Humping stuffed animal?

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Humping stuffed animal?
by Taylor W.
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
Humping stuffed animal? Does anybody elses maltese hump things? Divot has this stuffed animal that he likes to play with. He will throw it up into the air and when it lands start humping it! He does just about every day, is this normal?

DISCUSSION:

Hi, Taylor! Divot is pretty normal! Everyone wonders when they first see this behavior - is it normal? Well, I've read many, many reports of this activity from our "little men". The funniest one was someone wrote that their Maltese was having an "affair" with his stuffed dinosaur. My Otto has a special fondness for my left arm. Go figure.
valan

I don't know if it's "normal," but Carty my little rescue guy has a huge and tattered grey mouse he brought from his old house and he uses it for this purpose about 10 times a day. Like your little one, he usually plays with it first, tossing it around or dragging it around. I just let him have his fun and figure it's better than using Lucy or my leg for that purpose. And, yes, he is neutered.
cathy brown

I sure hope this is normal. Comet, a neutered male has gotten many stuffed animals pregnant!
Halen

Taylor, don't be alarmed about Divot's humping when playing. One of the reasons dogs do this is due to over excitement. Usually doesn't have much, if anything, to do with sex! Other reasons would be exhibiting dominance over another dog (or stuffed animal possibly!)and then sometimes they just enjoy the "sexual" feelings! I think yours is probably over excitement.
anne

Taylor, My sweet baby Taffy is 1 1/2 years old. She has had a stuffed raccoon all her life and has always done the same thing to it. Only difference is that she got bigger and the raccoon stayed the same! I bought her a new stuffed dog that looks like her, for Christmas, but she is still after the raccoon. Yes, it's normal

Robin K.

If it's not, our little guys live in the same deviated world! Baxter had a stuffed skunk we called Mr. Skunk. It got renamed Mrs. Skunk. They say it is a dominance thing, but I just think it feels good and it's an instinct. I have never disciplined them (Rudy has adopted her), just distracted them when I think it has gone on long enough.
Marie

Taylor, I have heard this is normal whether they are neutered or not. By Buster loves to hump his teddy bear. So far that's all he humps. I just tell him no and he stops. Don't worry they will grow out of it. My first Maltese did.
Libby & Buster

Just had to respond to this one after reading everybody's posts. Sunny loves his elephant. It's the only toy he has close to his size. It's getting so beat up from his abuse. He started 3mos. I almost started to cry when I first saw him do this. I thought to myself, "you're just a baby". But now I get the biggest kick out of it. I laugh at him when he does it.
Charlynn

Hmmm, now I am curious.....all posts so far are about male dogs! Taffy does this all the time and she is female!!! Do any other females do this? Here I was thinking I needed to have her spayed, but maybe she needs to be neutered as well!!! Just kidding!
Robin K.

Robin, I have two girls and yes they do it too. I think it is normal. By the way, they have both been spayed. Go figure.
Pam R.

Mali is an 8-month old female and is in love with one of my big fluffy houseshoes (it is furry and has long floppy ears and eyes and a nose) She started her affair with it (the left one - she ignores the right one) when she was about 4 months old. I'm so glad to read these posts here! Now she seem more normal. Her routine always starts with her dragging the shoe all over the room by it's ears and then tossing it around and then the humping starts! This happens several times a day, but I have never scolded or even let her know that I'm watching. (I don't wear the shoes anymore!)
Jackie Smith

Humpy toy in our house is the lion that grunts. (I can't believe I am writing this) Mel only likes this lion and it is his second. Wore the first one out!
Doreen

My neutered boy has a purple dinosaur he uses a lot. I got it for him so he`d leave my female alone, part time. He started with my daughter`s big pink pig slipper. He`s so funny...
Kay

This is my first time at this Website. What a treat! My Maltese, Dudley, is 4 1/2 years old and humps his "Porky" every night! However, after humping "Porky", Dudley gets a (ahem) "riser" that lasts several minutes and freaks him out. I usually have to hold him until the "riser" disappears. By the way, Dudley is neutered. Has anyone else had this "occurance"?
Teri Spataro

Isn't it wonderful to share secrets! Only on this website could anxiety over humping be alleviated. Our 5 year old rescued spayed girl came with the habit. Her favorite is bed pillows. husband is not too pleased. She has a specific hour each night when she retires to her "playroom" to hump her personal pillow. she comes back downstairs panting and smiling. I have been waiting for someone to have the guts to ask this question. thanks.
carol

My maltese boy "Banjo" has been humping his pink teddy since he was eight weeks. Banjo is now 16 months and his teddy has become far too small and floppy. But every night he still jerks it under him and tries his very best. When on walks he smells something that excites him (possibly a bitch's urine)he runs to me for a rescue - and sometimes I feel so sorry for him being the only doggie in the family that I just let him have his fun. Guilty? No, but sure those who are not truly dog lovers won't understand..
Mariette

Dear Ladies, I'm in hysterics here in the Northland. Our little darlings are definetly the joy of our lives, no? Krystal, 4yr old, humps her eyelet pillow. I think it's just good exercise & she's so happy when she's done.
Mary