Hi Christine and welcome to the forum. I have to agree that the "why" is not important, only the getting it under control.

A few thoughts... I'd suggest reading up on the free Marker Training ebook on this site; it will open up a wonderful world of training for you and your little "Mr. Let's Party!" boy.

Train a "leave it" or "off command" at home - in a non-distracting situation and gradually work up to adding more and more distractions. (This can't be taught AT the dog park - that will be the last place you'll "proof" the command.)

If you must use the dog park keep the guy on a long line (as already suggested) so that you can catch it before it even gets going. The moment you see his little brain start "going there" -THAT is the moment to interrupt his train of thought with a pop on the leash and a "off" or "leave it".

This is going to sound crazy but you need have the attitude that only YOU determine "who gets to beget who" - not him. Not only in the dog park but in the home as well.

Again welcome, and can't wait to see a pic of the little guy.

You need to interupt the behavior before it becomes obsessive. Push the 'humper' off the other dog by pushing on the 'humpers' shoulders. Hard enough to get him off, and startle him. At the same time, say, 'leave it' or 'no hump' or whatever.

Prior to mounting, there are usually quite a few signs. When he starts sniffing around the desired 'humpee' interupt this behavior. Call him to you, offer a toy, play with a ball, whatever. If he doesn't come when called, grab him and put him on a leash, and leave.

I can usually tell if my dog is overly interested in another dog by his body language (tail straight up, with a fixed, stiff type wag, head erect, stiff body posture). This is usually matched by the other dog. We meet at least 10-20 dogs on the trails we run each day, rarely (less than once a week) does interaction go beyond a quick sniff, play bow, or tail wag. If I see unwanted body language in either dog (mine or the dog on the trail), I command 'on-by' and make sure he complies. In most cases 'on-by' is understood, and I don't need to say it. In a dog park, you don't have this advantage of forward movement. You need to interupt the dominance progression before it starts. Learn to read your dog.

If you can't interupt the humping before it starts, teach your dog both 'up' and 'off'. (this is based on advice from one of my friends on the board- something I wouldn't have thought of on my own) 'Up' means the dog puts his front feet up on something, a desk, bench, trash can, playground equipment. 'Off' means back to all four feet on the group. My dog loved learning it, and I was able to teach this in one session of marker training. Then worked on distance with the off. This is the last resort command, though. Ideally, you interupt any humping progression before it starts.

Another thing to remember is that you need to be 100% convinced that this behavior is unacceptable and be totally committed to stopping it. He should never get a chance to self-fulfil his humping urges. I committed my self to never, ever allowing this behavior. It's not cute, funny, or cool- at all.

I'm nearly 100% sure you can control this behavior. I hope some of my sugggestions help. In some cases, the humping is an outlet for frustrated energy. Providing an alternative outlet (ball, tug, play time) and firm corrections for unwanted humping (push dog off, then leash and leave), might be all it takes.

Just my opinion, of course. Humping is not uncommon, and is actually fairly 'normal' dog behavior. But that doesn't matter. It is one of the dog behaviors that you have decided you won't allow. As the owner of a re-habbed occasional humper, I will tell you it is very possible to train a humper not to hump. I'd make 100% certain there are no female dogs in heat in the dog park, though. This is a huge distraction for any male dog. A 100% recall is a big plus, but, you need to work up slowly to this ultimate distraction (search the site for recall threads for more information on that).

One other thought. Certain disorders can cause increased sexual interest in male dogs. If the behavior is super obsessive, and he's doing it to chairs, stuffed animals, your leg- all of a sudden- you might want to consult a vet.

And a last question. Is he doing this to males or females? Male-male humping is usually dominance. Male-female could be either dominance or sexual interest but may be more indicative of some sort of hormonal issue- all just my thoughts.

Have you ever noticed that your dog is all gung ho to play when he gets to the park and maybe finds a playmate to tear around with? And then they have a lull in their play and start looking around to see what else is going on? We watch for that lull, and in that moment, before any further mischief can happen, we call our dog in an play with him. Often he goes back on leash or his drag line is in hand, and he gets a good tug or ball play. When another good playmate comes along, and he is fully engaged in getting a good workout with another dog, we let him go for it. Once again, watching for the lull.

If your dog hasn't had any OB, he is probably pretty frustrated and bored. He is also probably somewhat disconnected from you, his handler, because, what do you do together? OB gives you a way to do things together that gives him (and you) a mental workout while bonding.

Marker training makes OB really fun and interesting.

Just my thoughts. I'm no expert at this stuff. I really have my hands full with my big pup.

Hi Christine, welcome.

I hadn’t seen an issue with this in my pack for quite some time now. However, our houseguest, an older lab/rottie mix, is an only child. He was extremely social and submissive the first month but he has very little training. (I’m working with him – neighbor owes me big time :grin

A couple of weeks ago, I caught him (actually on video) humping my young one during a bit of a play session. Never thought this would have crept up again in my back yard, and in turn, monkey see, monkey do, Vince followed suit. It actually caught me a bit off guard and my astonishment was enough to send Vince down.

The old guy was separated for over a week. I also took this time to teach him the “up” and “off” as Kiersten mentioned. He’s been on a drag line for the last week when they’re all together and is doing well. Haven’t had a repeat but I keep enforcing his new commands.

There will always be a certain amount of “connection” between dogs that play well together but the dominant mounting of the head, rear or side is something that I, as well, will not tolerate and step in every time. It has a potential to get real ugly, really quickly with dogs that get in the habit of this type of greeting/playing.

You’ve got some great training advice. It’s not difficult to teach and manage (we've got over this "hump" quite nicely in a couple of weeks) but like others have stated, keep it consistent and always be prepared to interrupt the behavior.