Need help

[Blackonyx]

We have a neutered male Maltese that is 15 months old. We got him when he was almost 8 months old and had him neutered right away. He is very social and loves to play with other dogs. We are good friends with another family who have a spayed female dog approximately 6 years old. Our dog and theirs love to play. However, after a few minutes of greeting and running and chasing our dog begins to hump the female dog. He humps any body part of her that he can get close to. We have told him no, put him in his crate, etc., etc. but he still goes right back at it as soon as we release him. This female dog is the only one he does this with - at least so far. He never humps people. Could this behavior be caused by overexcitement?? We would really appreciate any help on this!! Thanks

[MaxHollyNoah]

Hi Blackonyx,

Humping is not necessarily a sexual or dominant behavior so I would not be very concerned. But it is kind of embarrassing so you might just want to stop him every time he starts (or even before he starts) by distracting him to something else, i.e., "Come on doggies, let's play with this toy", etc.

It will be the best if your friend's 6 yr old dog gets annoyed and tell him "No" in the dog language In fact, your pup needs to learn a lot of dog-to-dog manners as he grows.

Puppy classes will be great, especially for dogs of teenager age like yours.

Good luck

[Blackonyx]

Thanks MaxHollyNoah. The female dog does sometimes growl and snap to back him off. It just doesn't discourage him for very long, though. So we'll just continue to work with him and maybe try more distracting.

[KOPcaroline]

Hey there,

I definitely think its just excited behaviour as well. My dog Jackson gets humped by his friend Daxter when they play (and vice versa) - and this is the only time either one of us owners have seen this behaviour come out. So I wouldnt be too concerned if it happens in the middle of play - especially if the female does in fact tell him off for it a few times. Hopefully as he gets older he'll grow out of doing it so often.

Just keep up with telling him "no" or "down" and sooner or later he'll understand that humping excessively = stop play. (I know I've pretty much echoed MHN's post, but just letting you know that it is common )