Pooch and Mutt's expert trainer, Jon, is here to explore how to help your puppy through their humping phase, and how to get a handle on it.
Puppies going through their humping phase is never a cause for concern, but can be embarrassing - especially when visitors come over and your puppy can't tell the difference between their toy and your visitor's leg. It's a natural instinct, but one that can be helped with training.
How to help your puppy stop humping
- Humping is quite a common dog behaviour, especially in puppies.
- Generally, it's a result of being overexcited, aroused or to get attention.
They may do it instinctively at first and then when it promotes attention, they repeat it. This can quickly lead to the behaviour becoming compulsive.
- Older puppies can develop this habit as their hormones start to run riot and it's a lot more common in unneutered or spayed dogs.
- Underlying medical issues such as prostate infections, skin infections and irritation can also lead to your puppy humping as they try to alleviate discomfort.
- When trying to train them out of it, never try to stop negative behaviour by using food, toys or attention as a distraction. You are unwittingly reinforcing the behaviour, and actually encouraging the puppy to do it more.
- When they begin humping, use a firm tone to verbally reprimand your pup. If they seem to be humping more than usual, double check with your vet that there aren't any underlying issues.
- If they have the all clear, the next step is to assess your puppy's lifestyle to see if anything particular is triggering their humping habit. When you identify their trigger points, you should begin approaching the situation in a more calm and measured way.
- Alongside verbal correction, creating a calm atmosphere and environment for your puppy is key to curbing this habit.
- As well as staying calm and using verbal correction, you can also pair this with spatial pressure. Spatial pressure refers to chasing or herding the puppy away from something they shouldn't do, like humping visitors.
- Puppies and dogs will repeat behaviour that rewards them in some way. We need to make humping unpleasant quickly and fairly.
Timing and a sudden change in your energy is the key, as soon as the puppy starts to hump or mount a cushion or person's leg, dash over, clapping your hands together whilst saying no, no, no repetitively. Make sure to pair each clap of your hands together is paired with the no command.
The idea is to startle your puppy out of the behaviour and drive them away from the trigger. It isn't enough to simply stop them, you have to herd them away.
By moving them well away from the area, they are less likely to come back and start again.
- When the puppy stops, instantly go back to a relaxed demeanour. If you are sure they aren’t going to start again, then call them over and give them some calm reassuring affection. This is balance we want - the puppy to only associate the correction with that particular behaviour.
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