Jeremy Hoffman asked:

It is so embarrassing when your puppy begins madly humping people’s legs, you, other animals in your home, and just about anything else that incites your puppy into humping. Have you ever wondered why your puppy wants to hump things like a couch cushion or a plush toy? For your convenience, this article explains why puppies hump and provides you with practical advice on how to teach your puppy to stop humping and biting your leg.

• Your puppy is becoming a teenager so to speak, with surging sexual hormones, which causes your puppy to want to mimic adult dog mating behavior. Admonish your puppy sharply to stop his humping and biting as soon as he begins.

• Neutering your puppy at six-months of age or the age your pets veterinarian recommends, can stop a problem with humping from ever developing in the first place with very few exceptions.

• Puppies humping behavior is not always sexual in nature. A puppy wishing to assert his dominance over those he considers his subordinates will also hump and bite. Reassert yourself as the dominate member of your pack family with command and other training as well as teaching your puppy to stop humping and biting by doing so. A good trick to try is to have a noisemaker or small handheld alarm that you activate to produce noise to startle your puppy enough that he will no longer wish to hump or bite your leg.

• Engaging your puppy in a fun activity like fetching a toy as soon as he shows an interest in humping your leg can stop him from humping and biting. It is quite easy to draw a puppy’s attention away from negative behaviors and direct him towards acceptable behaviors. Do it before bad behaviors become permanent habits for your puppy.

An overly anxious puppy may react by humping and biting your leg. Working to help your puppy to relax can help stop this unwanted behavior.