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Why does my dog hump the air?

This is a question that we often get from sitter and owners who work with Rover. Help the community out by answering them in our forum!

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Excitement or insecurity

Dogs generally hump the air out of excitement or built up tension. Dogs that are not neutered tend to do it more often because they have so much testosterone pumping through them. Female dogs and neutered dogs still hump from excitement. It's like a rush of emotions!

Whenever my mom's dog smells anyones bottoms, mostly the kids, she just instantly humps the air while sniffing. My daughter is 10 and we go over to my mom's a lot. She mostly sniffs her bottom. so I do not really understand how to help this weirdness or do I let her just do it?

5 Answers

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Dogs can hump out of excitement or if they are feeling socially insecure

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9/10 when dogs hump they do so as a form of dominance. Essentially, your dog is trying to show your cat that he is the boss around the house and a higher rank. If your dog is intact, a solution to this is to get him neutered. However, some dogs develop behaviors that stick around even after they have been fixed. However, dogs can hump for sexual relief, or attention, which is why they hump blankets, pillows, and in your pups case, the air.

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Sexual excitement or arousal. Dogs may show dominance over another big humping. Once humping starts, they may hump air until calmed down and no longer aroused.

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It can be a sign of dominance, a reaction to something that has excited the dog, like visitors arriving, or a sign that a dog hasn’t been socialized correctly and doesn’t know appropriate canine behavior.

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Although it is often a sign of dominance, humping the air can be a sign of social insecurity.