Chuffy
Posted : 9/3/2009 3:50:02 PM
LSpataro
but I am not sure why he all of a sudden started this and am not sure how to correct him.
He is doing it because he has reached social maturity. Humping can be any number of things, from "a dominance display" to sexual frustration, from over-excitement to simple play.
The way to correct is to distract and re-direct, where possible. If he persists, or goes back to it, calmly leash him and move him away or exit the park. He will learn that some behaviours result in the fun being cut short. He should have a solid "leave" and "come" before running loose in the park anyway, so maybe you could work on that more before taking him again, and even then, could you pick times of day when it is quieter? If it were me, I would simply not go to the park.
One way to prevent it would be to keep him on a lead. Or keep him away from dogs/things he likes to hump. Or keep him away from the park. Or learn the signs that he is going to hump, and intervene. Or a combination of these four
With regards to the children... How old are the children? The best thing to do is, obviously, NOT "take your eyes off" them and their interactions, even for 2 seconds Watch, watch, watch. If he starts doing it, even for a moment - calmly step in and remove him. Take him out of the room, or crate him for 5 minutes. Again, the basic message to him is: "When you do that, the fun ends". If the children are able, you could ask them to move away to a place he can't reach them when he does it, or to issue a direct cue (like "lie down";), but only if they are able and only if you think he will listen and respond first time. What is normally happening when the humping starts - is it play or rough-housing? If so, you could get them to play with the dog with a toy (like a ball or frisbee) so that the dog is focusing his attentions on THAT rather than THEM. I have noticed that humping often happens when the excitement level is ramped up, so stepping in and getting him to calm down and rest during play sessions, and/or encouraging morsedate interactions with children might also alleviate the behaviour.
I would assume with him being from rescue, he is neutered, which normally reduces the likelihood of lots of humping. If he is intact, then neutering might be a consideration for you, although there is no guarantee that it will stop the behaviour (for example, my 13yr old neutered terrrier still humps on occasion). There a few explanations for why neutering may not always prevent or stop humping:
1) it is not purely a hormone-driven activity.
2) even if hormones are the main cause, the testicles are not the ONLY source of testosterone in the body.