Our 7 month BT is humping any male leg he can see at the moment. It doesn't matter what we do to stop him, he just goes back for more!

We run a cycling tour company in the South of France and we have a lot of guests that he tries to hump. For example the other day, someone was stretching on the floor after a ride and I walked past just as Henry started to hump his head. I tell him no very sternly and take him away from the situation. Sometimes I put him in his crate for 2 mins so he knows he's done wrong but it really doesn't work.

I know he's probably going through his adolescent stages of his life at the moment so maybe his hormones are raging but it's quite a big problem for us.

Thankfully he stays away from my legs, hopefully that's because I'm his mother and he recognizes that. Or I just have incredibly unattractive legs!!

Any advice would be greatly welcomed!

Prevention, distraction and discouragement.  During adolescence dogs have 8x more testosterone than they will have as adults.  You just need to get through adolescence....!

are there any bitches in the vicinity.... ?

My boy is now 15m and tends to hump more when the girls are in season or when he gets excited about going out or playing in the garden... when I know he is about to do it I turn my back and push my bum out so he doesnt get to grip me and say no firmly or other times if he is about to jump I put my hand out so that his head touches it and gently knock him back then again a firm no.. he now has got the message although can waiver when the girls are in season which is what we have atm...   in your situation its just not acceptable. I find that it is down to timing as you can tell when its about to occur so the firm no is given before the action rather than after.

You could train the down , then if you see him about to hump ..the command can be given at a distance .. he is at a great age to train this command.

While training is in progress you could put a long line on him so that you can grab it before he reaches his intended victim! a firm no and off before he grabs is what works for me.

Is there no way you can pen him in a largish area so he has freedom but not able to reach the guests... whilst his training is being enforced.

Not to my knowledge. We're in a small village in the Pyrenees and I don't think there are but it's been going on for 2.5 months!

He's really good at the down command but not if you're not in front of him with a treat but I hadn't thought of training that one. I guess it's good in general for him to know that command from a distance in case of emergency outside etc. any particular tips on doing that?

I do have an indoor very long lead he's very often on but he whines and cries if I leave the length distance of his rope and with guests here it's hard to ignore him as I worry that it will irritate etc.

We don't have anything other than our room/his crate but will try and think of something.

I guess this is just part of him growing up though so will hopefully finish soon!

you have to train the down starting close up either from the stand or the sit .

once he understands what you want, 'down' (I use hand signals) take a step away then back and treat... command  'down' 2 steps back then forward and treat bit at a time you can also 'down' then circle him back to front then treat, until you can work at a distance takes time but worth it .... its a command that can in fact save a dogs life if they are off lead and about to run across a road the down can stop a tragic accident occuring so keep practicing!!

I do know different breed are easier to train than others  I have a pastoral breed which is easier to train in comparison to some.

good luck

>Sometimes I put him in his crate for 2 mins so he knows he's done wrong but it really doesn't work.

He doesn't know that he has done wrong.  Dogs don't do guilt trips.  So I guess that's why it doesn't work.  For youngsters I use distraction techniques until they grow out of it.

It must work, because I have a terrier here that stopped doing it using distraction, and he is entire, and now used at stud.  Legs no longer of interest.  :-)

I was just going to say that - all you will achieve is upsetting him and possibly making him hate his crate.

Distraction is a good thing, also bear in mind dogs do this for a variety of reasons and if his reason ISN'T 'I have got lots of testosterone and really fancy your leg', but 'I am anxious and not sure what to do.. this seems like a good idea and feels good..'  then providing and encouraging the use of a specific large soft toy might be appropriate, because frustration/anxiety left bottled up has got to go somewhere!

Thanks all for the comments. I think he almost humps now as a greeting as I've been watching him today with guests. I've now got him on a long nylon lead that's always with me so I can always see what he's doing and get him away from the situation. I've been distracting him with his Kong Wobbler that he just loves playing with (even without food inside) and that seems to be working well.

He's really good at the down (close up) but have spent a good two hours training the down at a distance today (mixed in with some general playing and his relaxing time!)

He's really creepy when he humps as he makes eye contact and it makes everyone laugh. Though them laughing probably makes him think it's a good thing!

>but have spent a good two hours training the down at a distance today

   

That is far too long for a pup of 7 months.

The OP says 'mixed in with playing and relaxing' - I trust she knows only short sessions with a puppy. :-)

Ah!  Misread LucyDogs - thank you.  :-)

My pup was a bit different as he started humping blankets and things at 9 weeks old, but, in case it helps ......

I bought him a big teddy bear and encouraged him to hump Poppa Bear, as the teddy is called.  Pup is 4.5 years old now and has never humped anything other than Poppa.  Poppa has had rhinoplasty, is washable and can be hidden in a closet when company comes.  Worth a try?