If Your Dog Humps You and No One Else, Here’s Why

As a pet parent, you know that having a beloved pooch can sometimes mean dealing with irritating behaviors, such as humping. At first, some pet parents may mistake the habit for a sign of affection and respond playfully. But with time, if this behavior remains unchecked, it could become problematic. Interestingly, some dog owners note that their dogs only engage in this behavior with them and no one else. 

Although many people would classify this habit as sexual, it could be due to various other reasons. Generally, your dog is trying to communicate something to you. It can sometimes just be your dog’s way of relieving an itch. But before deciding if it is a behavior you should be worried about or not, let’s explore the most common reasons for humping.

Why Does Your Dog Hump You and No One Else?

Dogs who display the humping behavior may do so with various objects, including other dogs, toys, soft items and even people. However, some dogs only display this behavior with one person in particular. Here are some possible reasons for this:

Comfort and Safety 

If your dog only humps you and no one else, it’s a show of trust. The behavior is typical in puppies. As uncomfortable as it might be, try teaching your new puppy different ways of displaying affection toward you.

Anxiety

In cases of anxious dogs, they may decide to hump you to soothe their stress and connect with you. Humping is quite common when dogs undergo a change in environment or have been previously traumatized.

Poor Social Skills 

Dogs need to socialize at every stage of their growth to know the proper reaction to different emotions. While the intention behind the act can be considered quite cute, it could also indicate that your dog does not socialize enough. In this case, the humping behavior could signify social awkwardness.

You Allow It

Your dog humping only you might also be a sign of poor training. Your dog might hump you because you have not shown previous objections. If you do not train your dog or discourage humping, it might see it as a standard way to connect and keep doing it.

Other Reasons Why Dogs Hump

Now that you understand why your dog might demonstrate humping behaviour solely towards you, the following tips will help you discourage this behaviour.

Your Dog Is Aroused

The primary reason for humping in dogs is arousal. It is an instinctual behavior that a dog can show from a young age. The behavior might be more prevalent as they mature. As the dog ages, its sex hormone levels will increase. And with time, they realize that humping leads to pleasurable sexual stimulation.

You would expect your dog to mount other dogs when it feels aroused, but this does not always happen. You might notice your dog humping soft objects like their beds, pillow, and furniture. Perhaps they are not interested in inanimate things and will hump you instead.

If they are humping you due to arousal, you might notice a difference in their posture. You may also see erections and ejaculation. In addition, the dog may start chasing and licking you.

Your Dog Needs Attention

Dogs are adorable, attention-seeking creatures. They love to snuggle beside their human companions and sometimes even hump them for attention. If this is the case, the humping is typically followed by other actions like barking at you and pawing.

Humping for attention is common if you have been away for a while or have been more emotionally absent. Your dog will keep humping you in a way to get your attention. Do not be surprised if your dog keeps humping you even when you seem busy. It indicates that it needs your attention, and you should make time for it.

The humping may also happen when your dog is bored. Most dog breeds want to have fun and engage in stimulating playtime. If there is no other person or desirable object around at this time, your dog may resort to humping to express its boredom.

Your Dog Is Overexcited

Dogs express excitement with a dramatic show or body movement. For dogs, one such sign of overexcitement is humping. Your dog may hump you when overexcited because there’s no other dog nearby, or it simply feels more comfortable doing so with you. If you’re uncomfortable with your dog humping you when it is excited, you can visit a vet or pet behaviorist to retrain your dog and help it find another outlet to display excitement.

Your Dog Wants To Play

For puppies and younger dogs, one of the significant ways in which they communicate their desire to play is by humping. They do so to show they feel safe around you and hump you to indicate they are ready for playtime. It is prevalent among dogs with high energy as they tend to get even more excited during playtime.

Humping to indicate playtime or their love for it will not be accompanied by sexual arousal signs. So, if you notice your dog humping you while running around, it’s probably trying to tell you it is playtime. You can further investigate the cause of your dog’s humping by noticing the other actions that follow the humping.

If you have a scheduled playtime with your dog, do not be surprised if your dog humps you at that time every day. It shows you how much they value the time set aside to play with them.

Your Dog Feels Uncomfortable

As stated earlier, humping is one of the ways dogs try to communicate their emotions. While it might be a way to show excitement, it could also mean your dog is anxious or nervous. Humping due to discomfort or anxiety is not as common as other reasons, but it also happens and should not be overlooked.

How To Stop Your Dog From Humping You

As much as humping might be your dog’s style of showing you how much it cares, you do not have to tolerate it if you are not comfortable with it. Here are a few ways to stop your dog from humping you:

• Tell your dog off gently but firmly. This may mean pushing it away gently anytime it tries to hump you and letting your stance and body language show you do not like it. Do this consistently until the message sticks, as they will stop it for a while and may resume the act later.
• Let your dog socialize regularly to channel its energy to other things. Socializing also means they will not get bored quickly.

Conclusion

Helping your dog behave better does not mean you no longer care for or are punishing it. It means you want to improve the dynamic while establishing clear boundaries and tolerable behaviors. Try the above techniques to stop the humping and seek the help of an expert if it persists.

Up Next

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The photo featured at the top of this post is © Makarova Viktoria/Shutterstock.com