hello everybody

not quite sure how to word this post actually!  basically Teddy has been humping his "girlfriend" (an old Furbie!) for a few weeks now (he is just over 6 months).  As he insists on choosing to do this when i have friends round i take it off him and carry on as normal.  Then last night my sis and i were chatting in the kitchen and he was having a hump (sorry, this is all a bit crude) and i thought "no harm, it's only me and my sister" so let him carry on.  Not to put to fine a point on it, he concluded his mission in what can only be described as a happy ending!!  With stuff dripping on the floor etc, it was really quite repulsive....though he looked so happy with himself afterwards i couldn't bring myself to do anything but ignore it.  My questions are : am i supposed to let him do this?  Is it natural etc or do i stop him before he gets to this point in future?  Not ideal with kids around especially as my youngest came in afterwards and said "why is Teddy's back looking like that?" (it was arched out of shape!).  Sorry to have to ask this stuff, just all new to me and have to admit i was quite shocked it went as far as it did as thought he would have to actually mate to conclude the experience properly.

Many thanks in advance

It's quite normal, and he will probably outgrow it to some degree - it seems to me to be worse when they're young.  They don't need to actually mate.  If it offends your sensibilities, which it obviously does, then dissuade him gently as the behaviour begins.
It's just a normal part of dog ownership really - most people who own dogs of either sex will report the same kind of behaviour.  My 7-year-old male will sometimes do it when he thinks my younger male has seriously stepped out of line - he rarely bothers with the antiquated bitch in any shape or form.

my dog did this but to just mid air, we use to laugh and say he was playing the air guitar, he just suddenly stopped when he got to about a yr old, hormones lol

Ah, fine then!  Not offended, as long as it's normal behaviour me and my sensibilities can cope!

i never had a problem  with it but i have been told although it is normal it can also be habit forming if you let them constantly do it but thats only what i was told. if true it maybe better to distract him before he gets going or take the toy away that starts him off.

it is quite normal, but you dont want it to be a habbit, make sure he knows that he is bottom of the pack. so that he doesnt mount your friends.

personally i would crack down on it and the second you see him do it, say NO, with some force behind it(but dont shout). i find it best not to take the item away, the item should be able to sit on the floor with out getting humped. and the dogs learn quicker not to do it than if you were to take it away. it wont stop him from wanting to do it if he is going to be a stud.

If you want him to stop humping the toy, rather than say no or raise voice etc, i don't say anything and divert his attention to something better so he forgets about it.
I was once advised that by telling him off can lead to him not wanting to perform when he needs to later on in life.
All of ours have done it to some degree, even the bitches and they do grow out of it. The one thing maybe is to not leave this toy out and about for him to play with when he chooses? Is it just plush toys he likes to do this to?

Personally, I would think that he is getting over-excited with visitors and the excitement is being chanelled into humping. So rather than trying to stop the humping, I would try to re-direct onto something else before he has chance to hump, ie, give him a cardboard box to shred or a stuffed kong to chew on, somthing that he needs to lay down to do, (as laying down is more calming than running around/humping). Also, if you only allow visitors to pet him once he is laying down calmly, laying down should soon become the response to visitors.

ETA doh!!! just read the replies - suejaw has already sugested re-direction.

Agree with suejaw that a distraction technique is preferred.  I would never give a stern no to a male that could potentially be my future stud dog.  You don't want them to be scared to perform. 

However, as one poster has said, sometimes it can be habit forming.  Years ago I had a Toy Poodle bitch that enjoyed humping.  We had a snake as a draught excluder - we called him Horace!  She would fold him in half and get him to hit the spot, and she would hump at a furious pace.  Of course, Horace would eventually drop out of position.  Now that made her really cross, and she would get him by the neck and "kill" him!  :-)  :-)  :-)

Of course, Horace would eventually drop out of position.  Now that made her really cross, and she would get him by the neck and "kill" him!   

:-D :-D That's brightened my morning. 

Really this will have nought to do with him knowing where he is in the pack, he isn't trying to claim his rights to take over the house by having his wicked way with a stuffed bear!  As Mastifflover has suggested it is likely that he is getting over excited with visitors there and this is how it is showing itself (umm no pun intended).  Give him something such as a high value stuffed kong when visitors arrive so he has something else to focus on, then maybe ask him to do a few bits and pieces such as sits downs and short waits and reward him heavily for them so that he has something to focus on and it should help him calm down a little and teach more appropriate behaviours when visitors arrive :-)

Thanks all.  Sounds like re-direction the best way forward.  Actually i have confiscated Furbie and yet found him humping a blanket this morning, so i think he's going to carry on unless i distract with kong etc.

He's not going to be a Stud so i am considering castration - but am aware opinions differ on this?  Is there harm that can be done and, if so, what?

my sister had her tibetan spaniel dog neutered at 2 yrs old and he still at age 4 humps not only toys but the cats too! they seem to enjoy it as well,he also tries to hump his sister and mum when he stays here for his hols but they soon put him in his place.so don't automatically think neutering will curb it as it hasnt in her dog.just thought i'd forewarn you,roy.

> He's not going to be a Stud so i am considering castration - but am aware opinions differ on this?

Castration will not cure humping, especially as the humping in this case is due to excitement rather than sex-drive. My last dog was castrated at about 6yrs old, he was a humping-addict, many times he would give my hubby an early morning wake-up call by humping him castration didn't alter his urge to hump as he humped for fun, LOL. Once we realised castration wasn't the cure, we worked on training him out of the habbit, it took a while but we got there (we got him when he was 4yrs old, he already had the humping-habbit firmly ingrained).

My current dog is entire, there is no way he will ever be used as a stud, but he is keeping his 'bits' :) He is a total pain on walks at the moment as he is obviously picking up the scent of a bitch, but training is helping that allready :)

>Is there harm that can be done and, if so, what?

The down-side of castration can include, undesirable behaviours such as agression/fearfullness/sexual behaviour. Early castraition can effect bown growth & even stop maturity, leaving the dog in a constant puppy-like phase. Castration can also cause your dog to become a target for other dogs to hump.

I've always had dogs rather than bitches, and in 30 years have only once had to have a dog castrated because of his temperament/behaviour. One of our two now has had a retracted testicle that subsequently turned out to be permanent, and at 18 months he had surgery to remove the retained testicle because of the risk of cancer later in life.

The veterinary surgery I took him to at the time were very unenthusiastic about leaving him as a one ball wonder, obviously believing they had a backyard breeder in their sights. The upside is that Diesel has a normal (not woolly) coat, is as active as ever, has the same appetite and sense of humour and we now have a far better vet.

Whether or not Teddy has a future career as a stud should be separate to the rationale for castration. Take the time to read the scores of articles on the internet, talk to his breeder and then decide what's best for Teddy.

I will read up some more on this.  He is such a sweet dog would hate for his character to change.  Spoke to the Vet and she said wait a while, there's no need for it to be done now anyway.  I don't mind the humping in itself and it looks like he's not doing it out of sexiness anyway so i am trying the distraction stuff and training him to stop (eventually).  Thanks for advice.

at least you have a good vet--at 6 months he is just a baby. Good luck!

Somebody more knowledeable than me will come along later, and, hopefully give you a link to read up on pros and cons.  Think it was Brainless that has posted it in the past.

I do hope that she comes on for you - once read, you will rethink any decision to remove his bits!  :-)