yorkie-puppy-photoMiley Cyrus has everyone talking about twerking – as of today the term’s been added to the prestigious pages of The Oxford English Dictionary, according to CTV News:

“The former Disney child star, now 20, left audience members gobsmacked when she bent over and gyrated provocatively with singer Robin Thicke on his song “Blurred Lines”.

But wait, haven’t DOGS always twerked?  We just call it humping.  And no matter how hopeless the case, dogs have always humped … each other, us, inanimate objects… whatever, as these Yorkie crosses demonstrate.

8 Reasons Why Your Morkie Humps Obsessively 

One

OK the sex thing.  Female dogs in heat give off a pheromone that attracts males like mad, neutered or not and even other females.  Those female Morkies who are in heat, will also mount or hump anything in sight, even unwilling males. It’s all part of Nature’s grand scheme to reproduce more dogs.

Two

Social dominance – especially among un-neutered or intact males, although females do it too, especially toy size dogs like Morkies where the compulsion to say “I’m the boss” is even stronger.  This is one form of humping you definitely want to curtail since its often part of a suite of behaviours including guarding food, staring you down and aggressive postures.

Three

Overstimulation and excitement.  It’s a kind of “doggy fit” according to Psychology Today experts.  Some Morkies respond to too much grooming, petting or playing by humping — often your child’s favourite teddy bear or your slipper.  Usually when your mother-in-law is visiting.

Four

Insecurity or stress.  If dogs haven’t been well-trained or socialized they may resort to humping to sooth themselves in stressful situations.

Five

Hormone problems, or another medical reason such as an irritation.  Your Vet needs to help you here, but this is actually quite rare as a cause for this behaviour.

Six

Obsessive/compulsive disorder.  Your Morkie may be bored or need exercise and resorts to weird stuff like non-stop tail-chasing.  Humping becomes obsessive and very hard to break.  The solution: a strict schedule, lots of exercise and possibly meds.

Seven

It’s a great way to get attention.  Let’s face it, we all look at the dog and laugh. Sort of like we looked at Miley and laughed.

Eight

They like it! It feels good and according to the ASPCA, yes it can be a form of canine masturbation… or practice for the real thing.

Want to stop your Morkie’s embarrassing twerking?  While it’s perfectly normal for dogs, it’s embarrassing for us…. so if you want to learn more about stopping or slowing down this behaviour, here are some resources:

 

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