This is new.....strange behavior

VioletBliss

This is odd....periodically, I wear a band on my arm due to torn tendons, and Violet can't stand it...she tries to pull it off, ( along with any bandaids she sees), but for the past couple days, when I take it off, she goes crazy licking my arm ( where the band was), and then she'll jump on my arm and try to hump my arm! I firmly tell her no, and push her off. Any suggestions to why she might be doing this? She was spayed 2 weeks ago...I'm wondering if that has anything to do with it???

philsergeant

Seems to me she is just trying to heal you. My dogs will even lick your forehead if you have a headache. They know more than most GP's. If you have a sore muscle they will massage and lick the spot with their snout. Ripping off the bandage she just wants you better ( or perhaps knows the splint isn't the best solution O:-)

VioletBliss

The healing I can live with, the humping...not so much! I don't understand why she's doing this now and can't help but wonder if spaying her has made her a little aggressive?

Djammy

Just show her that humping is not a tolerated behavior. Interrupt it and if necessary redirect her attention to something else she is allowed to do or deal with.
For example, ask her to perform a certain behavior she can please you with instead to break up the situation in a positive way.

Dogs do hump for so many different reasons. And this again is one situation that could be judged and evaluated much better by getting the chance to witness it in person or on video.

But humping most of the time is a behavior that is not too hard to interrupt/correct, if you do it consequently, which is why I do not see much sense in fishing for reasons, if that's all that's happening in the given situation.
But that's just me. And maybe I did not understand the severeness for you yet.

philsergeant

Humping is showing love... Isn't it?? ) (

VioletBliss

lol, we used to have 3 dogs once upon a time and when it would turn into a hump fest (between the dogs) we would shout at them "wine first!"

VioletBliss

^^^^the Humper beachbound

philsergeant

What can possibly be better in life than a trip to the beach with a wonderful dog on a beautiful day?

VioletBliss

Thank you again, Djammy for your thoughts. I think I'm just paranoid that having her spayed has changed her sweet personality. Although the humping thing isnt acceptable, so I'm going to try your suggestions. Thanks!

VioletBliss

Not a thing, Philsergeant, not a thing.

Djammy

If it's of any comfort for you: Djamila is humping on occasion, too. Her favorite object is a huge stuffed animal. With that toy I don't stop her. But I would, if she would start and try doing it with people or other living animals.
The important thing for me is to make sure that she is not doing it as a dominance behavior with other living creatures. And the second important thing for me is to stay alert that it does not develop into an obsessive behavior (such as tail chasing can), which would basically mean that she would no longer be able to stop that behavior on her own and it would be hard to interrupt her.

Humping can happen for several different reasons: sexually motivated, hormone related, dominance or even as a displacement activity under stress or excitement.
Looking at that list it becomes clear that causes can range from harmless to critical.
If it just happens in the situation you've described and you did not notice any signs of unusual fixation on that behavior, increasing occurrence, any kind of aggression along with it etc., it may as well be coincidence that it first occurred now AFTER you've had her fixed.
So far, I personally don't see any immediate reason to be alarmed about any impact of the spaying on your dog's personality in relation to the humping.
Just see how interrupting works out for you. Stay alert, if it starts to become hard to stop/ interrupt her. This way you will not lose track of developments and will still be able to interfere and take other measures in case things seem to go out of hand.