[ali]

Hi -
I have a 115lb golden retriever/newfoundland who just turned 2 years old last month. Two weeks ago, he humped my boyfriend (I've never seen him do this!). After he took his jeans off, my pup humped the jeans on the floor. We figured there was something on the jeans that got him all worked up, so we washed them.

But this last weekend, my boyfriend's parents were in town and he started humping my boyfriend's dad! After getting over the shock/disgust/giggles, I finally stopped him but the dad didn't and he wouldn't stop.

Last night, my mom came by for dinner and she'd been there for about 2 hours when my pup jumped up on the couch with his ball (he likes to bring it to you and put it in your lap) and instead of laying down like he usually does, he humped my mom. I stopped it right off simply by standing and saying "No", but...

later, when we were going to bed, I was turning off the lights and walking around. When I walked in the room, he got on the bed and humped it - and no one was in it...

Can anyone tell me why this is starting after 2 years? He's been fixed. I've never seen him do that before. I know he's a dog and an animal and all that - but he's entirely too big to be humping. And more - if there's something behind the humping - something wrong in his world - I'd like to fix it.

But I'd REALLY like to never see my dog hump again...hehehe
Thanks for any suggestions! Any help is appreciated.
Ali

[all4thedogs]

This sounds like a sign of dominance not sexual drive. I would firmly tell him NO, and be sure he see's people as the top of the pack. You need to eat first (before feeding him), go through doors first, and make sure he does something to get something (sit for a treat, down for a petting etc). Dont allow him to be pushy, and if he is allowed in the furniture, I would make him stay off for a while (this is where the Alpha's sit).

[ali]

Thanks. I figured it was a dominance thing - I just can't figure out why it's starting now. I guess I'm doing OK so far though - after that, he wasn't allowed on the couches and when I saw him on the bed, I made him get off.

I do eat first and he doesn't touch my food. He does have to sit for treats...guess I'll just have to keep it up.

One thing I don't do is go out the door first. I don't know where he picked it up, but he stands in front of me, looks both ways, and then looks up at me and sort of howls at me when he's sure it's OK for us to go. I've always thought it was cute...guess that's part of the dominance thing. That sucks. I love that part of the dog dance we do...

[opokki]

Originally Posted by ali

I just can't figure out why it's starting now.

Dogs reach social maturity around 18-24 months of age. This could very well be the reason you have not seen such behavior previously. Although mounting is often social or sexual, it can also result from over-excitability, anxiety, or too much pent up energy.

I really like the NILIF program. I think it is very beneficial for all dogs and its very easy to incorporate into your daily routine. Its a good way to establish leadership as well as increase compliance and response time.

When you catch him mounting or getting ready to mount a person or an object simply interrupt him and redirect him to something else...such as a short obedience session.

[ali]

the NILIF program! I just read that link. Not only does it make alot of sense, it is the best behavior training system for me (I think). I can still hug and kiss my pup 100x a day - just on my terms.

Hopefully this will work. Thank you so much for this idea! I'll let you know how it works.