# Stupid puppy humping question



## Sarahliz100 (Jan 5, 2014)

My entire male 7 month puppy humps the towel whenever I try to towel him off. If not permitted to hump the towel he humps me instead. Unless there are blankets/towels around he otherwise isn't problematic from a mounting point of view (and we don't have blankets or anything like that for him as he eats them). There are no plans to neuter him at present as he is quite anxious and it might make this worse.

Now this isn't a massive issue, but at some point he will have to go out with a dog walker and I expect they might like to dry him off without getting humped to high heaven so I'd quite like to get him to stand nicely to be dried off.

I've tried click and treat for looking at but not humping towel and click and treat for allowing towel to touch him but after a few moments of this he got into humpy mode. I don't really know what else to try aside from lots of brief "practices" stopping when he gets excited.

Any other suggestions?


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## Riff Raff (Feb 12, 2013)

Could you try teaching the pup to nose target something (a hand, a post it note on the wall, whatever is handy), then cue him to do this behaviour while you towel him?


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## Wiz201 (Jun 13, 2012)

It can be excitement rather than sexual, my female does it on occaison in play with other dogs.
You could simply just try changing the way you rub him down, maybe with less vigour and more gentle stroking movements? Its not the puppy being stupid; its not his fault, its only nature.


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## Sarahliz100 (Jan 5, 2014)

I didn't mean the puppy was stupid, I meant my question was stupid!

I get him to stand (he knows the stand command) and then have been trying to just touch him with the towel, then treat him with the idea of getting him to stand calmly. So far just the appearance of the towel causes the excitement. Maybe I just need to persevere.


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## Wiz201 (Jun 13, 2012)

oh right! I read the title wrong  
Distracting with treats or perhaps give him his dinner and rub him down gently whilst he's eating?


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## Sarahliz100 (Jan 5, 2014)

Wiz201 said:


> oh right! I read the title wrong
> Distracting with treats or perhaps give him his dinner and rub him down gently whilst he's eating?


No that's ok, I realised as soon as I posted it that it might be misinterpreted.

I'm working with giving him treats whilst toweling him at the moment and I'll persevere. He resource guards so messing with him whilst eating his dinner is a no-no. He has body handling issues too which doesn't help. Unfortunately he has long fur and loves mud so towelling is pretty vital!


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## Old Shep (Oct 17, 2010)

My pup had exactly the same problem.
I got round it by holding a crunchy pice of kibble at his nose and allwonh him to try to nibble it while I dried him off. 

It did work. I too had tried clicking and treating, but this only worked with his front half - as soon as I got to his hindquarters he saw that as a hump situation and that's when I introduced the piece of kibble.

He's neutered now ( not for that reason!) and it's no longer an issue- though is he's feeling daft, he sometimes forgets his manners and prances about. So we are still clicking away!


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