It’s a common sight at dog parks and in living rooms around the world: a dog humping. While often associated with male dogs and sexual behavior, humping is a normal behavior in female dogs too. If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Why Do Girl Dogs Hump?” you’re not alone. This article will delve into the various reasons behind this behavior in female dogs, helping you understand and manage it effectively.
Is Humping Normal for Female Dogs?
Yes, humping is absolutely normal for female dogs. Despite misconceptions, it’s not solely a male dog behavior. Female dogs hump for a variety of reasons, and while it might be embarrassing for owners, it’s important to understand that it’s a natural canine behavior.
Understanding your dog’s body language is crucial for effective communication and behavior management. When it comes to humping, it’s vital to avoid punishment like yelling or physical corrections. The goal is to modify the behavior, not to suppress it through fear or force. Humping in female dogs is often less about sexual intent and more about other underlying factors like stress, anxiety, excitement, or even learned habits.
Unpacking the Reasons: Why Female Dogs Hump
Several factors can contribute to humping behavior in female dogs. These reasons are diverse and can range from developmental stages to emotional responses and even medical conditions:
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Hormonal Fluctuations in Puppies: Just like human teenagers, puppies experience hormonal surges as they grow and explore their world. This hormonal activity can lead to increased humping as they navigate their developing bodies and social interactions.
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Hyperarousal and Excitement: Meeting new dogs or people can be incredibly exciting for dogs. This excitement can manifest as hyperarousal, leading to humping. Dogs who haven’t developed strong socialization skills might hump excessively in social situations. They might lack the learned behaviors for appropriate play and interaction, causing them to become overstimulated and resort to humping. This behavior, if repeated and associated with the attention it often garners, can unfortunately become a learned habit, especially when coupled with anxiety.
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Natural Sexual Behavior (Less Common in Spayed Females): While less common in spayed female dogs, humping can sometimes be a part of natural sexual behavior, especially if the female dog is not spayed or is experiencing hormonal fluctuations. In these cases, you might observe other flirtatious behaviors like play bows and pawing alongside humping.
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Stress and Anxiety Relief: For some female dogs, humping serves as a coping mechanism for stress or anxiety. Dogs have different ways of managing stress; some might pace, whine, or in this case, hump. If a dog lacks other outlets for stress relief, humping can become a more frequent behavior.
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Medical Issues and Abnormal Hormone Production: Sudden onset humping in an adult female dog can sometimes signal an underlying medical problem. It’s worth considering if the humping behavior is new, as it could be linked to hormonal imbalances or other health concerns. If your female dog starts humping abruptly, a veterinary check-up is advisable to rule out any medical causes.
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Learned Behavior for Attention: Dogs are smart, and they quickly learn what gets them attention from their humans. If a female dog discovers that humping elicits a reaction (even a negative one), they might repeat the behavior to seek attention. Since most people find it hard to ignore a dog humping them, even a scolding can be perceived as attention, inadvertently reinforcing the behavior.
Humping After Spaying: Lingering Hormones or Learned Habit?
If your female dog is humping even after being spayed, it’s important to remember that hormones don’t vanish immediately after the procedure. It can take up to three months for hormones to fully dissipate from a dog’s system post-spay. Therefore, recent spaying could be a reason for continued humping. Alternatively, if the behavior was present before spaying and wasn’t addressed, it could have become a learned behavior, independent of hormonal influences.
Why Specific Targets? People, Objects, and Other Dogs
Female dogs, like their male counterparts, can be particular about what or who they choose to hump. The target can vary depending on the reason behind the behavior:
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Attention-Seeking Humping: If the humping is for attention, the target is often a person, especially someone who reacts strongly to the behavior, thus providing the sought-after attention.
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Comfort and Release: Sometimes, the choice is simply based on proximity and preference. A nearby soft object like a toy or a sofa arm might become the target, offering a release of pent-up energy or a source of comfort.
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Excitement or Stress-Related Humping with Other Dogs: When a female dog humps another female dog, it’s often related to excitement, stress, or social dynamics. Resource guarding anxiety, for instance, can trigger humping in interactions with other dogs.
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Humping Male Dogs: Similar to female-female humping, a female dog humping a male dog can be due to excitement, stress, or even attempts to establish social hierarchy, although dominance is less likely the primary driver than arousal or anxiety.
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Humping Owners: When a female dog humps her owner, it’s frequently linked to anxiety, particularly separation anxiety. The act of humping becomes a way to seek reassurance and attention from their beloved human, especially when they are feeling stressed or insecure. Excitement upon the owner’s return can also trigger humping.
When Humping Becomes a Concern
While humping is generally normal, there are situations where it warrants attention and possibly veterinary consultation.
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Sudden Onset in Adult Dogs: If an adult female dog suddenly starts humping, especially if accompanied by other symptoms like excessive licking of the genital area, it could indicate a medical issue. Urinary tract infections, skin allergies, or other irritations in the genital region can trigger humping as a way to relieve discomfort.
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Excessive Frequency: While occasional humping is normal, extremely frequent humping that disrupts daily life might be indicative of underlying stress, anxiety, boredom, or a deeply ingrained learned behavior.
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Signs of Boredom or Stress: If you observe that your female dog humps primarily when bored or stressed, it’s a signal that her environment might lack sufficient physical and mental stimulation, or that there are stressors in her life that need addressing.
How to Manage and Discourage Humping in Female Dogs
Even though humping is natural, most owners prefer to manage or reduce this behavior. Here are effective strategies:
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Spaying Your Female Dog: Spaying offers numerous health benefits and can also reduce hormonally driven humping. However, it’s crucial to remember that spaying might not eliminate humping entirely, especially if it has become a learned behavior. It can take up to three months post-spay to see a significant reduction in hormone-related behaviors.
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Redirection and Distraction: The key to managing humping is early intervention. Learn to recognize the pre-humping signs in your dog, such as panting, whining, or pawing. When you see these signs, immediately distract her with a high-value toy or a training cue like “sit,” “stay,” or “leave it.” The distraction must be more appealing to your dog than the urge to hump.
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Ignore Attention-Seeking Humping: If your female dog is humping for attention, the most effective response is to completely ignore the behavior. Any attention, even negative, can reinforce the behavior. Turn away, avoid eye contact, and don’t speak to your dog until she stops humping.
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“Leave It” Cue: Teaching your dog a strong “leave it” cue is invaluable. When you see her attempting to hump, use the “leave it” command to interrupt the behavior and redirect her attention.
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Professional Guidance: If humping is excessive, persistent, or linked to anxiety or stress, consider seeking help from a certified fear-free professional dog trainer or a veterinary behaviorist. They can provide tailored strategies and address any underlying behavioral issues.
Remember, if your dog is humping, never yell, swat, or give any attention to the behavior. The goal is to modify the behavior and not use force or punishment.
By understanding the reasons behind humping in female dogs and implementing these management strategies, you can effectively address this behavior while ensuring your dog’s well-being and strengthening your bond.
Featured Image: Adobe/Robert Petrovic
WRITTEN BY
Sandra C. Mitchell, DVM, DABVP
Veterinarian
Sandra Mitchell is a 1995 graduate of the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine. Since graduation, she has worked in many fields…
