behaviour upstairs

[jejrhio]

Hi

we have a German Shepherd who is 18 months old and has started to act really weird upstairs towards me. When i get out of bed in the morning he is loving and waits around in the bedroom until I start to walk towards the door to leave the room he then charges at me jumping up and mouthing me. He will also lower his front part of his body and growl but wagging his tail if i try to walk past or turn my back he will continue to jump up and mouth me on my back hips legs and feet once down stairs he eventually stops. I have kept him downstairs in a room to avoid this but will then make up for it when I go down.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Greetings Jerjhio,

Welcome to the forums,

This is certainly some interesting behavior. Until the day dogs can talk, we can only make assumptions as to why they sometimes behave in certain ways. However, sometimes it is possible to make some educated guesses by carefully reading the body language and the context in which the behavior occurs. Dog behaviors that tend to repeat are often composed by several puzzle pieces, and some important pieces involve things that happen just prior to the behavior and things that happen right afterward.

 

An important piece of the puzzle in this case would therefore be knowing what happens next once downstairs. Do you feed your dog? Do you prepare to leave the house?

Also, when he engages in this behavior, what do you do? Do you keep on walking towards downstairs, try to ignore him, do you interact with your dog in any way?

Also, when he is doing the behavior downstairs as well now, what happens next?

Thanks for the additional details.

[jejrhio]

hI he has already been fed at this point and this is when i get ready for work but I go downstairs and sit in the front room for about half an hour before leaving. Once downstairs after 1 final mouth at me he stops. He does not do this to my husband. I try my best to turn away and ignore him but he keeps on and had hurt me a few times so I have shouted . I have also tried to engage him in a toy to take focus off me but that does not work.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Thank you for the additional information, it is very helpful.

There are chances that you may be seeing some overly rambunctious greeting/playing behavior perhaps intermixed with some "herding instinct" to have you come downstairs and join the rest of the family and the main living area. The lowering of the front part of his body and wagging tail sounds like a play bow, which is form of metacommunication often used in dogs. A play bow is often seen in play and it's meant to inform that anything that follows is pure play. The growl may be playful if accompanied by this body language, but of course, I can only make assumptions. There are some dogs who may sometimes engage in ambivalent behaviors mixing in a serious growl along with some play bows and these cases warrant caution for safety.

 

There are several ways this behavior can be tackled. Due to the complexity of the behavior and the fact that he has hurt you in the past, it would be important to seek help from a behavior professional using humane behavior modification to help you for safety and correct behavior modification implementation. I will be posting shortly an example of a behavior modification protocol that that can be implemented with the help of a professional in such a situation.

Edited January 13, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[Adrienne Farricelli]

At 18 months, your GSD is still at the adolescent stage. Just like Rottweilers, GSD adolescence is quite long, lasting up until they are 3 years old. In general, large youngster dogs as such tend to lack to exhibit that level of maturity, restraint and impulse control seen in older dogs. This can be a trying time, but with exercise, training, lost of mental stimulation (brain games!) things tend to smoothen out as these dogs mature. It is not unusual to encounter some odd behaviors during these times, but it's good to nip them in the bud. You can read more about the adolescent stage here: (you will have to be logged into the course to read the links)

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/

 

Tackling jumping and mouthing behaviors requires a multifaceted approach. Following are some guidelines:

 

1) Preventing Rehearsal of Undesirable Behaviors

When dogs perform undesirable behaviors (such as mouthing and jumping), these behaviors become more and more ingrained the more they rehearse them, making them more difficult to overcome. Soon, these behaviors risk becoming default behaviors that dogs perform because they have such a strong history of rehearsal. If this is a new behavior and it's happening every morning, there are chances it is already a behavior that is establishing.

 

Preventing rehearsal of undesirable behaviors is therefore important and this is done through management. The goal of management is to prevent rehearsal at least until the dog has been given the opportunity to learn alternate, more appropriate ways to behave. Management often takes place through mechanical measures such as through the use of barriers. It sounds like you are on the right track by keeping him downstairs in a room, but it sounds like you are missing some important elements on what should be done when you come down from downstairs. I will tackle some options in the next paragraphs.

 

2) No attention when behaving inappropriately

 

Mouthing and jumping behavior in dogs are often fueled by attention of the positive and negative type, but also other more subtle forms of attention that are often perceived by dogs who are very sensitive to movements and slight bodily cues.

 

Positive, active attention involves interacting in a pleasant manner with the dog when the dog is actively jumping or mouthing. These forms of interactions involves talking to the dog in friendly tones of voice (Hi pup, good morning!), touching the dog or even playing with the dog as the dog is mouthing and jumping. It doesn't sound like something you may be doing, so let's scrape this off the list, but I thought to just bring it up in case attention has been provided in the past this way or for other members reading this and with a similar problem.

 

Negative attention involves interacting with the dog in ways that we may perceives as negative, but that the dog finds still reinforcing, as negative attention is better than no attention. Ever seen a toddler throwing a tantrum while mom is one phone, just for the sake of being yelled at and gaining some attention? Scolding the dog (bad dog!) or shouting (no! stop it! or other things that dogs don't understand) or physical interventions such as pushing the dog off, may still be perceived as reinforcing to dogs in need of attention and explains why these behaviors often don't work to stop the behavior.

 

If your dog is overly excited in the morning and happy to see you or in a playful mood, then he may be eager to receive any form of attention, or he may be too over threshold to care about it. Read about threshold here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

 

And then, there may be more subtle forms of attention at play. Dog owners may feel as if they are not reinforcing the behavior, when they are, but in subtle ways that the dog still perceives as reinforcing. A classic example is dog owners turning away giving the back to a dog who is jumping. Often, this turns into a game of turning, with the owner turning some more when the dog jumps again, and then facing the dog, then turning again when the dog jumps again, then turning some more, etc.

 

To a dog particularly eager for attention or play and who finds movement entertaining, this may turn out being an engaging game of "getting my owner to move everytime I mouth or jump." Indeed, the biggest proof of engagement is the fact that the dog is still sticking by the owner after several reps when he could do so many other things.

 

If the dog is truly seeking attention, it helps to turn the back only once and stay completely immobile like a lamppost, while ignoring any mouthing, jumping or barking. Dogs are naturally inclined to lose interest in lampposts and eventually leave. While an owner can never become as neutral as a lamppost, the dog should eventually grow bored and disengage by losing interest and moving away or engaging in another behavior (like sitting, which should be reinforced with food or attention.)

 

3) A Word About Extinction Bursts

A word of caution is needed in regards to extinction bursts when attempting to ignore attention-seeking behaviors. What are exactly extinction bursts? Extinction bursts are dog behaviors escalating before dwindling, and then, eventually extinguishing. Ignoring the extinction burst is fundamental, otherwise the behavior has a comeback and it becomes even more established than before since it's put on a variable schedule.

 

Back to mouthing and jumping in dogs. When dogs have a history of being reinforced for mouthing or jumping (either purposely or inadvertently), the moment the owner ignores them, they will feel compelled to escalate those behaviors. This means, they may mouth harder, jump with more intensity and possibly even try new behaviors such as barking for the purpose of getting their owners to interact.

 

This is somewhat similar to what people do that day the vending machine fails to deliver that favorite snack they look forward to consuming every day. They will push the release button repeatedly, and perhaps even punch or kick the machine in hopes of it dropping the snack.

 

Caution is therefore needed during extinction bursts in not giving in with any attention or movements, and dealing with rougher or more intense behaviors. A little planning ahead may go a long way. If dogs mouth a lot, they may mouth harder, so it may help to wear extra layers of clothing and gloves if the mouthing is often directed towards hands, fingers and legs (horseback riding chaps, tall boots). For rough mouthing dogs or dogs who jump very vigorously or engage in aggression when frustrated, dog owners should enlist the help of a behavior professional to play it safe and for correct implementation of behavior modification.

 

4) Other Potential Causes

Now, it's important to emphasize here the importance of knowing why a dog is mouthing and jumping in the first place. Sure, many dogs jump and mouth in hopes of getting attention or getting their dog owners to interact with them and in these cases, not providing attention as described above is the way to go, but what if a dog is mouthing and jumping to stop a person from walking? If so, stopping could be reinforcing the behavior. Hence, why it's important identifying what's the function of the dog's behavior with accuracy which can only be done through careful behavior history taking and observing the behavior take place with an in-person assessment.

 

Is the dog jumping and mouthing for attention? Is the dog jumping and mouthing because he wants the owner to stop doing what he is doing? Is the dog jumping and mouthing because he feels anxious or overly stimulated by something? Is the dog mouthing and jumping because he has too much energy or perhaps he wants to play?

 

Sometimes, it is not possible to identify the exact underlying cause and only assumptions can be made. In such cases, it may be helpful to just jump straight into behavior modification and train the dog alternate behaviors and highly reinforcing them, so that it becomes a no-brainer for the dog to pick to engage in such behaviors. I will provide the beefy part of behavior modification in the next post.

Edited January 22, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[Adrienne Farricelli]

5) Training alternate, incompatible behaviors.

Differential reinforcement of incompatible behaviors is a helpful method to stop a dog from mouthing and jumping because it tells dogs what we want them to do, and at the same time, it allows the opportunity to create positive associations.

 

In other words, with differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior, the dog is rewarded for performing behaviors that are incompatible with jumping and mouthing. For instance, a dog who is sitting cannot be jumping up and mouthing at the same time.

 

If it is possible to identify what the dog is trying to achieve by engaging in the mouthing and jumping behaviour, it offers an advantage as those motivators can be used to reinforce the behavior. For instance, does the dog want attention? Then, the attention can be provided contingent upon sitting behavior. Does the dog want to play? Then sitting gets the owner to toss him a ball. Does the dog want food? Then, only sitting unlocks meal preparation; whereas, getting up from sitting and mouthing and jumping, causes the owner to freeze and stop meal preparation.

 

Alternatively, the dog can be provided with other forms of reinforcement such as high-value treats, games or anything else the dog finds highly reinforcing. It's fundamental to commit time for this training, and when no time can be dedicated to training, then the dog should be managed (placed behind a barrier) to prevent rehearsal of the troublesome behavior.

 

In your case, you can try different approaches (with the help of a professional) and see what works best or mix them up. If your GSD already knows well some obedience exercises you can use them to your advantage if they are fluent. If not, you can find how to train these exercises in the obedience 101 section. You may have to train these exercises to the point of fluency (in non-morning settings) before using them upon getting up in the morning to get a response. In the meanwhile, you may have to manage or redirect the behavior using toys as suggested a few paragraphs down.

 

1) You can train a very solid heel and then ask for attention heeling as you are walking down the hallway. Use high value treats. Then at the stairs, you can ask for a sit stay, and then at the bottom of the stairs, you can call your dog (avoid this if he is clumsy doing the stairs and risks falling), ask him to sit again and provide him an interactive toy (stuffed with a portion of his kibble and kept in a handy place at the bottom of the stairs) which should occupy him and tire him out while you are sitting.

 

2) You can keep 2-3 balls in your pocket. You can exit the bedroom and ask your dog to sit and then toss a ball across the hallway. Once you catch up, you can ask for him to down/stay and toss the ball again and then when he comes back, give him an interactive toy (stuffed with a portion of his kibble) which should occupy him and give him a mental workout out while you are sitting.

 

4) You can use high treats or kibble and ask your GSD to repeatedly target your hand. Each target, grants a kibble tossed across the hallway. When he comes back, ask for more targets and toss the kibble. At the bottom of the stairs, provide him with an interactive toy to keep him busy.

 

5) If he's closed in the other room, expect him to be overly excited once opening him and him finding you in the room. Be ready to redirect him with an interactive toy you prepared in advance, ask him for a behavior (if he's too over threshold to respond for now just roll the interactive toy low so that he's not encouraged to jump). This should help diffuse his exuberance and help establish a new routine that doesn't involve mouthing and jumping.

 

6) Sometimes I have had success with exuberant greeters who are very eager to start the day by moving very slowly in the morning as I watch them very carefully. If the dog is coming towards me fast, I walk back towards the bedroom and even close myself behind the door. I only open and attempt to come out again when the dog is showing signs of being calmer. If the dog seems excited, I start closing the door. Then, I slowly try opening again. I let my leg out very slowly, if the dog starts getting excited, I retract the leg back, if calm, I advance. I keep on progressing if the dog is calm, regressing and retracting if the dog is excited accordingly. The first days may take me forever to come out and walk, but the dogs eventually learn that only when they are calm I come out and walk.

 

A little note for using toys for redirection: giving the dog toys that are commonly found laying around the house, or that don't allow much interaction (motionless), may fail to redirect the dog. The dog often prefers the interaction with the owner than the toy. Using toys that contain treats or kibble or redirecting with a more engaging toys that allows more interaction (flirt pole to chase, ball to chase, tug-toy to play with owner) can help the dog make good choices.

 

6) Tackling Underlying Causes

 

Dogs often mouth and jump when overstimulated by certain situations or when they overly exuberant or seeking attention or soliciting play. These dogs require daily doses of exercise, training (visit the main course, obedience 101 section for this) and loads of mental stimulation (brain games). Using a dog's dinner to work on this is helpful as every piece of kibble can be used to reinforce behaviors and food can also be used to stuff interactive toys. GSD are working dogs and can be a handful when they do not know what to do with their excess energy.

 

Dogs who are mouthing and jumping for attention, should have at least two sessions of 15 minutes a day (morning and evening) dedicated to some form of interaction with their owners. These sessions should include some aerobic forms of play such as tossing a ball or Frisbee (after the dog sits to reinforce calm behaviors) on top of a daily walks, and training. Attention-seeking dogs should also be rewarded for acting calm and exhibiting appropriate, desirable behaviors. It seems like just too often dogs get attention only when they are misbehaving.

 

As seen, stopping a dog from mouthing and jumping can occur for several reasons and each reason may require a specific approach. Only general guidelines can be provided. The only way to obtain accurate assessments and custom-tailored programs are by observing the behavior directly in first person and providing in person-coaching based on observations.

Hope this helps,

Best,

Adrienne

 

Disclaimer: dog behavior modification may come with risks. If your dog is aggressive or exhibiting worrisome behaviors, please consult with a behavior professional using humane, force-free behavior modification.

Edited January 13, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[jejrhio]

Thank you for the information i will try a few of these but i think it is to do with not wanting me to leave the house but time will tell

[Adrienne Farricelli]

You are very welcome! It sounds like his behavior occurs mostly upon walking out of the bedroom and coming down the stairs, and then, once you are at the computer (after one final nip!) he calms down and the behavior stops for good. Is this correct?

 

If this behavior would be triggered by him not wanting you to leave the house, it would be important knowing what happens exactly when you are closer to leaving (like grabbing your keys or purse and you walking towards the exit door) and then when you actually leave the house for good.

 

If once you have left he remains with your husband, does your hubby by any chance notice any anxious behaviors? Pacing by the door? Looking for you? Restlessness?

 

Recording his behavior when he remains alone or when he is separated from you would be important to determine whether there is an element of anxiety. Some dogs suffer from anxiety towards being separated from one particular person, and once that person leaves, they feel vulnerable and in distress. This hyperarousal may sometimes lead to biting often geared towards the hands and feet. The biting in this case, as outlined under the "other potential causes' may be a way to stop a person from walking and therefore from leaving the home.

 

If this would truly be caused by him not wanting you to leave the home, then this would likely require a much more involved behavior modification program, encouraging sit/stays and down/stays versus following you around the home, desensitizing him to pre-departure cues and building your time away from home in gradual elements as outlined here in this thread featuring a sample of a separation anxiety protocol: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?130-Thundershirt&highlight=separation+anxiety

 

And then, sometimes, you may just have a more purposeful intent (lacking for a good part the element of distress as seen in separation anxiety), which sometimes can be seen in breeds with a history of being selectively bred to herd which simply entails biting to "herd" a family member away or towards a certain place. In such cases, or in cases where the behavior intent may not be too clear it may be helpful s mentioned to just jump straight into behavior modification and train the dog alternate behaviors and highly reinforce them, so that it becomes a no-brainer for the dog to pick to engage in such behaviors as outlined in section 5.

 

I hope this helps, best of luck! Let me know if I can be of any further assistance!

 

Disclaimer: dog behavior modification may come with risks. If your dog is aggressive or exhibiting worrisome behaviors, please consult with a behavior professional using humane, force-free behavior modification.

Edited January 22, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli