Understanding Why Dogs Hump – Common Causes & How to Address It

Why does my dog hump my leg?

You have seen it and wonder, “why does my dog hump my leg?”. You are sitting on the couch with legs stretched and, bam!, Fido comes right up to hump it. Or you take him or her to the dog park and he starts humping on other dogs.

While watching a dog doing that to a pillow, a stuffed animal, a leg of anything can make a funny Internet video, it can actually be annoying, embarrassing, and can even start a dogfight.

Why does my dog hump in the first place?

If you wonder, “why does my dog hump my leg?”, you should know that there is not really anything special about your leg. Humping in dogs is a sexual position for dogs. However, when they are humping on anything else, this does not really have any sexual connotations.

If a dog is not neutered nor spayed, for the first year of age, though, this behavior does have a sexual nature.

But this behavior can also be the result of a dog’s excitement, playfulness, and lack of social skills. Dog behaviorists conclude that a dog engages in such behavior when they are overly excited, like when a visitor comes home, or it could also be a sign of dominance. When people see the behavior in a dog, they go on to giggles and laughs. This, however, is a serious matter to some people.

Dogs hump as a play

Another answer to the question “why does my dog hump my leg?” is that they are doing it playfully. You will often see one dog hump another and then they switch side. It happens between males and females and it is all fun and games.

A dog that engages in such behavior does it as a game and since he has not been trained to not do so, he will continue doing it. It is enjoyable to him and part of his playing routine. As an owner, you must train him not to do it since he starts doing it.

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