Jumping, lunging and biting

[CherylW]

We recently purchased braintraining4 dogs in order to train our adopted Great Pyrenees.  We adopted Odin when he was about 1.5 years old.  He had been chained up outside most of the time since he was bout 6 months old.  The previous owner did little or no training with him. He is usually a very sweet and cuddly dog inside but he often acts out when we take him out for walks.  He will be walking with no issues than he will suddenly start jumping and lunging at me and trying to bite my arm or hand.  It’s not being done in a mean way but more playful.  However at 85 lbs. it can hurt.  He has knocked me down a few times.  When he bites it’s not hard but he has scraped me up a few times.  I’ve tried taking treats and telling him to sit when the behavior starts.  If he listens I give him a treat.  Sometimes it works but not consistently.  Lately I put him in his crate for a few minutes when we get home but I’d rather find a positive way to stop this behavior.  Below are a few pictures of Odin.  He really is a sweetheart most of the time.  Any help would be appreciated.

Sincerely,

Cheryl Nix

 

[Adrienne]

Hi there!

Welcome to the forums!

Odin is adorable! So sorry to hear his previous owners were chaining him up most of the time. That, along with receiving very little training, can sure have a negative impact on a developing dog, especially at a time when they are young adolescents and need lots of guidance. 

Have you ever noticed a particular pattern going on when, during the walks, this jumping and biting occurs? Just trying to see whether there is some trigger.  In dog behavioral terms, we call the trigger, "antecedent" basically we are after those precise stimuli or situations that evoke the performance of behaviors. In the case of a dog who jumps and bites the owner on walks, it is therefore helpful identifying the exact antecedent that ignites the behavior. Not all dogs jump and bite for the same reasons and not always the exact antecedents are very clear. 

Once a dog is triggered to start a behavior, there must also be a consequence which maintain the behavior. What is the dog achieving by jumping up and biting? What fuels the behavior, keeping it alive and preventing it from extinguishing (going away)? In general, dogs tend to repeat behaviors that provide some sort of of reinforcement. Identifying what the dog finds reinforcing is therefore important, because, once identified, it can be diminished or removed in hopes that the behavior eventually weakens.

I will list several possible "triggers" and next time you walk your dog you can try to see if any of these sound familiar.

Play

You mentioned it looks like he is playing, so I assume you are noticing some playful body language accompanying the jumping and biting. Usually we see this in dogs with lots of energy and exuberance and who enjoy being entertained this way. Puppies and young dogs are more likely to be predisposed to this behavior. So the antecedent in this case is the status of being full of energy/needing entertainment and the consequence is draining that excess energy and/or having fun. More in detail, these dogs may find jumping and biting reinforcing because, when they engage in these behaviors, they "activate" their owners who otherwise would be rather boring from the dog's perspective. 

In what ways do the owners activate though? Upon feeling the paws that scratch and the mouth that nips, dog owners are more likely to perhaps yell ouch and move away, providing resistance, which makes the game of tugging on hands, arms and legs or clothes even more fun. Dogs perceive all of this as play and therefore look forward to it on walks. Obtaining play is therefore the consequence that keeps this  behavior alive.

Attention-Seeking 

Some dogs, on the other hand, are eager to receive attention and will perform any types of behaviors that will grant that. These are often social dogs who crave being around their owners and interact with them. Nothing makes them feel worse than being ignored, especially after being alone at home for a good portion of the day. If your dog is an attention-seeker, and he is walked right after coming home, most likely he will seek some form of interaction with you. For dogs, jumping is a way for them to say hello, and nipping can take place when dogs are overly excited, and since these behaviors are almost impossible to ignore, they have the perfect recipe for grabbing attention.

So the antecedent in this case is the status of desiring attention and the consequence is the dog owner giving it. Because to an attention-seeking dog, even negative attention is better than no attention at all!

Anxiety

Sometimes, dogs who jump up and bite are overstimulated by stimuli or situations that cause them to feel anxious. In this case, the jumping up and biting may occur in response to exposure to something the dog feels anxious about, but sometimes, exposure to a variety o triggers may have a cumulative effect, causing the jumping and biting behavior to occur in the middle or at the end of the walk. In this case the jumping and biting is a way to release stress and anxiety. 

 Overstimulation

In this case, the dog start jumping up and biting when he is overstimulated and perhaps even getting a bit cranky. Many puppies and young dogs start misbehaving (and that means often nipping), when they are tired so this is something to consider especially if the walk is long, boring and the dog hasn't had enough sleep. 

A Matter of Frustration

Sometimes, when dogs are taken on walks, they may get frustrated. Often this is due to an inability to cope with their high levels of arousal. Some dogs may feel particularly frustrated when on leash which they sense as a barrier that prevents them from interacting with the environment. If your Pry was chained for a good part, he may perhaps resent a bit being on the leash because like the chain it prevents him from interacting with the environment as he would like. 

In these cases, often the antecedent is the sight of a person or a dog. The dog gets so revved up and excited in seeing people and dogs, that he redirects his frustration by jumping and biting the leash or the owner. The consequence of this behavior is that, by jumping and biting, the dog gains and outlet for his frustration.

In some other cases, the antecedent may be getting closer to home. The dog may not want to go back home or he may want to walk in a different direction or is he is frustrated because he wanted to go sniff something but the leash prevented him. In this case, the consequence is once again, releasing the frustration.

So as seen, there are several possible things that may going on. If you see a particular pattern on walks and are able to recognize a trigger, therefore feel free to report back and we can do some further troubleshooting on what steps can be taken to try to tackle the underlying cause. In the meanwhile, here are few ideas. You may need to try a variety of these and see what works best, and often, a multi-faceted approach is needed, tackling the issue from different angles. Here are some general tips:

• I fully concur to work on this using positive methods. Punishment-based techniques such as yanking on the leash, grabbing, pushing your dog or grabbing his mouth. These methods may turn play or excitement into defensive aggression.
• Drain your dog's energy.  Your dog is an adolescent and this is a trying time. Many adolescent dogs have lots of energy and get easily bored. This excessive energy may lead to high arousal levels that may trigger dogs to act particularly boisterous on walks. It may help to have dogs run and play in a yard  prior to walking them. Here's more on the dog adolscence stage: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/
• Don't forget brain games! Provide your dog with more mental stimulation when at home. Give him some puzzle toys or a frozen Kong. Invest in snuffles mats, Kong Wobblers, and engage him in a variety of brain games. Also, put his nose to work. When he's outside going potty in the yard, surprise him when he returns inside by preparing a treasure hunt game and telling him to go find them .Here's how to train it: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/
• Avoid encouraging wrestling games or roughhousing involving mouth contact with clothing or skin when at home.
• Implement impulse control exercises. These exercises teach dogs how to cope with their frustration allowing greater tolerance levels. Here is a guide: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance/
• Learn how to read your dog's body language so that you can readily recognize physical cues suggesting your dog is escalating up his arousal ladder. Perhaps you notice a certain look on your dog's face or he may twitch his ears. Knowledge is power considering that, once you recognize these cues, you may be able to redirect your dog to another activity before he has a chance of rehearsing the troublesome behavior. On walks, therefore, as soon as you notice an antecedent (stimulus or situation that triggers his jumping an biting) or bodily cues that he's about to get wild, try to redirect him before he engages in the problematic behavior. Once he is jumping and biting he may be too busy and overstimulated to listen more readily. 
• One way to redirect is by offering a tug toy you have kept in your pocket. Prior to this though, get your dog to learn to really enjoy playing tug at home. Afterward, practice playing with the tug toy in the yard. Then, try getting your dog to play with it in the yard every time a dog or person passes by. Finally, practice using it on walks upon seeing his triggers at a distance. Playing with the tug toy, in this case, provides your dog a controlled outlet that doesn't involve jumping or biting. If your dog doesn't seem interested in a regular tug toy, try using one made with rabbit fur (Etsy sells a variety). Always put the tug toy away, out of the dog's reach once done using it so to keep your dog's interest for the toy alive. Make sure your dog knows how to drop the tug toy on cue: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/
• Alternatively, you can try to redirect to a flirt pole that you bring along on walks. A flirt pole is like one of those cat toys with a toy attached to a string. The canine version is a sort of pole with a fluffy toy attached.
• Start a treasure hunt game on walks. Upon noting an antecedent at a distance, you can also try to say something like "find them!" as you scatter a bunch of treats/kibble on the ground so to let your dog focus on searching on the ground rather than jumping upwards and biting you. This strategy can help de-escalate over aroused dogs quite effectively as sniffing in search of treats requires quite some concentration. 
• Make sure to use super high-value treats so that these can compete with the consequence your dog is seeking by jumping and biting. 
• Wear old thick clothing to protect your skin and new clothes from being destroyed.
• Vary the walks so that your dog doesn't get bored. Many Pry get easily bored on the same walks. 
• Try hikes. As livestock guardians, Great Pyrenees was used to roaming up hills and rocky areas. Allowing these large dogs to carry a backpack on walks can help give them a mission in life and keep them less focused on jumping/biting. 
• If your dog is overstimulated or anxious on walks, it may help to make walks shorter and in less stimulating areas. If your dog is anxious, fearful of something encountered on walks, it is also important tackling the issue using behavior modification methods employing counterconditioning and desensitization such as the look at that game always making sure your dog is under theshold: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ 

 

I hope this helps, let me know how things go and if you notice a specific pattern!

[Adrienne]

Forgot to mention something. You mentioned asking for a sit on the walks, and it working sometimes yes and sometimes no, I think what may be happening here is that sometimes he is too over threshold to be able to respond. Here is a read about threshold levels: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ 

In this case, we may need to identify if there is a specific trigger and work on that if possible. If no trigger is found, I would aim to first try as much as possible to reduce the behavior from happening as much as possible in the first place by tossing treats to the ground, and only once he seems calmer, we can introduce a sit cue starting in areas with less distractions, or we can even skip the sit all together for now (considering that sitting is pretty static and a dog may not release energy/frustration much) and try instead to train him to do something more "dynamic' such as several steps of attention heeling followed by a treat toss (practicing first in quieter areas). Here is how to train attention heeling, it may take a bit to master though; https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/

[CherylW]

Adrienne,

Thank you so much for your quick reply and the information.  I didn’t mention in my email that we are retired so we are basically home all day with Odin.  I don’t think he’s attention deprived but he may be bored at times. That’s one of the many reasons I purchased the program.  I wanted to find games to stimulate his brain and keep him busy.  
 

As for the triggers for the unwanted behavior I asked about I think both overstimulation and frustration could be the trigger sometimes but there are several times there is no obvious trigger except it always happens in the same place on one of our walking routes.  It’s always on the way back.  The other oddity is that we are passing under high voltage electrical transmission lines.  Is there any research or evidence they affect dogs?  I am starting to work my way through the modules and I will definitely start trying the ideas/activities you sent links to for triggers over the next few days.

I am so pleased and excited to have this valuable program and tools to help Odin be the best dog and companion possible.

Thanks again for your great advice.

Cheryl

[Adrienne]

That is great that you are home all day with Odin, that helps a lot and helps exclude some differentials. With working dog breeds boredom is often an issue, they are always on the lookout for things to do, so yes, entertaining them with brain games and training is important. 

I  couldn't find any studies on the high voltage electrical transmission lines specifically conducted on dogs, but there are some studies suggesting that wild animals try to avoid them. It looks like they may hear hissing sounds emitted by power lines, and those capable of seeing UV light, see power lines as glowing flashing bands. Recent studies have revealed dogs can see ultraviolet. I also recall some years back people and dog owners reporting odd sensations/behaviors when passing areas of high electricity. So it could very well be that something may be going on there, great observation!

If the behavior happens in the same place on the walks, this offers the advantage of predictability. In other words, we have more control over the behavior in preventing it and finding ways to curb it. So you can be prepared in trying to prevent it as you approach the area, or if it's truly due to electricity, if feasible, try to avoid that area and see how it goes.