Are you wondering why your female dog is humping objects and other dogs? You are not the only one. I don’t know why but most pet owners think that only male dogs hump. That’s wrong, female dogs hump too. Why do female dogs hump?
Female dogs hump mainly when they are in heat, a type of sexual behavior both male and female dogs do. Female dogs can hump out of stress and excitement as well. This behavior can become compulsive, dogs can use it to seek attention too. Another reason may be showing dominance.
Don’t be too weirded out by this type of behavior, you shouldn’t praise it as well. Here are the reasons why female dogs hump. This will help you understand your dog’s behavior better.
Why Do Female Dogs Hump Other Dogs
To set things clear, both male and female dogs will hump almost everything. From people’s legs to dogs. Dogs are known to hump household objects like pillows.
Although at first, it may be funny, you will soon find out that that kind of behavior can be disruptive. Soon enough, your dog may start humping everything. That’s why you need to understand where this kind of behavior comes from.
The Dog Is In Heat
When dogs reach their fertile state in their reproductive cycle, we say that they are “in heat”. Female dogs feel this instinctively, and they know that this is the time for reproduction. [Source]
Female dogs will exhibit most of their sexual behavior while they are in heat. We already said that females can show sexual behavior by humping other dogs.
So, when female dogs are in heat, they hump dogs that they see as potential mates. Humping is a way to initiate the reproductive ritual.
However, females don’t have to be in heat to show sexual behavior. Although this rarely happens, if the female likes the male, it may start humping it.
The Dog Is Excited
Dogs will hump out of excitement as well. This is why sometimes when you are playing with your dog if it gets too exciting, it will suddenly start humping you.
They don’t really know how to react to these exciting moments, so some dogs decide to go for the humping. This is not always the case, some dogs pee out of excitement or show some different kind of behavior.
When dogs don’t know how to react to a stressful or an overly-exciting situation, they will often scratch, dig, or hump. It depends on the dog, but try to notice if your dog humps only in exciting situations.
The Dog Is Seeking Attention
Dogs are better learners than you think so. They will remember what action caused laughter, joy, or anger in the owner. You can notice this type of behavior when your dog is seeking attention. Often, dogs will do what will get your attention.
As expected, your dog humping another dog had the audience laughing quite a lot. So, the dog knowing that type of behavior results in attention, the dog will do that when it wants attention.
Even if you scolded your dog when it was humping, it can still do that to get attention. Dogs don’t care whether you are mad or happy when they want attention as long as they get it.
The Dog Has A Compulsive Disorder
Remember, dogs will hump out of stress, not only out of excitement. Dogs that are anxious or stressed a lot, start developing a compulsive disorder. [Source]
The disorder can result in different types of compulsive behavior. Usually, this type of behavior is licking, pacing, tail chasing, etc… But the dog can exhibit compulsive humping as well.
This happens when anxious dogs react with humping to deal with the stress. Once this turns into a habit, the compulsive behavior will be humping.
[Related Article: 10 Signs That Your Dog Is Crying For Help Or Under Distress]
Showing Dominance
Although it’s rare with females, they can show dominance as well. And, just like male dogs, female dogs will hump other dogs to show their dominance over them.
This is kind of hard to prove whether it’s true and whether it’s the case with your dog. Try to notice if your dog isn’t really in heat and interested in reproduction. If there is no reason for your dog to be humping a dog, it may be showing dominance. Especially, if it sees the other dog as competition.
Why Is My Dog Humping Objects
You can understand why your dog is humping other dogs and how would it mistake you for a dog. But why do dogs hump objects?
The reasons for dogs humping objects are not that different from dogs humping objects. Female dogs rarely hump pillows and objects as sexual behavior.
Dogs will hump objects during playtime. It’s a way to play for the dog because it doesn’t know otherwise. If the dog gets a lot of attention while it’s doing this, the humping will turn into a habit.
Humping objects may be a behavior that results from stress and anxiety as well. So, if you are not playing with your dog, and it looks stressed, it’s humping objects out of anxiety.
How To Stop My Dog From Humping
There is nothing wrong with a female dog humping once in a while. If the behavior isn’t disruptive, you should just ignore it, and make sure it doesn’t turn into a habit.
However, if your dog is humping quite a lot, and the behavior is becoming a problem, you need to act. Here’s how to stop your dog from humping.
First of all, you need to find out why your dog is humping. For instance, you can’t a stop dog from humping by neutering it if it’s compulsive behavior.
- Spaying.
If your dog is humping because it’s in heat, spaying will stop the humping. Spaying is a procedure where the dog’s ovaries and the uterus are removed. This should stop the dog’s reproductive cycle. If the dog doesn’t have a reproductive drive, it will not exhibit sexual behavior. - Mating.
Instead of spaying, you can find a mate for your dog. This is not an ideal solution for people that don’t have space for additional dogs. Still, it’s a solution. Once a dog has matted, it will not feel the need to reproduce for a while. - Distracting the dog.
If your dog is humping out of excitement, spaying and mating won’t help. Instead, you need to discourage the dog from that kind of behavior. Here, scolding your dog doesn’t help. Instead, you need to get the dog used to another type of behavior when it’s excited or stressed. Try offering treats or toys when you see that it’s mounting another dog. - Don’t let the humping get your attention.
When dogs hump to seek attention, the worst thing to do is provide that attention. If you know your dog is humping to get your attention, ignore it when it’s doing that.
[Related Article: How To Train A Dog With A No Pull Harness]
Related Questions And Other FAQs
Why Do Female Dogs Hump After They Have Been Fixed
Spaying doesn’t necessarily stop female dogs from humping. Female dogs hump because of other reasons like stress, seeking attention, and compulsive disorder.
Why Do Female Dogs Cry When Mating
Crying when mating is a part of the reproductive ritual. Female dogs will cry when they see a potential mate in order to get its attention. The female may also hump the male to initiate the process.
