Most often, the mounting behavior or humping is related to social status rather than a sexual issue. In fact it is a natural pet behavior to show dominance over other animals or objects. This behavior is exhibited by males and females of any age and every breed. From the canine perspective, they are saying “I am dominant over you.” If a dog owner ignores this behavior, they are actually allowing themselves to become subordinate to their dog and more serious behavior issues may develop. It starts out as an attention getter and often happens if a dog is over excited or bored and has nothing else to do. It becomes an embarrassing problem when the dog is obsessive about mounting other animals and people. It is important for the owner to establish dominance or “pack leadership” and not allow this type of behavior.

Suggestions to avoid this behavior are:

• Spay or neuter your dog at 6 months of age
• The surgery lowers testosterone levels in male dogs. Testosterone is the hormone that contributes to aggression as well as the mounting behavior.
• Keep their excitement level to a minimum
• Provide them with adequate exercise
• Obedience train to establish their rank within your family
• If your dog attempts to mount other dogs or objects, distract them with a toy or loud noise and command them to “Sit or Drop”
• If they attempt to mount your leg, Immediate pull your leg back and firmly command “No” or “Off”.
• Play a physical game with them such as “Fetch” or go for a walk to tire them out.

By utilizing consistent behavior modification, for young dogs you will be able to halt this annoying behavior within a few weeks. It will take longer for older dogs because the behavior has advanced to a habit.