How do I stop my American Staffy from humping other dogs?

1. 66

   DeviousOneposted 11 years ago

   How do I stop my American Staffy from humping other dogs?
   
   My American Staffy had a tendancy to hump us when we got him and also attempts to hump other dogs in the dog park. He stopped doing it now at home because when he tries, we ignore him or tell him not to do it. How can we make sure he doesn't do it with other dogs in the dog park apart from keeping him on the leash and training him that way?

   replyreport
2. 93

   agilitymachposted 11 years ago

   Is he neutered?  Neutering him is very important.  It lowers testosterone and allows for some of the very "male" behaviors to disappear.  This takes time after neutering, so don't expect immediate results.   Secondly, neutering will help keep some of the common "male" cancers away, like testicular cancer that is very common in dogs. 
   
   No, neutering a male dog is not at all like if we neutered humans.  They don't mind missing the sexual drive at all, and it makes for a better behaved, healthier pet.
   
   How old is your dog?  You really wouldn't want to neuter a Staffie until about one year old to allow for the bone growth to be complete.  That's a whole other answer in itself though.
   
   Otherwise the only way to control humping is with training and leash control.  Remember, humping is not accepted by many dogs, and in a dog park situation, if he humped the wrong dog, he could easily get into a very dangerous dog fight.  I have one dog that would not at all accept a stranger dog coming up and attempting to hump him. 
   
   As the training to stop this behavior would take many steps and some time, I suggest you get in touch with a local dog trainer who uses positive reinforcement methods to learn how to curb this annoying and even sometimes dangerous behavior.

   replyreport