labradors humping other dogs

[JackieFreeman]

need help to stop my labs (2)humping some dogs when we are out  not all dogs its getting embarassing i would value your advice please thanks jackie 

[Adrienne]

Hi Jackie, I certainly understand how you must feel! To better provide a more accurate answer, can you please provide more info?

-How old are your Labs? What sex are they? Are they both spayed and neutered?

-Is this a new behavior? If not, for how long has this going on?

-Where are they when this happens? On leash on walks, off leash on walks, at the dog park? at doggy day care?

-What have you tried to far?

-Have you noticed any common patterns as to when this behavior happens the most, and whether they seem to do this more with certain dogs?

Thanks!

[JackieFreeman]

Hi gyp is 4 yrs and Kai 3yrs old same parent they have both been neutered the behaviour has been there a couple of years it happens when there off lead . I’m lucky as I have just retired so they have no need for doggy day care . Apart from pulling them apart or calling there names I don’t know what to do .they have no favourites with dogs luckily most of the dog owners are nice but one day they may not be I hope you have enough information for the moment thanks Jackie

[JackieFreeman]

Sorry about the image I couldn’t get rid of it 

[Adrienne]

Thank you for the extra details, they are very helpful! The unicorn is cute too:)

In general, I don't recommend giving off lead privileges to dogs until they have a track record of being under perfect voice control and not getting into any type of trouble. Here's the thing, humping is a behavior that some dogs may tolerate, but it's one big provoking factor for dogs fights. According to a study conducted by Tami and Gallagher in 2009, excess mounting led to aggression 85 percent of the time. It may be just a matter of time that your dogs may encounter a dog who will not tolerate this behavior and may respond aggressively getting into a brutal fight. 

Here's the thing: dogs are very routine-oriented beings and when they rehearse behaviors over and over, they get stuck into their habits and practice makes perfect.  When dogs therefore get to rehearse problematic behaviors over and over, it can become quite habit-forming and eventually it may become their default way for them to want to interact with other dogs. 

While we know that humping in dogs may be just a form of play or a way to  release stress in situations that may be a tad bit overwhelming, it starts getting problematic when the humping becomes a pushy behavior and a dog becomes fixated on interacting with other dogs this way, especially when the other dog on the receiving end is objecting and trying to make the other dog stop.

In general, with humping behaviors directed towards other dogs,  the earlier the behavior is tackled, the better the outcome. A dog who has rehearsed the humping  behavior for years is going to be more difficult to tackle compared to a dog who has just started. On top of this, a dog who will not redirect from humping (like upon being called) may be too far gone to really listen and redirect so could end up being attacked when the dog on the receiving end has had enough and decides to take the matter in his own "paws" so to say.

Consider that the behavior can be self-rewarding so avoid allowing your dog to rehearse this behavior over and over as it can become quite habit-forming. In such a case, therefore, I feel it would be important to prevent the behavior from happening. This can be done through management (no more off leash encounters for now). This doesn't mean your dogs should no longer socialize with other dogs, it just means that you can provide socialization in more structured settings that prevent over arousal and self-reinforcement.

For instance, try less overstimulating exposures such as organized walks with other dogs all on leash,  hikes or small play groups with dogs who help the humper self regulate or dogs your dogs have never tried to hump. A good trainer may sometimes have some good  teacher dogs who will not allow humping, but who do so without using real aggression other than the more subtle, ritualized forms. He or she may also work with your dogs, praising and rewarding in a timely fashion when they engage in any no-humping behaviors (this method is known as differential reinforcement of other behaviors). 

 We can certainly train these dogs to be more under fluent voice control, but this requires some time in training along with very careful monitoring. One would need to recognize pre-humping behavior in a flash second (like that glaze in the eyes) and redirect at a moment's notice with super fast speed.

As tempting as it can be to simply pull the dogs off, every time they hump other dogs, I have found that this method risks backfiring. By pulling the dogs off without dealing with the underlying issue, the dogs risk getting more aroused and frustrated

A helpful training cue may be "leave it," but again, it's important to give this cue at the earliest signs your dog is about to hump. If you give it too late, your dog may not be able to listen. This may be difficult to accomplish though if you have both dogs off leash at the same time. Here is how to train leave it:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/

Some dogs though seem to respond better to a smacking sound rather than voice, so it may be worthy trying to train a super reliable response to that as well. Here is the guide for that:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/

Some dogs may respond to timeouts, especially when the behavior has a brief history (recently started). Many doggy day cares use this method. Dogs wear a short tab (very short leash attached to collar) and every time the dog is about to hump, he is taken to a quiet and boring timeout zone. Some dogs owners do this for a few times (like three strikes and you're out), and if the behavior persists, the fun is all over and the dog is put on leash and leaves the area. However, this method has also its negatives, like I wouldn't used it with dogs who have done this for some time, I feel this can create frustration and even aggressive responses in some cases. It can also make dogs learn to play hard to catch over time. So I prefer early redirection with the dog automatically removing himself from the situation because a leave it or smacking sound means something more rewarding than humping is about to happen.  

I hope this helps! Last but not least, consider that sometimes humping behavior may stem from underlying medical issues such as localized allergies and irritations. It may be unusual for both your dogs having this, but worthy of mentioning to have most basis covered.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Best,

Adrienne

 

[JackieFreeman]

Thanks for your reply I will digest this and get on the case hopefully it won’t take to long thanks once again will let you know 

[Adrienne]

You are very welcome,

Keep me posted on how things go.

Best,

Adrienne