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1110624 tn?1258473743

How to stop strange behavior

My dog has a bad habit of humping his bed pillow every other day or when I have company over,he is constantly going to his bed pillow showing out.How do I stop him from doing this?He is neutered,but he has a strange behavior of doing this inside the apartment constantly.What can I do?
4 Responses
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Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
An obedience trained dog is the best way to solve behavior problems.  A reliably trained dog can be told "down-stay" and a behavior is halted.  Once released the dog is then praised and rewarded for good behavior.  It also serves as a distraction to mis-behaviors.  

Obedience training bonds dogs to their owner, gives them mental stimulation and encourages self assurance because they are learning and pleasing you.  Practiced daily means a dog is "tired" and a tired dog is a good dog.  In addition to practicing obedience drills (come, sit, stay, heal, down, down-stay, go to your bed etc.) trusted play in a safe area like a dog park or fenced yard with games like fetch, go-find, and even hand commands (an advanced form of obedience) can only help a dog be even more self secure, place his trust in you and frankly be tired.  At the end of a fun day a tired dog does not get into trouble or display strange behaviors.  

While this does sound simplistic, it is very true.  However there are cases where dogs have strange behaviors that need specific diagnosis and treatment (either behavioral or medical).  There are Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists that you can consult with and specially trained and certified veterinarians that can also help.  But I think at this point I'd try a very simple and direct approach.  

So I would A) get rid of the pillow, B) wash and fluff the dog bed, C) enter a positive reward based obedience training class, D) plan on regular time and play with the dog every day.  

For an immediate solution simply distract the dog when he heads over to the bed with a treat and give him something else to do (like sit or even just come to you) then give him the treat.  This will immediately stop the problem so you can work on these more long term solutions.  
Helpful - 1
1055834 tn?1280000320
hi I have the same problem with my male neutured westie he humps he cushion every few days. mostly if me and my other half are arguing it starts him off. I hope you have solved this embarrassing problem.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I'm so glad he is focused on other things and has stopped the annoying habit.  Pets (and people) are strange sometimes.  I'm glad this helped.  

take care.  
Helpful - 0
1110624 tn?1258473743
Thank you for all the info and advice.I did wash cover off his pillow,Tai became very over protected by me even picking up his pillow,very unusual to see a dog so hooked on a pillow.SO I got rid of the pillow,and hes not sleeping on anything but a blanket.I'm satisfied and he seems to adjust.He is a very intelligent dog,obedient,just had that one bad behavior.Thank you again for taking the time to give me some solutions.Very much helpful!
Helpful - 0

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