Why Is My Female Dachshund Humping? (And How To Stop It!)

Do you want to know why your female Dachshund is humping? Maybe you’re wondering whether it’s normal or how to stop it from happening. Here’s everything you need to know about why female Dachshunds hump. 

Why Is My Female Dachshund Humping? Female Dachshunds hump for sexual pleasure, out of boredom, if they’re over-excited, as a way to release stress and pent up energy, to express dominance, or as a result of a medical issue. They may hump people, other dogs, cushions, items, dog beds and soft toys.

Read on to find out whether it’s normal for female Dachshunds to hump, if they still hump after they’ve been spayed, and how to stop your female Dachshund from humping. 

This article is based on research and personal experience as a Dachshund owner of 10+ years. I’m not a Vet, qualified dog trainer or dog behaviourist.

Is It Normal For Female Dachshunds To Hump?

Yes, it is completely normal for female Dachshunds to hump people, other dogs, cushions, furniture, other items, dog beds and soft toys.

Even though humping or mounting is a behaviour typically associated with male dogs, female Dachshunds can hump just as much.

Why Do Female Dachshunds Hump? 

Humping and mounting is actually a very normal behaviour for female dogs.

You may have noticed that your female Dachshund tries to hump you, your items, your furniture, your guests, her dog bed or toys. 

There are a number of reasons why your female Dachshund may hump: 

Female Dachshunds hump for sexual pleasure

Female Dachshunds can derive sexual pleasure from humping. They may hump or mount for sexual stimulation (although that isn’t always the case!). 

You may be able to identify whether your female Dachshund is humping as a sexual activity if she’s also expressing other body language associated with that.

For example, this could include licking and pawing at another dog or her dog bed, or raising her tail. 

Female Dachshunds hump when bored

Female Dachshunds may also hump out of boredom and frustration.

If your Dachshund is left alone a lot during the day, she may start humping as a way to entertain herself when she’s feeling bored. 

Maybe you have a Furbo or another dog camera where you can see your female Dachshund humping when you’re not there.

If her behaviour coincides with long days where she’s been left by herself for many hours, then she’s likely just bored!

If your Dachshund is humping out of boredom, take time to play with her, hang out with her, and take her on walks to help relieve this boredom.

You could also ask someone to call in, let your Dachshund out and give her some attention to break up the day.

Female Dachshunds hump when expressing dominance

Humping or mounting can be used as a way to express dominance.

When your female Dachshund humps, it can be a way of claiming dominance over the person, dog, or item that she’s humping. 

Your Dachshund will use humping as a display of control over other dogs or people.

If you notice other signs of aggression in your female Dachshund, this makes it more likely that she’s humping as a show of dominance. 

Many owners presume that female Dachshunds only hump to express dominance. But, that isn’t always the case and it can be for any of the reasons listed here.

Dominance is just one of the reasons why your female Dachshund might start humping.

Female Dachshunds hump for stress relief 

Your female Dachshund may also hump as a way to relieve stress. It can be a relaxing thing to do during stressful situations. 

Try to notice if there’s a pattern to your female Dachshund’s humping behaviour.

If she’s often humping during situations which might be stressful, then she may be humping to relieve stress. 

Stressful situations can include feeling overwhelmed by meeting new people or new dogs.

It can also be when a big change occurs in your Dachshund’s life, such as moving house or going on holiday for example. 

Female Dachshunds hump when over-excited 

Humping is a very common way for female Dachshunds to express excitement and joy.

If your female Dachshund gets extremely excited, she might start humping to express that happiness and elation.

Some Dachshunds get over-excited when meeting new dogs or new people, and then immediately start humping things.

It doesn’t mean anything other than feeling really happy and excited and using humping as a way to show that.

Female Dachshunds hump because it’s habit

Your female Dachshund may naturally hump things just because that’s what she’s always done.

Dachshunds, like all dogs, can become addicted to humping after it becomes an ingrained behaviour.

She probably doesn’t even know why she’s doing it half the time, just that it’s become a force of habit!

Female Dachshunds can hump when they have medical problems 

Your female Dachshund might also hump if she’s suffering from a medical problem. 

Humping could be a sign of a urinary tract infection. This can be very itchy, and your female Dachshund might find that the itch is eased by humping.

Humping might also be a sign that your female Dachshund is having problems urinating. 

In most cases, humping as a result of a medical problem should be fairly straightforward to spot.

If your female Dachshund suddenly begins humping things all the time, she might be doing it because she’s in pain or experiencing some discomfort.

Other signs of a urinary tract or other urethra problem include excessively licking of the genital area, or rashes around the genital area.

If you have any concerns about your Dachshund’s health, always contact your vet for advice.

Why Does My Female Dachshund Hump Her Toys?

Your female Dachshund might hump her toys because it’s comforting.

If your Dachshund is feeling stressed, excited, or bored, humping her stuffed animals might feel like a good way to comfort herself or express her excitement.

Humping toys such as stuffed animals might also be a good way to release any excess energy she has pent up. 

Why Does My Female Dachshund Hump Me? 

Your Dachshund may hump you to try and get your attention.

It’s common for Dachshunds to try everything to get the attention of their owner, and that may include humping you! 

As humping is often an activity which occurs when your Dachshund is over-excited, she may try to hump you the minute you walk through the door! 

Why Does My Female Dachshund Hump My Guests? 

There are a few potential reasons why your female Dachshund might try to hump your guests.

Similarly to when your Dachshund humps you, she might be humping guests out of excitement or trying to get attention. 

Most Dachshunds are friendly dogs that get over-excited at the prospect of meeting new people. She may hump as a way to express some of that happiness! 

It’s also possible that your female Dachshund is humping to express dominance over your guests.

However, without any other signs of controlling behaviour, it can just be due to excitement. 

Why Does My Female Dachshund Hump Other Dogs? 

Your female Dachshund might hump or mount other dogs in a sexually motivated way.

You’ll likely notice her licking, pawing, or showing play bows if she’s humping other dogs out of sexual motivation. 

Some female Dachshunds can also simply be very excited and hump or mount as a way to release that excitable energy.

Humping other dogs could also potentially be a show of dominance over the other dog.

Humping or mounting as a sign of control will often be accompanied by other signs of aggression or dominant behaviour.

Will Spaying Stop My Female Dachshund Humping? 

Spaying your female Dachshund can sometimes stop or greatly reduce her humping, but it doesn’t always stop the humping completely.

Some spayed female Dachshunds hump just as much as females who aren’t spayed. They can still derive pleasure and excitement from humping and may simply enjoy doing it!

Spaying doesn’t necessarily prevent Dachshunds from wanting to hump either. If the behaviour isn’t stopped as a puppy, it can become a habit that’s very hard to break!

The other reasons for humping listed above will also apply to spayed female Dachshunds.

Should I Stop My Female Dachshund Humping?

No, you don’t need to stop your female Dachshund humping unless you want to.

Humping is a natural behaviour so there’s no reason to completely prevent your female Dachshund from doing it. 

However, you might want to stop your female Dachshund from humping or mounting people or other dogs, simply because it’s bad manners!

But when it comes to her dog bed or toys, there’s no real issue with that.

If the humping becomes excessive or constant, you should seek the advice of your vet or a dog behaviourist to get to the route of the problem.

Sometimes there can be underlying issues like stress or anxiety that need to be dealt with by a professional.

How To Stop A Dachshund Humping

This is how to stop your Dachshund from humping:

1. Interrupt the activity

If your Dachshund starts humping, you need to say ‘Ah-Ah!’ right away in a short, sharp, voice.

This should get their attention and interrupt their behaviour.

2. Say ‘Leave It’

Next, immediately ask your Dachshund to ‘Leave it!‘.

It’s a good idea to teach this command because it’s so handy when you want your Dachshund to leave things.

Once your Dachshund understands what ‘Leave it!‘ means, you can literally use it for anything and everything.

For example, when you’re carrying the washing downstairs and drop a sock on the floor, or if you accidentally drop any food while eating (yes really!).

If you haven’t taught your Dachshund the ‘Leave it’ command, you can learn how to do that here!

3. Distract your Dachshund

Next, you need to distract your Dachshund and divert their attention elsewhere.

Maybe you can grab a dog toy or get a dog treat from the cupboard.

You just want to move their focus away from humping and on to something more fun!

4. Praise your Dachshund

When your Dachshund stops humping, remember to praise them.

They need to understand the difference between doing something right and doing something wrong.

Change your tone of your voice too. Calm and gentle for ‘good boy’ or ‘good girl’ and short and sharp for ‘Ah-Ah!’

Give lots of attention and praise for good behaviour and totally ignore any undesirable behaviours like humping.

5. Ignore your Dachshund

If your Dachshund continues to hump or mount you, ignore them.

Sit really still. Don’t say anything and don’t look at them.

Your Dachshund is probably humping to get your attention so just look the other way.

If they stop on their own, give lots of attention and praise and treat.

6. Leave the room for a couple of minutes

If your Dachshund continues to hump, they may just be over-excited.

Stand up and leave the room for a couple of minutes. Don’t speak to your Dachshund or give them any attention at all.

This is just to calm them down a bit before you go back in.

If your Dachshund continues to hump or mount you as soon as you sit down, repeat all the steps above until they get the message!

7. Use a crate for time out

As a last resort, if your Dachshund’s humping is getting out of hand, pop them in a crate for a couple of minutes.

Don’t ever use the crate as punishment, and don’t ever shout or scold your Dachshund when they’re in there.

Just pick them up in silence and put them in the crate to calm down a bit.

This can be helpful if you have guests over too, especially if your Dachshund is constantly trying to hump them!

7. Exercise your Dachshund

Schedule your Dachshund’s daily exercise and playtime to prevent any pent up energy from getting them too over-excited.

Giving your Dachshund enough mental and physical stimulation each day, should help to relieve boredom, curb any over-excitement, and generally calm them down a bit.

Humping may still happen, but it should be a lot less frequent!

8. Work as a team

Make sure everyone in your family is on the same page with regard to training your Dachshund.

Everyone needs to use the same commands and follow the same training rules.

If one person allows your Dachshund to hump and someone else doesn’t, the training wont work. You need to be consistent to get their humping and mounting under control!

So, there you have it! Female Dachshunds do hump and it’s a perfectly normal behaviour. They may hump people, other dogs, cushions, items, dog beds and soft toys for sexual pleasure, out of boredom, if they’re over-excited, to release stress and pent up energy, to express dominance, or because of medical issues.

What do I do next?

To find out the difference between Male and Female Dachshunds, click here!

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