Shih Tzu Humping
Overview
If your Shih Tzu puppy or dog keeps humping things, like toys or even your leg, no doubt you’re a bit frustrated and most likely wondering why it’s happening. If it’s done while visitors are over, you may also feel that it’s a bit embarrassing. You may wonder if it’s normal canine behavior that should be ignored or if you should do something to interrupt it.
This section covers everything you need to know if your Shih Tzu has a humping problem, including why dogs do this and how to respond.
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What, Exactly, is Humping?
Humping is an act of canine masturbation. Despite this, the reasons for humping can have very little to do with urges to mate. When males hump, they may or may not ejaculate. And, both genders hump; though, males tend to do this more often than females. Dogs that are not spayed or neutered hump much more often than those that are; however, if strong habits have formed, even a Shih Tzu that is fixed may still hump. Puppies, even those so young that they have not yet entered puberty, may hump. In fact, this can be seen when littermates are playing with each other.
Common Objects that Dogs Hump
The things that a Shih Tzu may hump is practically endless. In many cases, it will be something of similar size to the dog and soft, like a stuffed toy, a shoe, a pile of clothing, etc. But, it can really be just about anything that the puppy or dog can mount and then thrust their hips against.
Of top concern, and perhaps the most embarrassing of all humping behaviors, is when a Shih Tzu humps their human. This is normally done to a person's lower leg, which is, or course, an area a small dog like the Shih Tzu can reach.
Reasons Why a Shih Tzu Dog May Hump
A Shih Tzu puppy or dog may hump due to mating urges, play behavior, an attempt to establish dominance over another dog, improper hierarchy, stress, compulsive behavior or a health issue. Let's look at the details:
Mating urges.
Though certainly not the only reason, hormonal urges are at play in many humping situations. This is why humping is more prevalent with un-fixed dogs. However, a neutered male may still have urges to hump; even though the testicles are removed during the neutering procedure, the body produces a small quantity of testosterone via the adrenal gland.
This means that those neutered males can, in some cases, still get an erection. In fact, a neutered dog can still tie with a female. Of course, this will not result in pregnancy, and most neutered males do not have the desire to mate. But, humping may still feel good to them and they may hump for the pleasure that it brings about.
With females, humping is much more common with un-spayed females and urges to hump are strongest during the heat cycle. A female may mount another female or even mount a male first before he mounts her.
Play behavior.
It is considered normal canine behavior to hump when at play with other dogs. Though this is seen most often with puppies, if two dogs get along well, humping solely for play reasons may still occur.
Attempt to establish dominance with another dog.
Though this is similar to play behavior, there’s more going on. If two dogs are playing, one or both may be controlled by canine instinct to make it clear who of the two is the ‘leader’. Typically, the one more apt to want to set this straight will mount and hump the other.
Improper Hierarchy.
If your very young Shih Tzu puppy humps your leg, this may be due to play. However, if your adult Shih Tzu humps your leg, this is most likely due to an improper understanding of hierarchy.
The element of hierarchy is a vital one, and will affect how well your Shih Tzu learns and obeys commands, heels beside you for walks, stops when you give a ‘no’, and so much more. So, it’s important that proper hierarchy is in place.
Dogs, no matter their breed, size, or gender, see hierarchy, even if you don’t. Within the den (house), lives the pack (all humans and all pets). There is an Alpha (leader) of the pack who is in charge of the Betas (everyone else). If a dog mistakenly believes that he is the Alpha, he/she feels that they have a weak Alpha, or if they are downright confused about who the Alpha may be, that dog may hump as a show of dominance and a grab at the title of Alpha.
If you feel a bit demeaned when your adult Shih Tzu humps your leg, that is the general idea of what your dog intended. Try to not take it personal, it is after all, canine instinct.
Stress.
Dogs that are chronically nervous, always scared, or stressed may hump as a self-soothing mechanism. Common reasons for stress with pets include moving to a new home, being home alone, the loss of a loved one (human or another pet), or a chaotic environment (lots of loud noises, no place to relax, yelling, etc.).
Compulsive issues.
This is most often seen with Shih Tzu dogs that humped for one reason (that was addressed), but then they continue to hump due to ingrained habit. Even if the main cause is removed, humping was such a normal action for them, their brains are ‘trained’ to do it. In fact, it can become such a vicious repeat of behavior, that the dog gets no enjoyment out of it. In these cases, it’s more important than ever that you help your Shih Tzu stop humping in order to free them from this behavioral loop.
Health issues.
Any sort of condition or issue that can cause itching or discomfort in the groin area can make a dog hump. In these cases, it is a matter of the dog moving his/her genitals against something to ‘scratch’ the itch or touch the area that’s bothering them.
Most common is allergies, which can make a dog itchy. But, other possible causes include urinary tract infection, yeast infection, and bladder infection. While humping may be the only sign, other signs for allergies may include red eyes, eye discharge, chewing or licking at the paws, and hot spots on other areas of the body. For UTI’s, other signs may include urine with an odd odor, frequent urination, increase in housebreaking accidents, and/or cloudy urine.
Should a Shih Tzu Be Stopped from Humping?
In most cases, the answer is yes. There are several reasons why:
1. Humping due to itching
should be addressed so that the underlying issue is resolved. Continual rubbing against an already irritated spot will only exacerbate the problem.
2. It can result in a much happier dog.
If your Shih Tzu is humping due to stress, resolving that will bring about a more relaxed dog. If it’s due to compulsive behavior, helping your dog stop removes the tiringly endless loop of behavior. And, if it’s due to improper hierarchy, most dogs are much more content once the matter of ‘who’s the leader?’ is settled.
3. If your Shih Tzu is humping other dogs, these advances may not be welcomed. At any time, another dog may show their displeasure by a biting or otherwise making it clear that they want your dog off of them.
How to Stop a Shih Tzu from Humping
1) If any health issues are suspected, bring your Shih Tzu to the vet for a checkup.
2) Consider having your dog spayed/neutered.
While it does not work in all cases, this will work for most dogs. And though you may not want to have this done for humping reasons alone, there are many more benefits.
For females, it stops the chance of pregnancy, eliminates the risk of ovarian cancer, greatly reduces chances of developing mammary tumors, greatly reduces chances developing ovarian infections, nearly eliminates the chances of pyometra, cuts down on urges to run away when in heat, and helps with any territorial marking issues.
For males, it eliminates the chance of impregnating a female, eliminates the possibility of testicular tumors, reduces the risk of prostate disease, cuts down on urges to run away, and cuts down on territorial marking.
3) If you believe that your dog is humping due to stress, make the necessary changes. This may involve remedies for separation anxiety
such as playing calming music, experimenting with different views, offering treat-release toys and/or offering a companion toy like the Smart Pet Love Snuggle Puppy
, leaving the TV and lights on, and so forth.
, leaving the TV and lights on, and so forth. Additionally, be sure that your Shih Tzu is not being bothered while eating. And, take your little guy or gal for at least two walks per day since regular exercise is beneficial for a number of reasons, including emotional well-being.
4) With other dogs, you’ll need to carefully supervise interactions. For humping dogs outside the household, always have your Shih Tzu on leash and harness, so that you can safely pull him away before he fully mounts another dog. If your dog humps other pets in the house, take the question of ‘who’s the dominant one?’ out of play. The leader of the dogs (which is generally the older of the two), should have his position reaffirmed by you. This involves placing his dinner dish down first, handing him treats first, etc.
5) Interrupt and re-focus.
The goal is to fully interrupt your dog to make him/her take pause, and then have something at the ready to focus attention elsewhere.
To interrupt, a loud hand clap along with calling out your Shih Tzu’s name may work. However, if a dog is used to hearing this and ignoring it, it won’t work now. So, if you need something a bit more robust, use a behavior interrupter device like the The Company of Animals Pet Corrector
. These are completely safe devices that let out a hiss of air (not pointed right at the dog). The sounds that it makes causes a dog to take pause. And, all you need is that short moment to move on to step 2, the refocusing aspect.
. These are completely safe devices that let out a hiss of air (not pointed right at the dog). The sounds that it makes causes a dog to take pause. And, all you need is that short moment to move on to step 2, the refocusing aspect. To refocus, you’ll need to tempt your Shih Tzu with something that is more favorable to the humping. You can play a game of ‘hide n’ seek’ with a tasty chew that will take a while to work on; wave it around and place it under 1 of 3 overturned cups. Though it’ll be easy for your dog to find it, the thrill of doing so will most likely result in him lying down to chew away on it. Since raw hides and other such chews are notoriously bad for dogs, opt for something like Blue Ridge Natural Sweet Tater Fries
, which are all-natural and safe, yet can keep a dog busy.
, which are all-natural and safe, yet can keep a dog busy.Another option is to redirect your dog to a favorite toy or a new toy. For a toy to be new, you don’t have to purchase a bunch. You can keep 2 toy bins so that your Shih Tzu has a ‘new’ set every few weeks. This said, if it’s been a while since you’ve gotten new toys, you may want to obtain 3 or 4 tempting ones that are only used when addressing humping behavior.
6) If your dog tends to hump against people, such as visitors to your home, you can try the distraction method. However, if this does not work, it may warrant a firm ‘No’, followed by a short 5 to 10-minute time-out in a gated-off area or canine playpen.
It will be important to not yell or otherwise send a message that your dog did something truly wrong; but rather segregate him to stop the humping, allow him to ‘re-set’, and then let him back into the fray for interaction. If he humps again soon afterward, keep repeating the time-outs until he learns that humping equals no fun and no attention from his human or the visitors.
7) If your Shih Tzu humps against you, it’ll be time to make it exceedingly clear that you are the Alpha and as such you are to be respected. Some ways to do this include:
- A ‘sit’ must be obeyed before any food (meal or snack) is given.
- Your dog walks to your side when on leash. This is accomplished by having your Shih Tzu on a short 6-foot or retractable leash kept short and on harness.
- You enter and exit the den (house) first, followed by your dog.
In more severe cases, when a dog is aggressively battling hierarchy, you may need to maintain a physically higher stance (you do not sit on the floor with your dog and your dog does not sit up on the sofa with you).
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