humping

Please help i'm not sure what to do. We got 6 month old Alfie last monday and he has been getting on fine. But now he is constantly trying to hump/hug our 2 yr old lab Sam, who is very placid but is starting to look really sad about it. Sam is neutered, Alfie isnt although we will do it once he is settled in. Is it dominance? Should i let them carry on ? Feel very sorry for Sam as he is still getting used to sharing his home.

Should probably also mention that we had playdate today, and cos he' s still a bit mad he wasn't allowed to play with all the kids and Sam was. Do you think he could be jealous/ unsettled by visitors? He has been really bad since they left

Welcome feel free to introduce yourself and your dogs here:

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How much exercise are they both getting? It might be dominance, it might be that he's excited. Loki used to hump his bed constantly because he was full of energy. An extra walk would stop him. In Alfie's case, it could be that he gets so excited and playful and doesn't know how to be polite to other dogs. Either way, you shouldn't encourage the humping simply because some dogs will react badly to it. When he starts humping, just separate them for a bit, distract Alfie, until he's calm down. Continue doing that and he'll learn eventually. Might take a while, but if you're consistent, he'll pick it up

Is Alfie a rescue?

Thank you, will try that. Yep he's a rescue, got left at the local rescue at four months old poor boy, but he's lovely. I keep meaning to do a proper intro and also to say how helpful this site is, i've looked up loads of stuff this week. Its lovely cos there is no " ooh staffy" about any of the replies.

Course, everyone's in the same boat, we all know what a loving, amazing breed they are glad the site has been of use to you.

Hi there.

Can I ask what food you're giving him & what sort of exercise he's getting?

From what you've said I'm inclined to think that he is still settling in & is getting over excited or hyperactive.

He was on pets at home puppy complete but we are swapping him to Skinners puppy.
He gets an hours walk, but he's kept on lead at the moment, and then he runs about the garden a lot with me or Sam.
He is calming down all the time, he was completely nuts for the first day or so but he is getting a lot better.

Thanks.

The Skinners will help with excess energy levels (hopefully) as there are less fillers which can lead to hyperactivity.

If possible, can you increase his walks to about 40 minutes, twice a day? Or even 3 times a day?

A lot of humping behaviour is caused through energy not being burnt off enough - sometimes it's the simple things that can bring about a dramatic change in behaviour!

You could also try teaching him some mental games such as "seek" to tire his mind as well as his body.