If your puppy seems to want to hump everything in sight at 8 weeks old, you may be wondering why. Perhaps you’re even a little concerned. Besides, this seems to be a young age for such antics, doesn’t it? Especially when 8 weeks is the typical age you bring a young puppy home. So why may your puppy be engaging in this activity? Is it normal? Should you stop them, even? Let’s answer all these questions and delve deeper, shall we?
So, why is my puppy humping at 8 weeks? Puppies of both sexes can hump at 8 weeks old as part of play behavior. Humping at this age isn’t sexual: puppies don’t reach puberty until they’re between 6 to 8 months old. It’s one of the first ways that a puppy discovers its social standing as well as its strength, and your puppy can continue to hump in a non-sexual manner as an adult.
Taking it one step further, neutering will have no impact on this type of early humping.
It’s just something puppies do!
As we shall see in the next section.
Then what we will look at what you can, and perhaps should do about it (perhaps even to stop it…).
Why Is My 8-Week-Old Puppy Humping?
Your 8-week old puppy can be humpinh your cushions, littermates, other dogs, or people for a variety of reasons. They may be practising for future sexual encounters. Or your puppy could be feeling anxious or overexcited. They could be trying to establish his place in the pack. Some young puppies learn that humping gets the attention of their people.
Practising for Future Sexual Encounters
Young puppies will often hump toys, people, and other dogs, including their littermates.
Some dog behaviorists believe that this early humping is practice for when the puppy reaches sexual maturity and will have sexual encounters.
Once your puppy reaches puberty (around 6 to 9 months old), he’ll start mounting other dogs in a sexual context.
You’ll recognize this type of mounting because the mounting is usually accompanied by:
- Pawing
- Whining
- A raised tail
- Panting
Looking For Acceptance
Puppies can mount their littermates not only as a means of play but also to seek safety or dominance over others in the litter.
Some puppies will mount a favorite sibling as a means to deal with social anxiety, too. It isn’t always the most confident puppies who mount the others.
Humping, nibbling, and biting are all normal ways of playing together as young puppies. Your puppy is learning what he can and can’t do when playing with other dogs.
If, however, he resorts to regularly humping as a means of play, you may want to nip this behavior in the bud (see below).
Feeling Anxious
Some puppies will respond to feelings of stress by humping things to get relief from built-up tension.
Other times a puppy will become frightened, perhaps by another dog he’s encountered at the dog park or at a kennel.
Puppies need to learn how to cope with new objects, people, sounds, and smells as they adjust to the world.
Your puppy doesn’t automatically understand how to fit into life in your home, so he’ll be soaking up knowledge like a sponge – and sometimes becoming anxious in the process.
Young puppies may hump to relieve stress – which can occur in new situations. You may notice your young puppy humping if you have new people in your home or if you turn on the vacuum cleaner.
Feeling Overexcited
If your puppy humps your leg as soon as you walk in the door, he’s probably overexcited at seeing you again.
He may have missed you so much that he humps you as a way of releasing his strong rush of happy emotions!
Wants Your Attention
Sometimes your puppy may hump because he has learned that this behavior is guaranteed to get your attention (whether it’s positive or negative attention).
If you have immediately given your puppy lots of attention as soon as he humps (for instance, speaking to him – no matter your tone of voice), your puppy may seek to do it again every time he wants you to notice him.
It’s easy to spoil puppies with their adorable little faces, but it’s essential to not reinforce unwanted behavior.
Do All Puppies Hump At 8 Weeks Of Age?
Not all puppies hump at 8 weeks of age. Whether they hump early or not depends on a variety of factors, including their personalities and those of their mother and siblings.
Some puppies will start humping only once they reach puberty – and some dogs will never hump at all (unless they are mating).
When dogs play, humping can be a normal part of dogs’ behavior during playtime and when greeting each other.
As long as neither dog is upset, there’s nothing particularly wrong with this behavior, provided it doesn’t lead to unwanted puppies (and at 8 weeks, there’s no chance of that happening!)
If the humping becomes part of an interaction that becomes a bit too rough, then it’s essential to lead your dog away.
You don’t want the behavior to lead to fights or, worse, a dog getting seriously injured.
Should You Stop Your Puppy Humping At 8 Weeks of Age?
You should stop your puppy from humping at 8 weeks of age if you suspect humping has become compulsive behavior or behavior that’s directed at you as a means of getting attention. More rarely, humping can be caused by a medical problem, in which case it’s essential to get your puppy checked by a vet.
When Humping Becomes Compulsive
Sometimes humping can become a bit of an obsession, in which case it’s important to put a stop to it.
Common causes of compulsive humping are:
- Severe stress or anxiety
- Feeling isolated or lonely
- Lack of socialization
- Abuse
Your young puppy may have turned to humping as a means of dealing with overwhelming emotions: therefore, it’s crucial to help your puppy by addressing the cause of the emotions rather than just trying to stop the humping.
When humping affects your puppy’s daily life and his ability to handle his emotions, it’s time to seek help.
Any form of compulsive behavior – such as humping – requires a consultation with a qualified dog behaviorist.
When Humping Is Sign Of A Medical Problem
Some medical problems can be hidden behind humping behavior.
Dogs are clever animals, and they will seek to self-medicate rather than try and tell you what’s wrong.
In the wild, dogs have to carry on regardless of whether they’re feeling vulnerable, so dogs are naturally inclined to keep health issues hidden to appear strong.
If you suddenly notice your puppy humping more than usual, it could be caused by a medical issue such as:
- A skin allergy
- Priapism (a prolonged erection of the penis that isn’t caused by sexual stimulation. Priapism can go on for hours if left untreated)
- A urinary tract infection (a UTI)
- Urinary incontinence
Be sure to consult your vet if you suspect your puppy’s humping is due to a medical issue (or if he’s suddenly started doing it for seemingly no other apparent reason).
How To Stop Your Puppy From Humping At 8 Weeks of Age
Depending on the reason for your puppy’s humping at such an early age, you may wish to stop it. Thankfully, there are several things you can do to try and modify his behavior if it’s causing problems for you.
Ways To Stop Your Puppy From Humping At 8 Weeks
Here are some things you can try to get your young puppy to stop humping:
Ignore the Behavior You Don’t Want
If your puppy is humping out of habit or because he’s trying to work off tension, ignore this behavior.
It may be difficult to do, but the best way to train a puppy out of unwanted behavior is to ignore what you don’t want and reward what you do want.
Give your puppy time to settle down – perhaps send him to a ‘time out’ spot – but make sure you aren’t giving him a message of punishment.
Make sure his ‘time out’ spot is a calming place where he already enjoys relaxing.
Make sure there are no toys nearby (or anything else that he might hump), and wait until he has been calm for at least a few minutes.
If after these few minutes your puppy hasn’t tried to mount anything, reward him with lots of praise, or a treat, or both!
Help Your Puppy Destress
You may have a puppy who is often too excited, frightened, or stressed. To help your puppy deal with these overwhelming feelings, you can try distracting him with a toy (provided he tends to hump things other than a toy).
Try getting your puppy to follow a trained command, such as sitting or lying down.
Once he’s followed your command, you can reward him with praise or one of his favorite treats.
Make Sure Your Puppy Gets Enough Play Time
If you find your puppy is humping in order to get your attention, look at how much mental and physical stimulation you’re providing him.
High-energy puppies will look for ways to burn off that excess energy, including humping, especially if they know it guarantees your attention.
Make sure you are enabling your puppy to explore the wider world each day (safely, of course).
Play some mental stimulation games at home – for instance, hide treats around your home for your eager puppy to find. He will love putting his powerful nose to good use!
Block His Body
You can try the body block method for your puppy, especially if he tends to want to hump the same objects, dogs, or people.
Try to notice your puppy’s particular set of behaviors prior to humping, such as:
- Wagging his tail frantically
- Sniffing another dog’s private parts
- Running up to the object of their desire (be it dog or human)
All you have to do is stand in front of your puppy’s ‘humping target’ before he can reach it. If he tries to hump, gently shoo him back with your leg (never use force).
By blocking your puppy with your body, you are gently showing him that his humping behavior is not OK. Over time, he should get the message.
Redirect Your Puppy’s Behavior
Another good way to stop your young puppy from humping is to redirect his behavior – in other words, to distract him.
Most puppies are easily distracted. Here’s what you can do:
- When you see your puppy mounting something (no matter who or what it is), interrupt his behavior with something unexpected. You can cough, clap your hands, drop something on the floor, whistle, or something else
- When your puppy stops humping, walk away from him so that he follows you
- Start a game with him, such as playing with a favorite toy or tossing a ball for him
- Over time, he’ll find that playing with you is more rewarding than the humping
Other Things To Know About Helping Your Puppy Stop Humping
What Age Puppies Start Humping
In addition to the above tips, it may be useful to know at what age puppies start humping and how that impacts your ability to stop it.
Some puppies start humping as early as 2 to 3 weeks of age (when they start walking).
By the time your puppy is separated from his mother and siblings at 8 weeks, early humping may have already become an entrenched habit.
Tips For Older Puppies
You can also spay or neuter your puppy once he reaches sexual maturity (between 6 to 9 months for smaller breeds and 16 to 18 months for large breeds).
A recent study showed promising results for decreasing humping behavior as a result of spaying or neutering:
- 40% of dogs (from 2 to 7 years of age) did 90% less humping behavior after neutering
- For the remaining 60%, humping behavior decreased by 50%
While neutering or spaying your dog won’t decrease humping behavior by 100%, it can certainly help.
The impact of being spayed or neutered on your dog’s humping habits will depend on your individual dog and how long he’s been humping.
Finally
Young puppies hump.
When they start however, appears to vary from dog to dog.
The reason why they do this can range, however.
Sometimes it’s just a natural part of their development; other times, it could indicate something is up.
So keep a close eye on your puppy for other accompanying behaviors and if in doubt, speak with your vet.
I am an experienced pet owner with decades of experience owning a number of different pets, from traditional pets like dogs and cats, to the more exotic like reptiles and rodents. I currently own a Cockapoo (pictured) called Bailey. I am also the main writer and chief editor here at Pet Educate; a site dedicated to sharing evidence-based insights and guidance, based on my vast pet ownership knowledge, experience, and extensive research.