11 yr old Yellow Lab Humps blankets/bed

Question
Hi, I have an 11yr old Yellow Lab (name: River)... in the evenings, mostly after his dinner, he humps his bed.  His bed is made up of 3 Queen conforters that are folded up.  He bunches the top blankie into a ball and then humps it.  He's been neutered for 10 years and has never humped before.  There are no other dogs in the house.  He's very well behaved and always stops when I tell him to.  How do I make it stop indefinitely?

Answer
Humping is not a sexual behavior, for the most part; it's a dominance behavior and sometimes part of excitability (as in play.)  In the case of your dog, this recent development may be a sign of diminishing cognitive ability or incipient biological problem.  Try this: launder the blankets with an unscented detergent.  There may be some residual scent (you would not be able to smell it) from something the dog tracked in on his paws.  Use an odor removing enzyme in the wash (NOT febreeze! there are several agents available to remove all stains easily and most of these utilize enzymes.) See if the dog returns to this behavior after they have been laundered.  If he does, bring this to the attention of the veterinarian as a possible indication of some developing neurological problem (which will worsen if this is the case) or a reaction to the food you are giving him (dogs can develop reactions overnight to something they've been eating for years), or even a reaction to blood sugar levels after eating (a blood chemistry should be done.)  If you are not seeing ANY OTHER unusual behavior, there's most likely nothing to worry about.