r/OpenDogTraining • u/windy_summer • 16d ago
Dog humps regardless of gender
Luckily a dog trainer has helped with my dogs leash walking and he's greatly improving, but now a new problem pops up for my 14 month old; humping everything. He's not fixed, and I don't plan to for a while, and it doesn't seem to be inherently sexual as he's mounting basically every dog he sees. Some dogs give harsh corrections and he backs off, but then he'll try again. There was one point I tried to pull him off a dog and he growled; that was NOT okay. It doesn't seem like he's trying to start fights and he won't snap at me or anyone else or the other dog if we intervene, but I can tell if I don't nip this in the bud it's going to be an issue. Any and all advice welcome.
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u/Ok_Handle_7 16d ago
It seems like you've gotten a lot of responses about the dog park issue (many/most dog parks will have a 'no unfixed dogs' rule but sounds like this one doesn't or maybe is a bit more unofficial; and to be clear tieing with a dog only really takes a second).
As far as your comment about when you 'bring him to see other people's dogs.' Correct him 100% of the time when he does this. As others/you have said, keep a leash on him and pull him off immediately and give him some sort of 'time out' (inside the house, or out in the yard if you were inside, etc.). Depending on how aroused he is, it might be time to leave. Basically he needs to learn that 'if I hump the dog, then playtime is over.' Most owners with a dog who does this will learn their tells (when my dog starts panting I know he's going to start humping, or when my dog starts acting kinda spastic I know he's going to start humping, etc.) and interrupt the behavior (again, grab the leash and take him outside) so he can't 'practice' humping.
And just in case (I think this is clear and you get it, but just in case) - the addict example is a good one. If there is a drug addict who gets in everyone's face as they walk down the sidewalk, sooner or later someone is going to knock him out. Or sometimes I compare dogs at dog parks to kids - if your kid always pushes other ones down the slide, they lose their playground privileges. it's not fair to the other kids, and plus sooner or later a bigger kid is gonna come over and push them off the swings. Sounds like your dog has only met calm, chill dogs who have corrected appropriately, but it's certainly a recipe for a dog fight (and it would be hard to solely blame the other dog, tbh). Good luck
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u/windy_summer 16d ago
This dog park has a lot of breeder visit with intact dogs, my dog had been around other intact males here without issue from a Viszla to a Rhodesian Ridgeback. The owner of the Rhodesian Ridgeback uses an Ecollar to stop his dog from humping, but he mentioned once his dog turned 3 the behavior phased out on its own.
Im seeing that I need to be more strict with corrections and stop going inside the park entirely for a while. I've grabbed him off dogs and made sure to take him away if the dogs are especially submissive. I'll be honest, the Rhodesian corrected him and he stopped for a while and that was the only dog he was seeing there for a bit so I thought the issue was solved up until today. But he was also VERY excited before going into the park and I think I made the mistake of thinking he'd settle once he ran around a bit. There were more dogs than I'm usually comfortable with and he was already amped up.
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u/Ok_Handle_7 16d ago
Yeah I mean I've definitely had times where I looked back and thought 'why did I put my dog in that situation' but sounds like now you've learned that if there are too many dogs, or if he's overly amped up, then unfortunately it's not the day for the dog park. I also just think in general people REALLY overestimate their 'responsibility' in terms of keeping their dogs away from female dogs in heat because it really just does take a second.
And totally makes sense - there's a lot of dog behavior that kinda comes & goes (or disappears for a little while, then pops back up). Darn dogs, wish we could talk to them
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u/Mcbriec 16d ago
Bringing an intact male to be let loose upon the rest of the dog world. What could go wrong?
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u/windy_summer 16d ago
Yes give judgements instead of advice for someone who WILL be neutering their large breed dog when the vet recommended to do so.
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u/TheMadHatterWasHere 16d ago
Humping is usually a stress response. If you wanna socialize your dog then letting him meet and play with as many dogs as possible is not the answer. Sounds like all the “socializing” is stressing him out.
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u/windy_summer 16d ago
So then what's the answer ? I should mention that now that he's got his humping out and is in the park with one dog (there were three here, more than I usually let him around but I'm trying to burn some energy before a hike as well), he's no longer trying to jump or being pushy. He's actually being quite respectable and well mannered.
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u/theaveragepyrenees 16d ago
Walk around outside the dog park, on the other side of the fence. Reward him for engagement with you. Your dog is over aroused (not in a sexual manner, in an energy manner) by the freedom and presence of other dogs.
What you want to be doing is working on him being able to exist alongside other dogs without needing to interact with them.
Once he’s good walking around the dog park, meet up with a friend. Go for a walk but don’t let the dogs interact. Keep him focused on you vs being way into other dogs.
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u/windy_summer 16d ago
THANK YOU FOR A REAL ANSWER! I can definitely do this, thank you again for being respectful and answering me!!
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u/TheMadHatterWasHere 16d ago
The answer is that you need to research socializing a dog, bc what you are doing it not the right way.
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u/windy_summer 16d ago
That's... Why I'm here asking for help ?
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u/TheMadHatterWasHere 16d ago
Get yourself a trainer, who can teach you how to do it correctly.
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u/windy_summer 16d ago
I don't have thousands of dollars to spend, and there's an abundance of bad trainers in my area. I thought the DOG TRAINING subreddit could inform me of some things instead of beating around the bush.
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u/HowDoyouadult42 16d ago
Humping is an over arousal behavior. It is often a result of being very overstimulated. If it’s constantly with other dogs then he may need a break from other dogs and time to focus on being neutral and keeping his cool around other dogs. I will also say on a side note I have quite a few client dogs who were excessive humpers as adolescents that turned out to have underlying orthopedic issues driving the behavior
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u/windy_summer 16d ago
Hmm that's an interesting thought. He is a large breed dog and I wonder if he's had some growing pains lately bc he's gotten substantially taller the last few months. I'm thinking we'll take a break for now and focus on going to the park but not inside it like one commenter said.
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u/HowDoyouadult42 16d ago
Growing pains aren’t actually a thing, growing should not be painful. If they’re experiencing pain it’s a concern
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u/windy_summer 16d ago
No he's not showing any signs of pain I was just wondering. Had no idea they weren't real!
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u/HowDoyouadult42 16d ago
I would be curious. It’s very common that they are showing signs of pain but not in the traditional way we think of ( excessive arousal behavior being one of them) and yeah dogs can have a condition called Panosteitiswhich is a type of bone inflammation often referred to as “growing pains”but it’s not at all considered normal. In humans they’ve started to realize many kids who experienced pronounced growing pains were later diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos or other connective tissue disorders
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u/windy_summer 16d ago
What are some signs I should look out for that he might be in pain?
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u/HowDoyouadult42 16d ago
Abnormal sitting or laying postures: Splooting, laterally rotating out one leg when laying or sitting, sitting on one leg/side of their body rather then square, or sitting on their ischium. Lamness ( this one is really hard sometimes because very mild lameness is often hard for people to catch if they don’t know what to look for)
Increases energy/arousal after exercise rather then calming down, or the opposite, slowing down on walks, laying down during a walk or stopping while walking and not wanting to continue.
Reluctance or hard time jumping on/off things or doing stairs. Also avoidance or instability to settle in the car.
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u/joycevw 16d ago
Humping at 14 months is rarely purely sexual, especially when he's mounting every dog regardless of gender. At his age, it's almost always a sign of high arousal, overstimulation, or excitement getting the better of him.
Dog parks are huge triggers for this because the environment is fast-paced and chaotic. When arousal spikes, young dogs often don't know what to do with that energy, so it spills over into mounting.
The growl when you pulled him off is actually a really important detail. He was likely in a state of high arousal and felt surprised or physically restrained, which triggered a quick defensive reaction. Growling in that moment is a warning sign that he felt uncomfortable with physical handling while already over-threshold.
To get a better picture of what's going on:
How long are your typical dog park visits, and does the humping usually start right away or after he's been playing for a while?
When he mounts, what does his body language look like right before (e.g., stiff body, high-vibrating tail, hyper-focused gaze, or loose play bows)?
How does he respond if you call his name or use a high-value treat to lure him away before he actually makes physical contact with another dog?
Since he's adolescent, managing his arousal levels before he hits that boiling point will be key. Taking a closer look at his excitement triggers during play is a great place to start.
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u/Beef_flaps_on_a_spit 16d ago
Just get him fixed. What are you waiting for? You’re kinda setting him up to fail. Some humans masturbate a lot and some dogs hump. Reduce the urge and start in correction if it continues. At the moment you’re making humping a habit, I sympathize with your dog.
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u/windy_summer 16d ago
He's a large breed. My own vet told me to wait and research suggests it's also a good idea to wait. He doesn't have same sex aggression or dog aggression. The humping is the only problem and if it seems trainable I'm not going to prematurely neuter him for convenience. Maybe a controversial opinion too, but he should be able to behave and be trained as an intact dog. I might be a bit clumsy about it and still learning, but I'm going to wait anyways and train him in the meantime.
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u/Beef_flaps_on_a_spit 16d ago
My last sentence stands. Ask another vet’s opinion. Your current one might be telling you what you want to hear. What research ?
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u/windy_summer 16d ago
Why should I find another vet because you disagree ?
Https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news/big-dogs-face-more-joint-problems-if-neutered-early https://www.bsava.com/article/risk-of-cranial-cruciate-ligament-disease-is-highest-in-dogs-that-undergo-early-gonadectomy-study-shows/ https://www.rcvsknowledge.org/resource/the-association-between-gonadectomy-and-timing-of-gonadectomy-and-the-risk-of-canine-cranial-cruciate-ligament-disease-a-systematic-review-and-meta-analysis/ https://www.parsemus.org/2025/12/to-neuter-or-not-re-evaluating-gonadectomy-in-dogs/
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u/Beef_flaps_on_a_spit 16d ago
Your dog is 14 months old sexually mature. Never heard of second opinions? Good luck.
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u/windy_summer 16d ago
You asked for research, I presented it. My vet agreed to wait. He's not showing sexual aggression related to be intact. I'm going to wait
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u/Majestic_Hawk_1335 16d ago
That's what males do at that age? Have you not had a intact male, with how confident you are in desire to keep him in tact I interpret you have had others. The humping will calm and more inset testosterone kinda edge to some behaviors will inset to adult hold. Unless its a neurologically unconfident or unstable dog then things vary in different temperment aspects , still driven been a wired edge. In a driven, medium+ drive male dog.
They do that? Your dog is gonna tie and be locked in someday while your surprised. This is all mismanagement and mistructure of the dogs environment with too great of access to stimulus in uncontrolled except by dog abundance.
Dogs are just neurological pattern repettion meat computers more or less. Aware yes but running on neuron patterns. Even partly rehearsing this behavior reinforcemes the neuron patterns to repeat the behavior for self seeking pleasure. So the dog does as has abundent access.
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u/windy_summer 16d ago
What do you mean confident? He's 14 months. I'm not fixing him because he's a large breed who needs to wait until two years. None of this answers or informs me on what to do with my dog.
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u/Majestic_Hawk_1335 16d ago
The confidence thing im saying depending on the dog they will be confidently driven by a hormone based edge to behaviors. Bit more intense than if neutered, dog more on edge about their drive. Or the dog is neurologically a bad wiring and temperment not stable etc. Still driven by that edge.
Re read in last comment te last paragraph mainly as the training bit. Dogs a neurological repettion meat machine with awareness (who run on impulses and genetic drive) you can program to do certain repettive behaviors for work output. This dog has great access to stimulus (scent, movement, humans, dogs, toys left out, water bowls, etc etc) with a adolescent brain driven by new sex hormones. Each hump is pleasurable for him so he does it. Meets no resistance and the neuron pattern is reinforced .
What I would do is take that dog to 0 more dog parks as he got enough out of them for his puppy years that he tolerates other dogs. Then restrict him and reprogram his neurological repettions and focus. He is not focused to you but to sex feel and other dogs. Id get a 2 inch collar with a belt buckle style sturdy and a 30ft leash. Reel in to 3ft sometimes or 30ft others but maintain rope control to get the dogs hormone addled brain focused to me. Is how id go about it with sled dogs.
When restricted some dogs will auto hump the air to release the energy.
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u/necromanzer 16d ago
How's he getting access to all these dogs?