{"id":9994,"date":"2022-05-03T14:42:50","date_gmt":"2022-05-03T14:42:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zigzag.dog\/blog\/uncategorized\/why-do-puppies-hump\/"},"modified":"2023-03-30T11:01:33","modified_gmt":"2023-03-30T11:01:33","slug":"why-do-puppies-hump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zigzag.dog\/en-us\/blog\/puppy-behavior\/understanding-your-puppy\/why-do-puppies-hump\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do Puppies Hump?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It can be really comical when our dogs and puppies hump; Grandad\u2019s just sat down with a cuppa and pooch goes to town on his leg! But why do puppies hump? It\u2019s probably a question you\u2019ve often asked yourself with a chuckle, you\u2019ve seen your puppy cut loose on another puppy, or perhaps one of their toys. Those of you with female puppies need not be smug either. It\u2019s not just a boy thing, yes girls hump too. So why does your puppy hump, and should you ever be worried about your puppy humping? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep on reading and we\u2019ll be helping you understand why puppies hump, what you should do if your puppy is a bit of a humper and if letting them hump their toys is a good or bad idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you\u2019re about to discover, puppies hump for all kinds of reasons. Positive reinforcement training will help you deal with it! Download the Zigzag puppy training app<\/a> to start your puppy training journey today and reduce your puppy\u2019s humping! We also have a team of puppy training coaches<\/a> who are fully qualified dog trainers and behaviorists. They\u2019re available at the click of a button, oh and you can call us too. Although a humping conversation might make us laugh a little, we WILL be able to help, we promise!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Victor Grabarczyk<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why do puppies hump?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are many reasons that puppies hump, and they\u2019re not all because they\u2019re feeling fruity, don\u2019t worry! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puppy humping can be a very normal way of expressing how they feel through their body language<\/a>. It is often, but not always linked to anxiety and\/or overarousal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puppy humping is a stress response<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s right, when puppies get stressed and feel anxious, they will often hump. We call this a displacement behavior, and it\u2019s as common as us biting our nails, or fiddling with our hair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tired puppies will also hump more to deal with the feelings they\u2019re having, and puppies do have BIG feelings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puppies hump due to over-arousal <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Stress doesn\u2019t necessarily mean your puppy\u2019s having a nervous breakdown, it can also be about over excitement and over-arousal. Your puppy is a buzzing bursting ball of energy and needs to get rid of that excess energy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humping is a self-soothing behavior that helps your puppy calm down and get rid of some of that energy they have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pop by and read our article on puppy biting<\/a> as this is very commonly seen when your puppy is over aroused and tired too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puppy humping is practising sexual behavior<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Well, a pup\u2019s gotta learn the moves, even if we take away their equipment to carry out the deed. We don\u2019t think it\u2019s abnormal or unnatural for Rover to practise hunting behaviors when they\u2019re a puppy, so it shouldn\u2019t be too much of a surprise that one of the reasons puppies hump is to practice other kinds of behavior too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puppy humping can be attention seeking behavior<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Do you only pay attention to your puppy when they hump something? Perhaps you laugh and get everyone to watch when your puppy humps their favorite toy? From your puppy\u2019s perspective, it\u2019s getting your attention\u2026and you know how much they love your attention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puppies hump because it feels good<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Because some dogs really do enjoy doing ‘the wild thing’, usually when they\u2019re getting a little older. But also because getting rid of that excess energy when you\u2019re stressed brings about a huge amount of relief in your puppy or dog. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humping can be a normal part of puppy play<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It can be an invitation to play, or a demand even. We know, in humans, you\u2019d consider it a bit rude, wouldn\u2019t you? But in puppies, it can be quite normal. It\u2019s worth watching out if your puppy is constantly humping one particular dog or if your puppy is always the one being humped. Otherwise, in the words of Frozen, let it go\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puppies hump to de-escalate situations and calm things down<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever heard of someone calling their dog \u2018the fun police\u2019 and wondered why this might be. This is often the dog that gets in the middle and has a quick hump, \u2018chill out guys\u2019 is the message they\u2019re sending other dogs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puppy humping is not about dominance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We think you might have heard this reason why puppies hump, a lot, right? \u2018Your puppy is being dominant\u2019 \u2018My puppy is just showing the other who\u2019s boss by humping them\u2019 or \u2018Mummy dogs hump their puppies to be dominant\u2019 when there is: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Little evidence that this behavior is ever seen between conspecifics in dominance hierarchies<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. No functional point in trying to assert dominance in this way<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. A number of other reasons why puppies are humping that are far more plausible<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    Photo by charlesdeluvio<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    What do I do if my puppy is humping?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    In order to stop your puppy humping you need to do some sleuthing and find out the reason why your puppy is humping. Put in place some management protocols to reduce the amount of stress your puppy is experiencing and map out a training plan for what you\u2019d like them to do instead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    1. Find out what situations your puppy is humping in<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      To figure out why puppies hump we need to write down all of the situations that you\u2019ve noticed your puppy humping. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      1. Remove stressors to reduce puppy humping<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Stressors or contributing factors to your puppy humping you, other people or other dogs, might be any of the following<\/p>\n\n\n\n