Mounting & humping

There can be a number of reasons. Usually, it's an attention-seeking behaviour you've unwittingly been rewarding with your response (dogs will even show preference in the humans they hump, according to who gives them the best response!). But it can also be an indication of inconsistency in your interactions with the dog, or occasionally, it can be caused by a medical issue

Mounting is rarely sexual or dominance-related, so is unaffected by desexing. Nor is the behaviour confined to males. It's quite common for females to do it too.

As with any undesirable behaviour, you have to consistently ignore it, and only reward good behaviour. Remember that if a dog desperately wants your attention, it will take whatever it can get – so even scolding will be viewed as a reward. So when your dog tries to mount you, don't respond. Don't push them away, knee them, or yell 'no' at them. Don't even make eye contact. Just ignore them with your back turned away. You also need to start rewarding your dog for being calm and quiet. Train him, with food rewards, to sit on command. Soon, he'll realise it pays not to hump!

As with all attention-seeking behaviours, they get worse before they get better. If you've changed your reaction, your dog will try even harder to get your attention back. It means you're getting it right, so stick it out.