I have a 4 yr old white male gsd who is a rescue we've had for 2 yrs. He was very under socialised. He has improved in the 2 years. We have recently started taking him on group dog walks with lots of different dogs and people to help improve his socialisation. He is fine with all the dogs, but he picks out one dog and follows them around and trust to hump them all the time. It's not always the same dog and not the always the same sex. It seems to be a dog who won't tell him off. He doesn't really play with other dogs either, just follows them around and tries to hump them. Can any one tell me why he is like this with other dogs and what I can do to correct this?
Some people say that humping is a sign of dominance but I don't necessarily agree with that. It can be just sign of affection or play.
First off, please neuter him if he is not yet fixed.
Most dogs get really offended or annoyed by being humped so it is important to correct this behavior soon. The other dogs can get aggressive and can start a fight, which we want to avoid by all means.
You will need to be patient and consistent to reprimand him EVERY TIME he does this. It is even better to stop him before he actually tries to hump by telling him "Leave it" or distracting him to something else.
If you actually see him humping, grab his collar and remove him to a time-out. You will need to repeat this every time he does it.
But the good thing about your dog is that he is not aggressive to other dogs even though he lacks of socialization. You are doing great thing for him to walk him with other dogs. Keep up with good job!
Humping definitely can be a sign of play, not necessarily dominance, especially if theres no other sign of aggression/weird behaviour. My own dog humps his doggie best friend sometimes, and he's neutered, not dominant at all, so its just an excited behaviour. That being said, if your GSD is intact, I'd opt for neutering him soon!
Otherwise, as MHN says, its a matter of keeping a watch out for the behaviour and training him out of it. Verbal commands, and well as time outs are a great way to accomplish this. Try putting him back on lead for a few minutes and making him heel if he's acting up on your group walks and you can't exactly put him in a time out! Be very persistant and keep on him and he should get the idea soon enough!
thanks guys for your advice. as he is a rescue dog, he has already been neutered. i'll definitely try and do some training with him to try and get him out of this habit - thanks again for your advice
