Oh goodness- 11 week old puppy already humping?

[JenniferF]

Is it normal for an 11 week old pup to already start humping? Our other dog didn't start that until months later! We have an older medium sized mix dog and they both get along great. Well today I noticed for the first time that our new 11 week old GSD is often trying to "hump" our other older mixed male dog. He is young to do this or is it normal at his age? What would you recommend doing to try to stop the behavior? We don't want to fix him until he is 1 year old for developmental reasons. Thoughts?

[Rahrah]

Completely normal.

There was a (very cute) 12 week old Labrador at our puppy class who was very fond humping other dogs legs.

[chelle]

Originally Posted by JenniferF

Is it normal for an 11 week old pup to already start humping? Our other dog didn't start that until months later! We have an older medium sized mix dog and they both get along great. Well today I noticed for the first time that our new 11 week old GSD is often trying to "hump" our other older mixed male dog. He is young to do this or is it normal at his age? What would you recommend doing to try to stop the behavior? We don't want to fix him until he is 1 year old for developmental reasons. Thoughts?

I don't have the slightest idea how normal it is! I know my parents' dog, many years ago, was humping at eight weeks!!!???

I'm maybe one of the most anti-hump people around. I hate it. I shut it down with a harsh voice and/or physically making it stop. I'm sure you'll get more feedback, but personally, no humping allowed. Zero tolerance.

[JenniferF]

I know! It is very unpleasant to see. And my other dog just acts like he doesn't care, probably because the pup is so much smaller than him? I wish he would stop it himself. lol. The few times I saw him humping I just, as nicely as possible, knocked him off and said "no!."
Hopefully that works!

Originally Posted by chelle

I don't have the slightest idea how normal it is! I know my parents' dog, many years ago, was humping at eight weeks!!!???

I'm maybe one of the most anti-hump people around. I hate it. I shut it down with a harsh voice and/or physically making it stop. I'm sure you'll get more feedback, but personally, no humping allowed. Zero tolerance.

[chelle]

Originally Posted by JenniferF

I know! It is very unpleasant to see. And my other dog just acts like he doesn't care, probably because the pup is so much smaller than him? I wish he would stop it himself. lol. The few times I saw him humping I just, as nicely as possible, knocked him off and said "no!."
Hopefully that works!

Be careful about taking advice from me, since I'm a novice. BUT, I wouldn't let the other dog shut it down. I've seen too many dog fights/squabbles at the dog park over humping to think that you can let the other dog "shut it down." I'd personally shut it down now - nice and early - because the next dog the pup tries to hump may NOT be as lax -- it may attack. Again, this is the novice giving you advice, but this is one thing that my dogs have received pretty severe reprimands over. I don't mean I hit them or anything of that nature, but my voice gets loud and mean as I use a physical reprimand. (As in I give the dog a hip-knock along with the reprimand.) I'd forget the "nicely as possible" thing.

I'm sure you'll get some great feedback on this. I'm curious to see the responses, too!

[bocron]

When Uma came home at 8 weeks, she tried humping a stuffed animal the first day or so. Once she settled in, I didn't see the behavior again. Then last night she apparently went up to my daughter's room and saw her sister (3yo GSD female, same mother, different father) lying on my daughter's bed and hopped up on the bed and tried to hump her sister. My daughter just cracked up and shooed her out of the room. She absolutely LOVES her big sister, to the point she just follows her around wagging her tail and whining.
Humping is not necessarily a sexual reaction, in a young pup it can be from over excitement, too much going on kind of thing. But you still need to correct the behavior, redirect into something else because you don't want the older dog having to correct it, it may not be how you want it to go .

[Reno]

My male Reno was a little over 7 weeks when I picked him up xmas eve. We introduced him to the house dog sophie (a cocker spaniel in which he was about bigger than) and he almost immediately mounted her and started humping. LOL.

[JenniferF]

Sorry for the late reply- forgot about this post until it popped back up! He stopped the "humping" He did it for two days (the day I posted and the day after) and since then I have not seen him do it again