medical issues requiring treatment. Your vet may also refer you to a veterinary behaviorist who can provide a customized behavior modification plan.
Tips to Curb Humping
– Spay/neuter your dog. Intact dogs are more prone to hump, especially if a female dog is in heat nearby.
– Distract and redirect. When humping starts interrupt with a cue like “sit!” and praise for compliance. Offer a toy to redirect energy.
– Remove rewards. Step away and ignore humping rather than yelling or pushing your dog. Don’t let humping initiate play.
– Increase exercise. Take long daily walks, play fetch, go to a dog park. Meet your dog’s needs for activity and enrichment.
– Reduce stress triggers. Maintain routines. Avoid exposing an anxious dog to too many strangers or dogs. Use calming aids during triggers.
– Confine when unsupervised. Limit access to objects frequently humped using crates or barriers when you cannot actively supervise.
Is Humping Behavior Ever Normal?
While an increase in frequency often indicates an underlying problem, some humping, especially in adolescent dogs, is normal. Gentle correction when caught in the act and redirecting to an appropriate toy is the best response. Neutering usually reduces humping driven by hormones in male dogs. If the behavior becomes excessive or obsessive-compulsive, seek help from your veterinarian.
The Takeaway
An occasional hump here and there is not necessarily cause for alarm. But if your dog is suddenly and frequently humping people, objects or other pets, identifying the trigger will be essential to curbing the behavior. Your vet can check for urinary or skin infections, arthritis, anxiety, and other issues that may require medical treatment. Changes to exercise, confinement, supervision, and training can also help reduce hormonal and attention-seeking humping behaviors. With some detective work and diligence, inappropriate humping can be managed.