What Age Do Dogs Start to Hump?
Dogs start to hump objects, other dogs, and even humans during the puppy phase of their life.
This is when the dog reaches sexual maturity, and begins to explore it through the act of humping. There is nothing to be worried about, as this is typical behavior for a dog of any age. But again, you can expect to see your dog start humping at a relatively early age.
This can be as early as 8 – 10 months old, or even earlier if you have a smaller dog breed. Smaller breeds tend to mature more quickly; that means your dog will reach sexual maturity at an earlier age, and will thereby begin humping at an earlier age, too.
What age does a puppy start humping?
Due to the non-sexual nature of humping in young puppies, it’s not unlikely you’ll bring your puppy home with a humping habit already developed. At around 6 months once your puppy reaches their sexual maturity, their humping will grow more sexually charged.
It’s important to begin training early with your puppy to try and tackle this behaviour early on.
Should you let your puppy hump?
For the most part, a few instances of puppies humping here and there are harmless. However, even though young puppy humping is not usually sexual in nature, it can be habit-forming, so it is best to get it under control before it is too late.
Never allow a puppy to do a habitual behavior that you don’t want to see in them as an adult.
As your puppy reaches puberty, it is more likely that humping might turn into a sexual or pleasure-seeking type of behavior that can especially become habit-forming.
For some dogs, it can become almost like an obsessive compulsion. Spaying and neutering will almost always help in these cases.
Additionally, it can be dangerous for dogs to do this humping behavior because other dogs may not like it, which can lead to an aggressive encounter.
So, although it is perfectly normal for a puppy to try to hump, it is, in most cases, in the puppy’s best interest to teach them that it isn’t polite to hump!
Why do 2 month old puppies hump?
It’s the dog misdeed most likely to turn an owner’s face beet red: humping. When your pup gets that gleam in their eye and mounts their pal (or worse, yours), it’s tempting to yell, pull the dog away by force, or pray for the ground to open and swallow you. But with a little patience, owners of rambunctious, hump-happy dogs can learn to understand why their dog is humping, and how to productively redirect to curb the behavior.
First, the good news. Humping is a very common behavior. You are far from alone in having a hump-loving dog. And, despite appearances, it’s not necessarily sexually motivated.
“Often, humping has nothing to do with sex,” explains certified applied animal behaviorist Dr. Mary Burch.
So what is it all about? Very often, Dr. Burch says, humping is an attempt at dominance. This can apply whether it’s a human or another dog on the receiving end. Sometimes, it’s a sign that the dog is stressed, over-stimulated, or acting out.
“When a pillow or stuffed animal are the objects of your dog’s affection, there’s a good chance the dog has simply gotten excited and over-stimulated,” notes Dr. Burch. “Rowdy play can cause some dogs to get out of control.”
Occasionally, humping is a sign of a medical problem. For instance, humping can signal infection or irritation, or, in male dogs, prostate problems. It is also true that in certain cases, humping is a sexual, pleasure-seeking behavior. The likelihood of humping being sexual in nature is greater in younger dogs that have not been spayed/neutered.
Brief moments of humping between dogs can be a normal part of play. For instance, while running and playing, dogs might take turns mounting each other in a harmless expression of excitement. But, some dogs don’t like to be mounted. So in the interest of avoiding any potential conflict, it’s worth doing some work to avoid even this mild form of mounting.
Humping will also be easier to curb if you catch it early, instead of waiting until the behavior is an embedded habit. While you might want to laugh the first time you see your dog hump, in the longer term, it’s best to step in and redirect the behavior immediately.