The miniature schnauzer weighs only 11 to 20 pounds and is the smallest of the schnauzer breeds. They’re known for being pretty healthy, especially as smaller dogs. Like many smaller dogs, miniature schnauzers worked as ratters originally. Therefore, they have a high prey drive and are pretty sturdy.
Humping, or mounting, is an action that seems inherently sexual in nature. However, this is not always the case. Humping is part instinct and part learned behavior and, most importantly, it is completely normal for dogs.
An intact dog (not spayed or neutered) may hump other dogs due to hormones and sexual attraction. When both dogs are intact, they usually end up mating, so you need to keep intact dogs of the opposite sex separate if you don't want that to happen.
Dogs that are stressed or overstimulated can use humping as a sort of self-soothing behavior. This is a likely cause of the problem if your dog is prone to humping visitors to your home.
Usually, dogs aren't emulating mating behavior when they hump. Nonsexual arousal is more likely to provoke a dog to hump. It's just a way for the dog to burn off energy or relieve stress. Some dogs bark, some run or jump, and others hump.
Like play fighting, play humping can be a completely normal and acceptable behavior between two dogs as long as it doesn't upset one of the dogs. Some dogs play hump each other back and forth, and everyone is fine with it.
Dogs will sometimes hump each other as a display of dominance or social order. While it's usually the more dominant dog—whether male or female—humping the more submissive dog, that's not always the case.
Before you try to train your dog not to hump, you should rule out any medical causes. While humping is not usually related to a medical condition, there are a few possibilities.
Since there are a few different reasons for dog humping, it may take a bit of trial and error to get your dog to knock it off. Obviously, you don't want your dog humping your guests. You also don't want humping to lead to a fight with another dog.
Since there are a few different reasons for dog humping, it may take a bit of trial and error to get your dog to knock it off. First of all, if you want to stop your dog's humping, you need to address the behavior while it's happening. There's no point in scolding your dog once the behavior has ceased, as this will only confuse your dog.