Understanding Humping At Doggy Daycare

It’s an awkward topic, we know, but humping is a common, discouraged behavior at doggy daycare. Dogs of all ages, sizes, and genders will participate in this undesirable act, but it isn’t why you’d think.

 

WHY DO THEY DO IT?

Mounting is a natural behavior in dogs that serves a purpose in the appropriate context, but what we know about humping in the group environment is that it is always related to stress.

• If there is 1 dog humping multiple dogs throughout the day, that dog is communicating that they are stressed out, overstimulated, or in an unbalanced state of mind. It is usually an indicator to us that the dog may need time away from the group to decompress. 
• Conversely, if there are several different dogs humping and fixating on the same dog, it is an indicator to us that the dog getting humped is stressed out, overstimulated, or in an unbalanced state of mind. The other dogs in the group (the “humpers”) are aware of the dog’s stressed state, and begin to fixate on them. In this instance, the only way to help the dog getting humped, is to help them with their stimulation. No matter how many “humpers” we remove from the playgroup, the core issue is that we have a dog in the group that is in a stressed state. We know the only way for a dog to fully process their stress is to give them time away from stressful stimulation. This is why we use breaks; We want all interactions in the group to be as healthy and balanced as possible!

 

 

HOW DO WE HANDLE IT?

Canine To Five’s dog daycare in Metro Detroit, Ferndale, and Commerce Township uses a multitude of positive reinforcement tools in our pack:

• If a dog is engaging in behaviors caused by stress, our Pack Leaders will first try to redirect the dog by either leash walking them for a short period of time, or practice calling their name and giving them a task to do (like jumping on up a play structure)
• If none of our positive methods work in the group environment, then we will give the dog a decompression break. We talk more in depth about decompression breaks in this blog post, but basically it is offering the dog their own safe space away from the pack to reduce their stimulation and hopefully get them back to a level state of mind before returning to group
• To play in group at Canine To Five, all dogs must be spayed or neutered by 9 months old. Dogs who are not fixed by 9 months old are always welcome to visit us for Pawsitive Enrichment.

 

 

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

Each dog’s stress management plan is different. Some dogs need to visit us more frequently to get comfortable, others may need to try out our Serenity Group, while a select few could benefit from visiting less frequently so they’re allowed more time to decompress at home. If you’re concerned about your dog’s stress levels at daycare, let us know! Every dog is an individual, and we would love to discuss the best route to ensure your pup is as comfortable as they can be in our care.