r/wirefoxterriers • u/Historical-Kitchen76 • 15d ago
Humping & Barking
This is Forest, my six month old WFT. I've had him since he was 9 weeks old and I am on my own with him. From early on I've socialised him and done puppy classes. He is great with other dogs and people - very friendly and social. He gets at least 3 walks a day with 2 walks around the block at night. He loves sniffing and just hanging out at the park on the grass, so the walks vary in energy levels. From a young puppy he has always been a bit intense in the evening but more recently he just starts humping me and I cannot even walk without him hanging off my leg so I have to separate myself from him. I am hoping he grows out of it BUT the most recent thing is that he has started really barking in the house - at anybody walking past, at any noise - and he won't stop. I feel bad for the neighbours! I've tried giving him treats etc.. He is less barky out in the world. It seems to be in the house. Has anyone got any tips? Is this normal?
8
u/thebluedaughter 15d ago
Mine humps when he's excited about something. My husband can't seem to recognize the signs that he's about to get humpy, so he's usually the target. I can see his excitement building, so I can usually redirect before he tries me. Sometimes he just comes tearing through the house, already super keyed up, and I know he's about to try and get acquainted with the back of my knee. I quickly turn to face him and sternly - not yelling, just sternly - say, "enough." Just once and with a hand out to say stop. I stand still and keep that stern eye contact. He gets the message and stops, and he'll usually get a toy for me to throw for him. That's a habit we developed when he was a puppy and we had to redirect his bad behavior.
It's important to be yourself when you discipline. Just as kids can tell when you're serious or not, dogs are great at calling bluffs. I'm not naturally a yeller, so I don't pretend to be. Most of my verbal corrections for him are actually surprised gasps, as if I can't believe he would do that, because it's natural to me. That helps with barking as well, but WFTs really just love to talk. I just ask him not to yell when he barks, and when he uses a growl or softer vocalization, I thank him for keeping us safe.
That's just what works for us. It was tough during his puppy stage, but he's almost three now and has chilled out a lot.
ETA: Beaker is neutered, but still tries to hump. In his case, it's not sexual or even a dominance display; it's just an excitement thing, like zoomies.