How to Stop a Dog from Humping Your Leg

How embarrassing — your brother brings his new girlfriend over to your house for dinner and Fluffy makes a beeline straight for her leg. 

Hump, hump, hump. 

Everyone laughs awkwardly as you do your best to mitigate the humping. 

Why is she humping legs? Isn’t that just for boys? Doesn’t she know that she’s a girl? Doesn’t she know that she no longer has her baby-making parts? Is she trying to be dominant? 

We’ll talk about dog-humping behavior below, explain the reasons it often occurs, and provide a few pointers for putting an end to it. 

The Basics: Why Do Dogs Hump Things? 

Humping in the human world is definitely taboo. Public humping would be wildly inappropriate if Fluffy were human! 

But in the dog world, humping is normal. This is where dog “culture” and human “culture” clash. In dog culture, there’s nothing taboo about humping at all. 

She is most certainly not trying to dominate you. And humping is not always sexual in nature, either — especially when it’s your leg that she’s humping. In fact, humping often has nothing to do with sex at all.

And both altered and unaltered males and females hump. It’s a dog thing!

In fact, there are a variety of specific reasons dogs hump things. We’ll discuss some of the most common reasons they do so in greater detail below. 

Dog Humping Triggers: Things That Get Dogs Going

Humping, like many dog behaviors, comes with complexities and nuances. 

Humping and mounting are not “bad” behaviors, nor are they abnormal. However, they may very well be unpleasant for us (not to mention other pets and house guests). 

Humping can occur for a number of reasons: 

• She is excited.
• She is over-aroused. No, not sexually, just in general.
• She is stressed out or feeling anxious.
• Attention seeking behavior. She learns that humping gets your immediate attention!
• Medical issues. If she has a medical issue, like a skin irritation or urinary tract infection, you may notice humping behavior increases.
• Behavior issues. Stereotypies (repetitive behaviors that can be somewhat similar to obsessive compulsive disorder in humans) can cause dogs to hump compulsively. However, this is not a common stereotypy, even among the small percentage of dogs that experience this condition.
• It’s social. Puppies, especially, hump during play.
• Control. It can be a way to gain control (between two dogs, not with humans)
• It just feels good. That is certainly always a possibility, too
• Displacement behavior. Often trainers may refer to humping as a displacement behavior. This is a behavior that occurs when a dog feels emotionally conflicted. 

For example, I worked with a dog who was fearful of new people.

He also loved when I came to his house for sessions and got very excited about my arrival because we had a lot of fun and a lot of delicious treats while I was there.

His outlet for this conflict of emotions was humping (my leg, stuffies, his bed). He was conflicted between his excitement of my arrival, and also his anxiety of having me in his home.

Humping and mounting acts as an outlet for all that energy, whether excited energy or nervous energy. Every dog has a different coping mechanism, and for some dogs, that’s humping.

To determine the exact reason your dog is humping things, I suggest doing some investigative work. 

Ask yourself:

• Is this a new behavior? 
• Does she always hump the same person, or will any ol’ leg do? 
• And most importantly, what is happening right before the humping starts? 
• What is her body language telling you? Is she showing signs of stress? Is she over-the-moon excited? 

Try keeping a journal if you’re unsure of the answer to these questions. This is the best way to see if there’s a pattern.

You can see if the video below, this little dog is showing other signs of stress, such as lip licking and averting his gaze.

Context Clues: Specific Dog-Humping Situations 

Sometimes humping is context specific. Maybe your dog only humps strangers who come in your home, maybe she just targets men, or maybe she never humps strangers and only humps you.

Why Does My Dog Hump Me (and No One Else)? 

To figure out why your dog seems to be especially smitten with you, start by asking yourself what happens right before or right after she humps your leg. 

Is there something you are doing that has caused her to feel stressed? 

For example, my dog stresses about me talking on Skype. 

Maybe your dog doesn’t like the sound of the microwave or the clanging of the dishes you are washing, and this causes her to feel anxious.

The trigger could also be something that your partner is doing or noises she hears outside that cause her to feel stressed or anxious. Any of these types of things could cause her to look to you for comfort (in the form of humping).

Or, maybe you are the one who plays with her the most, or walks her, or talks to her in that fun squeaky voice that gets her so excited that she just needs to hump! This excitement may overwhelm her, thereby triggering the humping behavior. 

Why Does My Dog Hump My Boyfriend/Husband/Girlfriend/Wife? 

Sometimes, dogs tend to focus their flirty fun on a particular individual in a household. 

This can happen for a variety of reasons. It could be that your boyfriend or wife does something that gets your pooch overly excited (or even makes her nervous).

If your partner doesn’t live in the same house, it might be the novelty and excitement he or she brings to the table during visits. 

In my household, I work from home quite frequently, and I spend a lot of time with my pup, Juno. My husband, on the other hand, works long hours. 

They are both thrilled to see each other at the end of the day, and they have a very different relationship vibe than Juno and I do. She doesn’t hump, but she certainly becomes over aroused, mouthy and jumpy!

There are a lot of factors that could produce one set of behaviors with one family member and a totally different set of behaviors with another. In all cases, you’ll want to consider the things that happened right before the humping starts. 

In other words, look for her humping triggers. You can then work on avoiding the triggers to help eliminate the humping, or at least reduce the frequency at which it occurs. 

Why Does My Dog Hump Her Bed or Toys? 

Humans and other dogs aren’t the only victims of your canine’s humping. Toys, beds, stuffed animals, and other inanimate objects can often take the brunt of your pup’s banging behavior. 

Once again, the reasons for these behaviors vary.  

Humping a toy or bed may just feel good to your pooch, it could be an outlet for stress or anxiety, or maybe she is just super-duper stoked to have company. 

Or, if you have punished your puppers in the past for humping legs, she may have redirected that urge to her bed or toys instead. 

Punishing a dog or preventing them from engaging in a problematic behavior without providing an acceptable alternative will not address the root cause of the issue. 

Accordingly, whatever was driving the old behavior will manifest in all kinds of new and creative ways. Punishment can also make their anxiety worse.

Sometimes when dogs are excited leg-humpers, I will have people teach their pooch to hump their bed instead. This is often a good compromise for both the humans and the dogs.

Why Does My Dog Hump Other Dogs? 

Dogs hump other dogs with regularity (they also, obviously, have intercourse with other dogs, but we’re talking about simple pelvic thrusting here). 

When looking for the cause of dog-on-dog humping behavior I suggest that we take off our human goggles for a moment, and examine the situation from our dog’s perspective. 

Mounting and humping are not uncommon or wrong in dog “culture.” A lot of dogs hump!

Having said this, if our dogs are completely stressed out, it becomes a compulsive behavior, or this over-arousal is causing any additional conflict between play partners (i.e., play turns into a fight), you may want to try to curtail the practice. 

Preventing that emotional state that triggers the humping from happening in the first place is the ideal route of intervention. 

But honestly, I would prefer humping to the fights and conflict! 

Below, we’ll discuss two of the most common examples of dogs humping other dogs, so you can better understand what’s happening with your pupper. 

My Dog Keeps Humping My New Dog!

Newly acquired dogs often serve as the target for an established, resident dog’s humping. And once again, you may need to do some investigating to determine the cause of the behavior. 

If the humping is occurring during play, it is likely due to over-arousal and excitement from all the fun they’re having. 

I had two former dogs, Monday and Stewie, who often humped during play with each other, but neither ever humped other dogs. They enjoyed playing rough, taking a little humping break every now and then, then got back to work playing. 

No harm, no foul. And no reason to worry, either; it didn’t affect their friendship in the least!

If the humping is related to anxiety, and having the new dog in the home is stressful for your old dog, there may be other things that set it off. This could be triggered by changes in daily routines, close encounters or conflicts between the two dogs. 

It could be related to control. But as was the case with Monday and Stewie, just because your dog is humping her new “sibling” does not mean she will hump all dogs she meets.

A good rule of thumb is, if there is nothing inherently compulsive about the humping and the humper is not fazed by the humpee, just let sleeping dogs lie (so to speak). 

If the humpee, on the other hand, is not enjoying the engagement, she will be quick to let the humper know. Most of the time, well-adjusted dogs can sort out social encounters on their own. 

My male dog won’t leave spayed female alone!

Intact male dogs, as they become sexually mature, have elevated hormone levels and higher level of sexual motivation. Mounting isn’t always for sexual intercourse; it can also represent a form of masturbation. 

Neutering your male dog in such situations may help, but it’s not guaranteed to do so. Particularly if the behaviour has been in practice for years, after they’ve already become pretty good at it!

Why Does My Dog Hump the Air?  

Sometimes, dogs will start gyrating their hips without even having a target for the humping! We often call this behavior “air humping.” 

Air humping is not unlike other forms of humping. 

In preadolescent and neutered dogs, it is generally a manifestation of over-arousal. Maybe they were humping your leg and after removed, they continue to hump the air a few times because those motor neurons are in overdrive. 

Or, maybe there’s no leg or toy nearby to hump when the become compelled to thrust their hips in that awkward and seemingly random humping motion. 

In all cases, the motivations are typically the same as when dogs hump legs, toys, or other dogs. 

Do Female Dogs Hump Things Too?

Humping isn’t just a male behavior — female dogs are just as likely to hump and mount other dogs as than males are. 

And this holds true whether the dogs are intact (unaltered) or not. Because humping is more often than not a nonsexual behavior, males and females can both be on the giving or receiving end. 

So, don’t worry that your female dog may be strange, humping is a normal behavior for dogs of either sex.

Do Dogs Hump Members of the Same Sex?

Many dogs are equal-opportunity humpers, who will readily mount other dogs of either sex. Female dogs hump other females and male dogs hump other males. It doesn’t necessarily mean that your dog is gay. 

As we have seen, dogs hump for a plethora of reasons other than sex. Don’t be concerned about your dog’s same-sex humping and mounting behavior — your dog certainly isn’t!

Do Puppies Hump Things, or Is It Just Adult Dogs?

Puppies may actually hump a lot more than adult dogs during dog-dog play. It’s a fairly normal component of playtime for young puppers. 

This is a good time for them to learn that it might not always be appropriate. Play partners may tell them off and they learn what not to do if they want to keep the play session going. 

However, if their play partner is a teddy bear, they may just accept it. 

But if you want to curb the behavior, now is the time. Teaching a young puppy alternative and appropriate behaviors is much easier than it is to change the behavior of an older dog, who has been practicing the behavior for years.

Is Humping “Bad?” Should You Stop It?

No, humping isn’t necessarily a “bad” behavior. 

Except when it is.  

It’s complicated. 

Let’s start with the reasons it isn’t a problem. 

Generally, if your dog’s humping is not causing a conflict, if it’s not a problem for you, and it’s not overly compulsive (it isn’t happening ritualistically several times a day and causing your humping dog distress), then I say let dogs be dogs.

But, it can be a problem, if the root cause of the humping is undue stress or anxiety (not because they are humping, but because of why they are humping). 

It can also be an issue worth addressing, if it’s causing conflict between your dog and her dog friends, or you don’t want her humping your guests..

How Do I Stop My Dog from Humping?

If your dog’s humping behavior is a problem for you, your guests, or other pets, there are a few things you can do to stop it. 

If you feel it is necessary to intervene and put an end to your dog’s humping, please keep in mind that physically removing a humping dog may not be necessary or appropriate. 

It could even be interpreted by the humper as a negative consequence, (i.e., punishment). And by punishing a dog for humping, other issues may arise. 

Essentially this punishment can create a negative association with the other dog, you, or play itself. It will exacerbate any conflicting emotions and intensify, or it may even cause anxiety to occur. 

What should you do?

• Prevent. Did you do your investigation? Do you know what triggers the humping behavior? If so, we can easily alter their routine or change our own behavior to prevent the humping from happening in the first place. For example, if the humping occurs when someone new comes to visit, have your dog kenneled or behind barriers until she is calm. Then redirect her to a chew toy or Kong before she becomes over-aroused again. You may need to work on having friends visit until she is able to form some solid new and more (human) appropriate behaviors.
• Redirect. Teach her to redirect her humping to a toy or bed rather than your guests’ leg. 
• Recall. Teach your dog to come immediately to your side when called.  This can be ideal for all kinds of situations, including humping other dogs she is playing with. Make sure you practice until perfect in less arousing situations until it can be applied to humping scenarios.
• Better options. Teach an alternative behavior. If you know your dog humps when she is over-excited, teach her to go to her mat in provoking situations. 
• Teach her to be calm. If over-excitement and over-arousal are the antecedents to humping, teach your pup to be calmer in general. The more she practices being calm, the easier it will become for her to settle, even when things are exciting! 
• Separate the dogs. Sometimes this is necessary and unavoidable. Try to be as gentle as possible. You may even find that treats or a toy are an easy distraction and you are able to lure the humper from the humpee, rather than having to physically separate them. Once you have your pupper’s attention, you can redirect her to something that is more appropriate and equally as fun as humping.

Is Dog Mounting Sexual or a Sign of Dominance?

Sometimes, dog mounting can be sexual in nature, but at other times it can be a sign of dominance. 

It can also be caused by neither or both of these reasons.  

Let’s be clear: Your dog is not trying to have sex with your leg or dominate you when she starts humping. 

Dominance social hierarchies do not exist between dogs and humans. 

It can happen between dogs, but this kind of dominance is not a static personality trait of an individual, nor is it inherently aggressive or overt in canines. Social dominance actually has a lot more to do with leadership and guidance than battling for supremacy. 

Nevertheless, humping another dog can be a gesture of dominance. It can also be a sign that she is testing the waters to see who will accept it, and who won’t. This can potentially lead to fights. 

If your dog is more interested in humping at the dog park than playing, it might not be an appropriate environment for her.

Of course, dogs may also hump for sexual reasons. But your intact male dog is not mistaking you for the unaltered poodle down the block. In the case of dogs who are spayed or neutered, humping behavior is unlikely to be sexual in nature.

But again, dominance hierarchies do not exist between humans and dogs. Your dog is not vying for the best spot in the bed by humping your leg! Nor is she hoping to make some babies with you, either.

Do Humping Dogs Need an Outlet for Their Frustration?

Sometimes it is easier to just let humping dogs hump, rather than trying to eliminate the behavior. Again, review the information provided in the section above to figure out if the humping may be a problem you need to address. 

I prefer to let dogs do their thing, unless it’s unwelcome, or it becomes a compulsive behavior (you are unable to redirect them, and they are consumed with the urge to hump). 

If it’s a compulsion and you are concerned about it causing a serious disruption to their daily life, a canine behavior expert may be able to help you. Humping, however, is not a common compulsive behavior to see in dogs.

But before deciding whether to get your dog a plastic playmate, you’ll need to determine whether the frustration is general or sexual in nature.  

General Frustration

If your dog humps her toys, beds or other inanimate objects, it’s better than a leg, in my opinion. 

I often teach leg humpers to redirect their attention to a toy or inanimate object. This can help you save-face in the company of guests. A plastic humping doll may be helpful in such cases. 

Sexual Frustration

Some intact male dogs may (or may not) enjoy humping inanimate objects for sexual relief. There is a company out there that actually manufactures a “sex doll,” for a lack of a better term, which may be the craziest thing I have seen on the internet lately. 

Honestly, the anatomy and appearance of this so-called “hotdoll” is likely inconsequential to him, and any ol’ object will likely do. 

I could be wrong; I have actually never seen one of these items in use. And I’m probably happy keeping it that way!

Will Spaying or Neutering Stop My Dog from Humping?

If your female puppy is a humper, you likely won’t see much change in her humping behavior once spayed. Females who hump pre-spay often continue to do so post-spay. 

On the other hand, if your male puppy is a humper, you may see some decrease in the humping behavior once he’s neutered, though this is certainly not guaranteed. 

Spaying and neutering your dog alters their hormone levels, and for males, this may help to curb their humping enthusiasm. Make sure to read up on the pros and cons of neutering and spaying a dog before you get the operation in hopes of putting a stop to humping.

Humping is quite normal for puppies when they play in general, and this might also decrease naturally as they get older. 

Puppyhood is also a great time to teach them not to hump. Start early, and prevent those unwanted behaviors before they become a habit.

***

Humping, like all dog behaviors, is pretty complex. At the end of the day, if your dog isn’t doing so because of anxiety or inner conflict, and it isn’t causing a problem for you, your other dogs, or house guests, you can just let her have at it. 

But if the behavior is making life difficult or indicative of an underlying emotional issue, you should try to determine what triggers the behavior so you can try to eliminate them and short-circuit the behavior entirely. You may also want to work on redirecting her, and teaching her that some things (like inanimate objects) are acceptable to hump. 

Does your dog hump your house guests? What management techniques or divergence strategies have you tried? We’d love to hear about them in the comments below!