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Last edited 01/30/05
Behavior - Mounting and Humping
Humping behavior in female German Shepherd
Humping behavior
Humping Behavior
Mounting Behavior
also see Behavior
also see Neutering
Humping behavior in female German Shepherd
Question: I have a female German Shepherd who will be 3 years in February 2000,
and who recently started demonstrating some strange humping behavior .
I didn't think female dogs exhibited this behavior at all, but as of
late, she seems determined to hump my male cat who she actually raised
and weened from 6 week of age. She was fixed 1 month prior to the cat's
arrival.I should additionally note that I brought a new male puppy home
approximately 10 weeks ago and I seem to notice the humping behavior
afterwards.Should I be concerned about her behavior? What is this behavior telling
me about my dog?
EvaAnswer: Eva-
There are several possible explanations for this behavioral change.
Mounting behaviors occur due to sexual hormone influences, dominance
behavior, anxiety, and sometimes as a sort of obsessive/compulsive disorder.Spaying a female dog will sometimes result in an increase in testosterone
influence, if they produce androgenic (testosterone-like) hormones
at higher levels than most females and then the suppressing effect of
estrogen is removed due to spaying. This can cause an increase in
aggressive or dominance behaviors and that can mean that mounting (humping)
behaviors will occur. It is possible to test for hormonal levels and to get
an idea whether this is the problem, if that seems necessary at any point.Since there is are two new pets in the household, your dog may just be
attempting to show dominance over it, not really recognizing that the cat
probably has no clue what that sort of behavior means but that it is
natural in the relationship with the new puppy. This sort of behavior will
often settle down rapidly once the cat objects sufficiently and the puppy
gives in and shows acceptance of a subordinate status. That isn't always
the case, but there is at least some chance for it.Whether or not you should be concerned is hard to say. This is actually
relatively normal behavior unless it does get so prevalent that you have to
consider an obsessive/compulsive or anxiety based cause. In those cases,
there are medications that can help, such as fluoxetine (Prozac Rx) or
clomipramine (Clomicalm Rx). Most of the time medications are not the
answer. It is OK to discourage this behavior, if it doesn't slow down,
using distracting commands such as "sit", "here", "down", etc, or by using
a head-halter type collar and stopping the behavior each time it starts by
controlling your dog with the halter.Mike Richards, DVM
11/15/2000
Question: Hello,
I have 4-year old neutered male Boxer that has started some pretty
disturbing behavior. He has started "humping" his toys. We buy used toys
from garage sales (we wash them in hot water prior to giving them to the
dogs) and recently we bought a big (about 2 feet tall) teddy bear. Jake
loves it...too much. He chews on it and then will put it between his legs
and hump it. He also does this if we try to take the bear away from him.
Today he started humping his canine brother! I don't know how young/old he
was when he was neutered since we adopted him when he was 3 yrs.Thanks for your help yet again, Kim
PS I'm not sure if it matters, but Jake is currently taking metronidizole
(500mgs once a day) and prednisone (10 mgs once a day) for inflammatory
bowel disease.Answer: Kim-
Although it isn't highly likely that this is a problem, are you certain
that Jake was not cryptorchid (that his testicles were not retained in his
abdomen)? If not, it might be worth testing to see what the testosterone
levels are, or if that is unequivocal to do a human chorionic gonadotropin
challenge test.There are some reports of hypothyroidism causing behavioral changes of this
nature and corticosteroids (such as prednisone) do sometimes induce
behavioral changes in dogs. It would be unusual for a dog this young to
have hypothyroidism but it still might be worth checking for.If it is possible to stop the prednisone, it might help. Do not do this
without consulting your vet on the advisability of doing it and also on the
proper method of tapering the medication since it has been used on a daily
basis up to this time. Using metronidazole with another immunosuppressive,
such as azathioprine, might make it possible to stop the prednisone but
that is definitely not a sure thing.If the testosterone levels are normal, hypothyroidism is not present and
stopping prednisone is not helpful, then this would have to be treated as a
behavioral problem. It would be really helpful to have the advice of a
veterinary behaviorist in this case, because this can happen as a result of
displaced aggression, dominance behavior, stress and probably other
reasons. Sorting through these is easier with the help of an expert.I hope that this helps some.
Mike Richards, DVM
9/15/2000
Q: DEar Dr. Mike, WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH OUR 6 YEAR OLD NEUTERD MALE YELLOW LAB. IT SEEM THAT HE IS ALWAYS TRYING TO HUMP ON OUR KIDS, AND THEIR FRIEND IT GETS TO BE VERY EMBARRASING AND VERY SCARY TO SOME OF THE KIDS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHEN THEY COME IN THE YARD TO PLAY. HE ALSO DOES IT TO MY WIFE BUT HE DOES NOT TRY IT WITH ME.. LOOKING FOR SUGGESTIONS CONCERNING HOW TO BREAK HIM OF THIS HABIT.. HE JUST RECENTLY STARTED DOING THIS.. HELP PLEASE ....
A: It would be a good idea to have your vet examine your Lab and rule out the possibility of a hormonal or other physical disorder, due to the age of onset of this problem. Many dogs do wait a while to try to establish dominance but six is a little old to just start this problem. The best approach, if physical causes are ruled out would be to consult with a veterinary behaviorist. This sounds like dominance behavior but it is particularly important to distinguish this from other possible behavior problems since the treatment approach is different. Please ask your vet to help you find a behaviorist in your area.
Mike Richards, DVM
Q: We have an 8 year old Samoyed (neutered) to go along with our 10 week Lab puppy. The
Samoyed is constantly trying to go after (I don't mean biting, I mean sex) the puppy, even though
the Samoyed is neutered. Do you have any ideas/suggestions/hints, etc... how we can curb this
behavior??? I don't even feel like we can leave the two dogs alone cause our Samoyed is
constantly trying to do this. Thanks for any help. CurtA: Curt-
Mounting behaviors are both sexual and social behaviors in dogs. A dominant dog (or a
dog attempting to show its dominance) will often mount the submissive dog. Your samoyed is
probably trying to let the puppy know it is dominant. You may be able to ease the need to
constantly express this behavior by reassuring your older dog of its dominant status. Feeding him
first, petting him first, putting his leash on first when preparing for walks, letting him out the door
first all help. In some instances it is necessary to ignore the younger dog when both dogs are
present and keep the attention given to the puppy "private" so that he is not jealous. As the lab
grows their relationship may change and the behavior change, as well. If these suggestions don't
work you may need to talk to your vet about referral to a behaviorist unless your vet is
comfortable working with behavioral problems.Mike Richards, DVM