Mounting

Question
We just brought a new puppy (1 year old lab mix) into the home. they played well at first, but as the night wound down, my current lab (4 yo-both neutered) will not stop trying to mount/humb the new one. I have tried distraction, spearation, positive reinforcement, etc, but it has continued through the night. This is not a normal behavior for him in that he does not do it to people. Bet we are not around too many dogs and he has tried to hump others when we socialize. Usually in those cases distraction has helped...any suggestions?? I really want to keep the new dog around! Amy

Answer
Hi, Amy,

Thanks for the question.

It sounds like it could be a temporary adjustment kind of thing that'll wear off over time. For now you need to keep them in separate rooms at night when your older dog can't stop himself.

Is either dog crated? That would help enormously. And do you ever play tug-of-war with your older dog? Believe it or not the humping comes from a feeling of social attraction/desire to play that's being blocked in some way. And dogs feel attraction/the desire to play with one another through their teeth and jaws. This is true even though they don't really bite each other when they play; that's a big part of where the urge to play comes from. And when a dog's teeth and jaws don't get enough "play" or satisfaction, they'll engage in other behaviors including things that seem unrelated like digging, zooming around, and humping.

Playing tug-of-war, where you always let the dog win and praise him enthusiastically for winning, satisfies a dog's emotions on the deepest and most fundamental level. If you can get him to be a tug-maniac it's going to be much easier to distract him when he gets into a "humpy" mood.

http://www.tiny.cc/MythofTug

http://www.tiny.cc/ChaseSquirrels  

Let me know if you have any questions or problems,

LCK