You’re out on a stroll with your dog and decide to stop at the dog park to let him play with other canines. Then you notice him tackling another dog. You may or may not have considered that dogs only do this with their counterparts and that it was due to hormones.
Now you come back home sit and relax with your dog. You call your girlfriend home to spend time with her and as soon as she enters a home or probably after some time, you notice that your dog has wrapped around his/her legs around your girlfriend and started to hump. Oops!! I know how it feels. Isn’t that awkward? I’m sure there must be a lot of emotions pouring through at that particular time, but it’s okay.
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It’s okay for your dog to hump. Both male and female dogs do hump
Whether male or female, all dogs can and do hump on occasion. This is a common occurrence, however, it can be humiliating or uncomfortable, and it can also result in injury if your dog mounts a smaller dog or a kid. Humping activity in dogs, on the other hand, is not just sexual and is regarded as a normal play behavior in dogs. Female dogs are just as likely as male dogs when it comes to humping. So now the question that needs to be addressed is,
Why does my dog hump, my girlfriend? Is it normal for dogs to hump?
As discussed earlier, it is absolutely normal for dogs to hump whether it’s a male or female. However, it’s important to know when humping behavior might need to be addressed. Below are some of the reasons why your dog humps your girlfriend.
4 reasons why your dog is humping your girlfriend
1. They are jealous of you and want to be the center of attention.
When dogs hump, it’s usually because they want to be the boss.
There’s a chance your dog is jealous when he sees you kissing your lover. That implies your dog will try to take the upper hand and establish dominance… Humping your partner might elevate them to the position of alpha.
When humping starts, your attention will rapidly shift to the dog and away from your partner who was the target of your emotions at the time.
2. They are ecstatic.
When we talk about people, the term “arousal” is nearly exclusively employed in a sexual context. That isn’t the sole definition, though. “The induction of strong sentiments or enthusiasm in someone,” is the second definition of arousal.
You can make people angry. You have the ability to arouse terror. And, in this case, your girlfriend arouses enthusiasm for your dog, implying that they are simply delighted to see them – which can appear as an unusual humping session.
When they hump your girlfriend’s leg, they could be seeking attention and releasing pent-up energy. Another reason why puppies that are extremely enthusiastic about everything and everyone hump is because of this.
When we owned our first dog, this was definitely the case with my dog.
He used to hump every visitor and spin in circles in delight at seeing them when he was younger.
Is this normal? Yes. Annoying? Yes! To a certain extent.
3. They’re having a good time.
Humping, like roughhousing and tug-of-war, is a technique for dogs to interact with one another. It’s typical to see dogs hump one other during play, especially as puppies and occasionally as adults.
It’s similar to pretending to fight. We’re not sure what to make of it, but everyone to their own, right?
It is also not a sexual matter in this case. In this approach, your dog is merely playing with your lover. If they haven’t been taught not to hump humans, they will treat your companion as if he or she were like any other dog.
4. They haven’t been neutered or spayed.
Only in this instance does the sexual argument make sense. Your dog may be humping to discharge sexual energy if it has not been spayed or neutered.
Even in that scenario, however, it isn’t truly about your lover. It’s almost as if they’re using your partner’s leg for masturbation.
I know… Isn’t it awkward?
It has nothing to do with any sexual feelings they have for your partner. They’re simply releasing sexual energy.
So how do you stop this? I went through 5 reasons as to why your dog may be humping your girlfriend, so let’s try to solve them one by one.
How do you get your dog to stop humping?
Excitement
If your dog is a young puppy, a certain amount of excitement is unavoidable. Dissociation through socialization is the best line of action. Those are just fancy words for meeting a lot of people to get your dog used to socializing with other people.
Puppy lessons and frequent social visits with other humans and dogs helped my dog control his eagerness when we had visitors.
Playfulness
To avoid humping through playfulness, make sure your dog is completely exhausted by the time your girlfriend or visitor comes.
Play a comprehensive tug-of-war match. Take a long, brisk stroll.
Anything that will keep your dog’s interest and make them a little more relaxed will work wonders.
Neutering or spaying
This should go without saying, but spaying or neutering your dog will solve a lot of behavioral issues in one fell swoop… but not all!
The tip of the iceberg is humping your girlfriend. Here are some other issues that neutering or saying can help with:
- There is a decreased desire to flee and travel.
- Aggression is reduced.
- Clinginess is reduced.
Training can be a good solution
You should train your dog with excellent dog habits and manners in addition to “fixing” or minimizing the underlying reason for your dog’s humping.
Every dog-owner relationship requires training. Don’t be scared to discipline your dog if he misbehaves.
The foundation of teaching your dog not to hump or mount your visitors boils down to immediate discipline. It’s pointless to try to teach them not to do something they’re already doing.
Your dog must grasp the connection between your correction and their actions.
When you notice your dog rubbing up against someone’s leg, gently take them away and firmly tell “no.” This should convey your dissatisfaction with the behavior.
Reward your dog with positive affirmations every time your dog welcomes a houseguest in a “nice” manner, that is, without jumping, dominating, or humping them.
Your dog will learn how to interact with guests and strangers with positive reinforcement and time.
The foundation of your correction should be distraction training. Out of all of these ideas, teaching your dog not to hump your partner or any other home guest will last the longest.
However, there are instances when you need a quick cure during the training process.
Distraction is the quickest fix of all
When your spouse comes to visit, carefully using food or activities to distract your dog is a quick way to calm the issue. A squeaky toy is especially beneficial because the sounds are so appealing to puppies.
You can even take the help of your partner to distract them.
When your partner comes to the door, they can carry a treat or a noisy toy in their hands to immediately engage your dog. Your dog will be too preoccupied to mount their legs!
Though distraction is a fairly foolproof strategy, it is only a temporary remedy, as I previously stated.
Consistent training and addressing the underlying reasons for mounting behavior are the most long-term solutions for permanently eliminating it.
Conclusion
If you and your girlfriend end up having a long-term relationship, these humping events will be something you can’t help but giggle about in the future.
While it may be embarrassing today, it will be the topic of talk at dinner parties for years to come! So take it easy and try to solve things.