Why Does My Dog Hump Me When I’m On My Period?

Humping is a harmless dog behavior, but occasionally, it can be quite annoying. Whether your pup is young or elderly, it is crucial to understand why they might hump you when you are menstruating. In this post, we will discuss why your dog humps you when you are on period and what you can do about it.

Dogs will typically hump you during your period because they can sense and detect the smell of your blood as well as other hormonal changes occurring in your body. Your dog can think that you are a female dog (because female dogs release the same hormones/pheromones as humans during their period), and they may hump you mistakenly as a result. It is simply instinct.

Another reason for dogs humping during a person’s period is doing so as a display of dominance. This behavior and mentality is usually only triggered when there are other pets around, though.

If you find that the scent of blood bothers your dog or causes significant unwanted behavior from them, tampons might help. It is believed that dogs have an incredible sense of smell that is 9,000 to 10,000 times greater than a human’s. Because of this, dogs can detect when a female is on her period, and it’s hard for them to avoid.

Dogs’ noses contain about 300 million olfactory receptors, so they are incredibly susceptible to being drawn to the pheromones and hormones that are released during a woman’s menstrual cycle. When the human body emits certain hormones, these hormones can cause certain behaviors in dogs.

If the humping behavior only occurs about once a month while your or another female is on her period, you pretty much have no choice but to infer that the two are very likely connected.

How to Prevent Dogs from Humping

The most effective method for stopping your canine pal from humping you or someone else is to interrupt the behavior before it even starts. Determine when your dog is most likely to start mounting someone, and instead channel their energy into something productive, such as going on a walk with you or engaging in some form of training together.

The relatively “normal” behavior of canines (including such actions as humping) is not something that should make owners feel ashamed, but they should take precautions to keep other dogs as well as other people from being injured or bothered by it.

There is no need to intervene if two dogs are content with the scenario, but it is important to keep a close check on dogs who are playing together because circumstances can rapidly shift when one dog attempts to exert dominance over another. If your dog is prone to humping other folks’ pets, you’ll need to be cautious as this can easily turn problematic if they try to do so to a dog who isn’t pleased by their attempt.

If your dog has already begun engaging in such undesired behavior during your period, you must ignore the behavior, divert your dog, and redirect their attention toward another activity. If your dog humps other people, the easiest way to maintain control over your dog’s movements is to put your dog on a leash and provide positive reinforcement for calm behavior. If you have a guest in your home who is in that particular week of their cycle and your dog cannot control itself, it may be best to crate them or let them outdoors or in another room until the guest leaves.

Why Does Your Dog Act So Strange When You Have Your Period?

It all comes down to the fact that dogs are primarily motivated by their sense of smell and that they can detect menstrual blood and changes in hormones (as discussed above). For instance, two dogs will meet each other and smell each other’s rear ends as a kind of greeting. They learn social information not only about other canines but also about people through their sense of smell.

The vaginal and anal regions of a dog are home to glands known as apocrine glands. Pheromones are produced and released by these glands. However, apocrine glands are also present in humans.

Pheromones are released from these apocrine glands, and this provides dogs with a wealth of information about the other dog or human, including their gender, their mood, and even whether or not they are ready and able to reproduce. To put it another way, male canines use their sense of smell to determine whether or not females are pregnant or ovulating by sniffing their vaginal regions.

During menstruation, human females—just like canine females—will experience an increase in the normal rate of pheromone and hormone production. Menstruation smells very distinct from the rest of your body and the usual scents of a dog; thus, the experience is bound to pique their curiosity. They will smell you out to obtain as much info as they can about what is going on.

Simply put, the instant a female dog starts releasing pheromones, a male dog will be able to recognize the smell and identify the period occurring. This is because male dogs have more sensitive noses than female dogs. The same is the case with human periods, though, so this is why your dog has become far more interested once he notices the changes your body is experiencing.

FAQs

Why does my dog hump my boyfriend?

Dominance is also a key motivation behind why dogs hump (as discussed above), and your dog may hump your partner as a way to indicate the hierarchy within your home. Because all of your boyfriend’s focus and interest is on you, it’s also possible that your dog is trying to get his attention, either to get more attention himself or to take that attention away from you. It is also possible that your pet becomes too excited when they see your partner, and humping can be how they express this.

Why does it seem like my dog is always humping his bed?

Have you just purchased a new bed for your dog or spruced up the one he already has with an interesting new spray? He may be just trying to show off how excited he is. If there are guests in the home, he may hump his new bed to show his enthusiasm. If you have taught your dog to hump in a positive manner, then he may hump on his bed even when you are not present as well.

Additionally, dogs frequently hump their beds as a means of expressing satisfaction or pleasure, particularly when it is time for them to sleep. Your dog may also be experiencing anxiety, in which case their bed may serve as a source of comfort for them once the lights go off and they start playing with it.

Related Reading: 14 Ways To Know A Dog Likes You