I recently read the headline of a 'National Enquirer' type magazine that claimed: ' Humping Dog Impregnates Man's Leg'

If you happen to have a 'humping dog' problem, don't fret, for leg pregnancy won't happen..

But it did get me to thinking about how so many of our dog's behaviours are misunderstood- including mounting or humping..

- Why do they do this?

Humping, otherwise known as mounting is what male dogs will do when they mate. Female dogs do this as well, of course less often. Dogs also mount furniture, toys, people's legs, and for a few reasons.

Yes it can still be displaying sexual behaviour, hence that 'special' stuffy toy that your dog does 'unnamed' things to. Dogs are animals, as are we, and they still have sexual behaviours in spite being neutered/spayed.

Other triggers can be with types of anxiety-I can use my 'new' dog Jessie as an example. Things are cool with both him and my other dog Lewis, we can walk on the trail with bouts of peeing, running and playing, then when other dogs show up, Jessie hops on top of Lewis and proceeds to embarrass me and Lewis..

Then there is the most common explanation, displaying DOMINANCE. You commonly see this with puppies, and often with adult dogs. It's saying 'I AM IN CHARGE' in a socially not always acceptable way.

- What Can You Do?

If your dog isn't spayed/neutered, then get this done.

You don't need to address the behaviour all the time, BUT when it's excessive, involving your neighbors leg, or crushing the small dog on the dog walk, then you need to come up with some strategies.

Assuming your dog is 'fixed' then let's use some positive rewards based training. Correcting in a harsh manner for humping can cause more serious problems.

1. Get back to BASIC training skills. You want your dog to be able to sit, come, lay down on cue.

2. Distract- get the ball, offer the squeaky toy, the kong filled with peanut butter.

3. Don't get too worried- for your dog isn't and if you get all angry, the behaviour won't be changing, but you can sure damage the relationship with your dog.

As with many unwanted dog behaviours, some time spent learning positive rewards based training will pay off in spades, and you WILL change the undesired behavior.

Dog humping, otherwise known as dog mounting, is a relatively common undesired dog behavior, and dog's do it for a variety of reasons. It can be sexual, it can be caused by anxiety, or it can be a display of dominance. Regardless of the cause, there are a variety of things that you can do to stop this unwanted behavior. The common theme of changing the behavior is going back to basic training, and rewarding your dog when they do the appropriate behavior.