Right Then, What’s All This Humping About?
Picture the scene. You’re having a nice, quiet cuppa, watching your dogs potter about the garden. All is calm. Then, out of nowhere, your lovely bitch makes a beeline for your male dog and starts… well, you know. Humping him for all she’s worth. The male dog looks baffled, you feel a bit awkward, and the moment of peace is shattered. If you’ve ever gone a bit beet-red and wondered what on earth is going on, you’re not alone. It’s a common sight, but it can leave us owners scratching our heads.
Let’s get one thing straight from the off: this behaviour isn’t always about what it looks like. While it’s easy to jump to conclusions, a female dog humping a male dog is a complex bit of communication with a whole host of different meanings. It’s rarely a purely sexual act, especially if she’s been spayed.
The Real Reasons Your Lass is Humping Your Lad
So, if it’s not what we think, what is it? Dog behaviour is all about context. The reason for the humping can often be found by looking at what else is happening at the time. Here are the most common culprits.
It’s All a Bit of a Game (Over-Excitement)
Often, humping is simply a sign that your dog is massively over-excited or aroused by a situation. Think of it like a kid who gets the giggles at the wrong time. Playtime can escalate, a visitor arriving can be thrilling, or a new toy can be the best thing ever. This built-up energy has to go somewhere, and for some dogs, it comes out as mounting or humping. It’s not aggression; it’s just an emotional overflow.
Sorting Out the Pecking Order (Social Chatter)
For years, people chalked all humping up to ‘dominance’. While that’s an over-simplification, it does play a part in social communication. Mounting can be a way for dogs to test boundaries and establish their place within their little pack. It’s less of a “I’m the boss!” and more of a “So, where do we both stand here?” It’s a piece of a much larger conversation happening through body language.
A Bit of a Fret (Stress and Anxiety)
Just like people bite their nails or pace about, dogs have ways of coping with stress. Humping can be a self-soothing or displacement behaviour. If your dog feels anxious, confused, or conflicted about a situation (like a new dog in the house or loud noises outside), they might resort to humping as a way to relieve that tension. It’s a coping mechanism, plain and simple.
Blame the Hormones (For Unspayed Lasses)
If your female dog hasn’t been spayed, then hormones can absolutely be a factor. Fluctuations during her reproductive cycle can trigger all sorts of behaviours, including mounting. This is one of the more straightforward, biological reasons you might see this action, particularly directed towards male dogs.
“Look At Me!” (Learned Behaviour & Attention Seeking)
Dogs are clever. If your girl humps the other dog and it causes you to jump up, shout, and give her attention (even if it’s negative attention), she might learn that this is a brilliant way to get you to interact with her. The behaviour gets reinforced, and a habit is born.
Time for a Vet Check? (Underlying Health Niggles)
While less common, a sudden increase in humping can sometimes point to a medical issue. Things like urinary tract infections, skin allergies, or other sources of irritation or discomfort could be the cause. If the behaviour is new, obsessive, or accompanied by other symptoms like excessive licking of the area, a chat with your vet is always a sensible idea.
But She’s Been ‘Done’! Why Do Spayed Females Still Hump?
This is a big source of confusion for owners. You’ve had her spayed, so the hormones should be gone, right? The thing is, behaviour can become ingrained. If she learned to hump due to excitement or stress before she was spayed, the habit can stick around long after the hormonal driver is gone. It becomes her default response in certain situations.
When to Step In (And How to Do It Without a Fuss)
Most of the time, if the other dog isn’t bothered, a bit of brief humping is harmless. However, if it’s becoming obsessive, causing scraps, or aimed at a dog who is clearly not happy about it, it’s time to intervene. The key is calm redirection.
- Don’t make a scene: Shouting can just add more excitement or stress to the situation.
- Redirect their attention: Calmly call her away and give her something else to do. A simple command like ‘sit’ or asking her to fetch a toy can snap her out of it.
- Manage the environment: If it always happens when guests arrive, pop her on a lead for the first few minutes until the initial excitement dies down.
- Ensure enough exercise: A tired dog is often a well-behaved dog. Make sure both your pooches are getting enough physical and mental stimulation to burn off that excess energy.
A Quick Checklist: Become a Dog Behaviour Detective
To really get to the bottom of it, you need to observe. Next time it happens, instead of just reacting, take a mental note. Ask yourself these questions:
- When did it happen? (e.g., During a game of fetch? Five minutes after the postman came? When I was getting their dinner ready?)
- What was the body language of both dogs? (Was the humping dog stiff and tense, or loose and wiggly? Was the other dog trying to get away, or did they not seem to care?)
- Was there a clear trigger? (e.g., A new toy, a loud noise, another dog walking past the window?)
- How long did it last? (Was it a quick mount-and-dismount, or was it persistent?)
Jotting down the answers for a week or two can often reveal a clear pattern, pointing you directly to the cause.
The Long and Short of It
Seeing your female dog humping your male dog can be a bit mortifying, but it’s usually a perfectly normal, if misunderstood, part of dog communication. By taking a moment to look at the context rather than just the act itself, you can understand what your dog is trying to tell you. More often than not, it’s a simple case of over-excitement or social exploration—not a sign that your sweet little lass has ‘got ideas’.
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