Crazy puppy!

[brittanymcdonald]

Hey there! My puppy is six months old and always jumping on me. When I turn my back to her she jumps on my back or tears holes in my clothing. Also when she is hyper she constantly barks at me. I don't know how to get her out of this. At this time exercising is off limits as she has been spayed a little over a week ago and she is only allowed slow relaxed walking on a leash and she doesn't understand the concept of relaxed. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! :D

[JMFS]

Dogs have a tough time grasping the concept of "take it easy." Broken leg? No problem. Spinal surgery? No problem! Stitches? What stitches? Plaaaay!

 

What types of games, if any, has she shown interest in? I can tell you from Gertie's stint in the "no play zone" we did a lot of brain games. I'd hide a treat under my hand and she'd have to touch my hand with her nose for me to release it. It was a good time to practice "leave," because I had a captive audience since she was a little drugged up. And yes, I totally exploited that situation and I have no shame about it. ;) I kept a stuffed Kong in the freezer so she'd have something long lasting to work on. I'd stuff it with yogurt and peanut butter mixed together, sometimes I'd get her dry food good 'n soggy and freeze that in her Kong. The Find It game was a hit. Even with an injured paw she had 3 others that would allow her to hobble around the living room finding treats. With Abbi I can wrap treats up in a blanket and she'll nose around to get them. Gertie will tear up the blanket and Momo would likely eat the thing so they don't get to play that game.

 

Here's my post from when Gertie was sentenced to "take it easy."

 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?51-Keeping-an-injured-dog-occupied-amp-potty-issues&highlight=fracture

 

For the jumping try these on for size:

 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?196-Biting-and-Jumping&highlight=jumping

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?57-Biting-dog&highlight=jumping (specific to a 6-month old puppy)

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?166-Puppy-Jumping-up-Grabbing-me&highlight=jumping

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?43-Thieving-Pooch&highlight=table (not Quite your issue, but still good information)

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?42-Biting-clothes&highlight=jumping

 

You are Definitely not alone in this. :) The good news is it's pretty common puppy behavior so there are Lots of ways to address it because it's been so thoroughly explored by pretty much every dog owner ever.

[cammidge]

This is also our ongoing issue - that and biting (hard) the hand that feeds her.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello Cammidge, what have you tried so far to tackle the jumping and biting? Did you read through the several links Jennifer provided? (you should have found several tips throughout). We are here if you need any help in troubleshooting any problems. Is the behavior getting better or worse? What is your trainer suggesting to do to help out on these issues?

 

Puppies can be a handful, but fortunately, most pups outgrow these issues as they gain more impulse control and mature, but not without providing mental stimulation, repetition and training (and recognizing when pups are getting overstimulated or need a nap).

Edited July 16, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[cammidge]

I think I have a handle on it - she's magically stopped doing it for the most part, except for jumping on hubby, but he refuses to acknowledge her once she's four on the floor, so of course she keeps jumping to try and engage him. If he would just listen to me!

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Good to hear you have seen some progress! I hear you though. Non-compliant spouses/family members can sometimes put a dent in progress if they aren't on board with applying the same training methods. However, they benefit from some positive reinforcement too! Praising them and being appreciative for the effort is always good.

 

If he has given her attention in the past when she was jumping, and now if following your advice to ignore, you may be seeing some extinction bursts. Extinction bursts take place when dogs were reinforced for behaviors in the past and now are no longer gaining reinforcement. It's like buying candy to a child every time one goes grocery shopping and then deciding to stop cold turkey (perhaps because the dentist says the child has too many cavities). The child will cry and throw a tantrum the first days, but then eventually will come to accept the new rule.

 

If your hubby won't acknowledge her once she's with four on the floor, you can always mark and reward it as soon as it happens so to not miss the opportunity to reinforce that lovely sit.

Edited July 20, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[cammidge]

Yes, that's what I do, so glad that I'm doing it right!

[Bkthompson723]

Good morning! I say that as we are in our 2nd week of adding a Golden Doodle puppy to our household. She is an absolute beauty but an incredible handful! We got her at 8 weeks and I soon became the playmates she left from her large litter. We are desperate to get her aggressive biting and nipping under control. My arms and legs are ripped to shreds! From waking at 6am until 9am it is all about trying to play and train her. She has learned to sit and lay down. Have tried working on targeting but quickly turns into biting my hand. She gets excited when playing and immediately starts biting my arms and ankles. At first I tried crying out but that seems to get her even more fired up. If I tell her to sit and mark it and provide a reward, she stops for the moment and than right back at me! Have tried redirecting her and it works for a while but she is wearing us down. Additional issue is we have 2 senior small dogs and they are up on the couch so she is constantly trying to get up there. Have tried teaching her up and down. Both work, but once I take a break she is right back with her paws up on the couch pulling on the cloths we have covering it. Ordered this course this week when she was snoozing like now and am seeing some benefit but really need additional guidance to get her under control. She is growing fast and will be an estimated 75lbs full grown. Thanks

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there! Welcome to the forums.

If you became your pup's playmate after she left her large litter, then expect lots of nipping, because that is what playmates do and lots of it too!

I hear you, as countless puppy owners have your same problem and I have been through that nipping stage often, but to reassure you, this is totally normal puppy behavior. As you can see your are in great company if you search the forum for "puppy biting."

Here are some reads to get you started on several ways to tackle puppy biting:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?57-Biting-dog

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?170-Grabbing-and-biting

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?215-Puppy-Bite-Inhibition

 

My favorites are redirecting to a flirt pole, treat tossing games (as soon as puppy heads your way, if possible ask for a sit and toss a treat far away from you), tossing a ball and targeting. All work best if you catch your puppy before she has latched on. This because when pups are latched on, they are often in such an aroused state, it is more difficult redirecting them at that point.

 

About targeting, you can perhaps try smearing some tasty goodie on your hand for starters, such as some peanut butter (make sure it's not sugar-free as there are versions with xylitol which is very toxic to dogs!) or a bit of cream cheese or those cheese sprays made to stuff Kongs. This should entice her to lick your hand versus bite, which can get you started on the right paw. Next, be very fast to click, before she has the opportunity to latch on and bite. A super quick hand touch and click immediately and toss the treat away from you. Rinse and repeat until she understands the game .

 

If you ask her to sit and mark it and then she comes right back, you can try to ask her sit again right before she makes contact with you. You can play yo-yo like this several times if she knows sit well. Keep a stuffed Kong or other type of longer-lasting chew toy/treat in your pocket for a last rep where you ask for a final sit, provide the Kong/long lasting chew and you walk away while your pup is busy.

 

Otherwise, you can toss a ball the opposite way as you leave (or even an empty plastic bottle filled with kibble and with no cap or stickers on to work on as suggested in the Brain Training for Dogs course) or you can engage her with a flirt pole. I also suggest management, using a baby-gate/barrier that you can get away from when she is in the mood for excessive jumping/biting so that you don't have to leave the room with a 'croco-pup' attached to your leg.

 

Also, please consider keeping her mentally occupied with plenty of brain games. Brain games can be tiring as much as physical activity (if not, even more!) and they offer productive ways to allow dogs to get rid of some "steam." Many games do not involve the owner directly, so they foster some independence, which is good for a pup who actively seeks owners as playmates.

 

If you have two senior dogs, it helps a lot to not expose your pup to them when in full energy. Your senior dogs may spend time being in apprehension of the pup pestering them rather than relaxing as they should. Tiring the pup out can help reduce the incidences of her pestering them. Many pups are super tired by the end of the day, and that may be a good time to teach her to go to a mat to chill away from your other dogs, perhaps chewing on something if she is not prone to resource guard (and neither are your other dogs). Senior dogs should also have a safe area to retreat to where the puppy cannot bother them. Putting up a barrier or baby gate or x-pen so to separate them once again can come very handy so she cannot get to them and this can also help to save your couch covers.

 

If you can redirect her, with "down" (make sure your cue for laying down is different as dogs may get confused between the two, I like to use "off' for getting on couches) then that's great, but just as a note, when we are not actively monitoring and training and need to take a break and leave the room, the pup is better off removed from the area as well or some other precaution needs to be in place (have another family member monitor? place a barrier?). If we don't do so, the pup will be tempted to misbehave and that only teaches the pup to do just that, the moment you are away since nobody will redirect the behavior.

 

Hope this helps,

Let us know if you need any further assistance!

Best,

Adrienne

Edited August 9, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[Bkthompson723]

Thanks so much! We have only had her 2 weeks and making great progress. Love the course, forum and your personalized support. Best, Bruce

[cammidge]

I would also add that three hours of early morning activity is too much! At eight weeks old, they need LOTS of sleep. Sable goes about 45 minutes to an hour, then absolutely needs a nap. Put puppy in his crate with a bully or a Kong, let him crash for an hour to recharge. The crate is your friend.