Him Jumping Up - And Me Losing It

[bozthepup]

Hi everyone

need some advice on two fronts.

Our pup is going through a massive jumping up phase (front legs wherever he can reach, all fours if it's low enough). He jumps up on us when walking down the hallway, he jumps up on the lounge, he jumps on my office chair when I'm working at home. It is simply too hard to ignore because he scratches with his claws - and hurts ! And if I'm sitting and I ignore, he'll bite me to get attention which hurts. I feel like he is just not learning. NO reponse to 'off' ... eventually I just put him outside.

I have also tried putting him in his crate but he's not exactly in love with it so I'm not sure about this as a measure (altho he sleeps in it mostly okay, gets into it somewhat begrudginly).

I am also looking for ways to help myself keep calm when he's in this mood. It is simply not practical for me to 'walk away' all the time - if I'm working in the office, cooking in the kitchen etc. etc. It doesn't happen often, but just some simple measures to help myself keep calm would help.

[Kavik]

Does he have a mat in the house where he can relax? You can teach him to go to his mat on command instead of jumping on the lounge (or you ) and for jumping on you, have you tried making him sit for a pat or a treat instead? You can have him on a lead if he won't do it otherwise. These both give him something constructive to do rather than having something he is not allowed to do.

For helping him to love his crate, do you feed him in there? You can also put treats in there randomly so he will check out if there is anything yummy in there. Or you can look into Crate Games which Susan Garrett does.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=ebjBo_spqG0

[persephone]

have him on a lead ... then you control what he does... until he can be trusted

generally- what obedience are you doing?what rules does he have? it reads a bit as if he is making the rules :rolleyes:

I would suggest one thing.

he gets NO attention, unless he is sitting.

NO voice,eye contact or physical contact... good or bad. turn away... walk away.. but totally ignore his bad behaviour.

praise him CALMLY always... don't raise your voice and act excited... but give him lots of praise/treats when he is sitting calmly ....

[bozthepup]

Does he have a mat in the house where he can relax? You can teach him to go to his mat on command instead of jumping on the lounge (or you :rolleyes: ) and for jumping on you, have you tried making him sit for a pat or a treat instead? You can have him on a lead if he won't do it otherwise. These both give him something constructive to do rather than having something he is not allowed to do.

For helping him to love his crate, do you feed him in there? You can also put treats in there randomly so he will check out if there is anything yummy in there. Or you can look into Crate Games which Susan Garrett does.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=ebjBo_spqG0

THANKS !!!!!!

The mat is a great idea - unfortunatley there seem two gears with this little pup, (11wko) 'fast' and 'sleep'. Do you mean kind of 'send' him to his mat ? Or take him there and sit him down ? Is the idea to make the mat a great place to be (in theory like the crate ?) And not sure how you mean about having him on the lead - to pull him down off me ?

As for sit, I tell him to sit when he's in this mood, and he usually does - but never stays in that position very long - he's back up again jumping.

I feed him in the crate, and put surprise treats in there regularly - he often pops his head in for a look if he's walking by but he never decides to stay in there. It's very comfy with all his fave toys etc (which I mix up) - he goes in but never ever with any enthusiasm. Maybe I should just be happy that he goes in and it's helping us with toilet training ? Our ultimate aim is to have him sleeping outside in a kennel and he'll outgrow this crate at some point anyway.

[persephone]

having him on lead will transmit the 'mood' to him...and be a metod by which YOU telhim when to walk, when to stop and rest...

he is only a baby.. and needs lots of play /running around outside.. and also needs to sleep lots

If he is tired from onlead training ( just a few minutes at a time,a few sessions a day).. and some chasing balls etc..he will be more inclined to rest on his bed/mat, and chew a kong or something....

[bozthepup]

generally- what obedience are you doing?what rules does he have? it reads a bit as if he is making the rules

calmly ....

You're right - I've stalled a bit with the obedience - actually not sure what to do next. He sits, shakes hands, drops, rolls over - sits and waits beautifully for his food (albeit he jumps up on me while I'm preparing it).

I try to have 2 little 'sessions' of around 10 minutes per day of sit,shake, drop etc., with variations in the order.

Then we have random sits everytime there's been a 'separation' - even if he's been outside for 2 minutes, every time we 'greet' him, it's preceeded by a sit, and then his 'love' is in the form of a good boy and pat.

A bit more tough love do you think ?

Also, any tips on the next types of tricks to help his obedience ?

[persephone]

I have never taught tricks..so can't help

With food preparation... why does he have to be there watching?

prepare it when he is outside, or in bed...that way you cut down on the excitement!

I find it's a lot easier to set a dog up to succeed...by sometimes using physical things like doors/leads... than to correct a bad habit.

It is MUCH more peaceful and easier on my brain :rolleyes:

[Kavik]

Make the mat a great place to be You can lure him to his mat, get him to sit or drop, and reward with food (if using food). You can use any word you like, I use 'Place'. Now most of the time my dogs will go to their mat on their own without me having to tell them :rolleyes:

For the crate, you can try putting a treat at the back of the crate when the dog is outside or not near crate and then put him in his crate (whatever command you use for that - I use 'Bed') - then it is there for him to find when he goes in the crate. Should make the crate a great place to be, since he knows there will be something good in there :rolleyes:

On the obedience front, I would polish up his sits and work on duration (stays) since that seems to be an issue here.

[Kavik]

For fun tricks, shaping using a clicker is always good, and can be used to adapt to several useful behaviours later on. I am doing some with mine in this horrid hot weather as I can do it in the house. Nose and paw targets at the moment, going to see if I can free shape one of the dogs picking something up as well. I got them pawing a box yesterday

[R00]

The mat is a great idea - unfortunatley there seem two gears with this little pup, (11wko) 'fast' and 'sleep'.

Fast = outside

sleep = Crate

In between = inside hanging out with boss

You need to get the dog to learn running in the house is not acceptable. I try and teach my dogs that even getting into second gear = go outside without me i.e not rewarding it.

I use "slow down' as the command, if you notice a marked difference in speed :-) then give praise for the first couple of times it only has be a notch slower if no reponse dog is picked up and put outside. Nothing said and no attention just a straight pick up and walk out side and shut the door, 5 mins later dog let back in to repeat process.

I had two staffies under 12 months old who knew in no uncertain terms to be calm inside and for the most part they were. also I never let them play around with each other inside so there is no confusion to what is allowed in the house.

[Tassie]

Some very good advice here. Just a couple more things to add. I'd be having quite a few things he can amuse himself quietly with - recreational bones keep them happy for ages, and nice and calm, or you can stuff a kong with some moist food and freeze it, or put some kibble or cat biscuits in a squashed 2 litre milk bottle (even my nearly 7 year old girl amused herself with that for a while the other night.

If he's going to be primarily an outside dog, then probably he need to be spending a bit more time outside, away from you, otherwise it will be a big break for him later. Again, you can use the long-lasting amusement 'toys' for him out there.

10 minutes at a time is probably a little bit long for an 11 week old. If you can, I'd be breaking it up a bit more - so several shorter sessions.

I'd personally also be using an x-pen of some kind, instead of just a crate or a mat. You can have the mat inside the x pen. Again, with chew objects in there, the pup can learn to amuse himself where he can see you, but is not pestering you.

Remember, if he's attention seeking, any attention from you is rewarding.

My 15 week old still occasionally tries to grab a part of me or my clothing as I'm walking, but I use an interrupt sound "Uh-uh" and redirect him to something he's allowed to have. Sometimes I'll let him hold one end of a toy in his mouth while we walk along, with me holding the other. I think the idea of interrupt/re-direct was discussed on the biting thread. Wherever possible, give the pup something to do which you can then reward, rather than just giving him some sort of negative like "off".

Like others have said, find ways of making it easy for the pup to do the 'right' thing.

[luvsdogs]

Has he been to puppy preschool? They take them mostly up to 16 weeks. Find one that only uses positive training methods.

[Dogsfevr]

generally- what obedience are you doing?what rules does he have? it reads a bit as if he is making the rules

calmly ....

You're right - I've stalled a bit with the obedience - actually not sure what to do next. He sits, shakes hands, drops, rolls over - sits and waits beautifully for his food (albeit he jumps up on me while I'm preparing it).

I try to have 2 little 'sessions' of around 10 minutes per day of sit,shake, drop etc., with variations in the order.

Then we have random sits everytime there's been a 'separation' - even if he's been outside for 2 minutes, every time we 'greet' him, it's preceeded by a sit, and then his 'love' is in the form of a good boy and pat.

A bit more tough love do you think ?

Also, any tips on the next types of tricks to help his obedience ?

The thing to remember is dont be fooled because he sits,drops etc etc.There is more to obedience than obeying one part but getting away with others.

When hes being over the top then this is when your obedience comes in.If hes jumping up tell him to sit ,remeber there is a difference in a dog that obeys during a training session & a dog that obeys when you want it.

For me personally i prefer to train when there being hyper over the top because it makes them think more.When show training for free stacks i stir mine up(they leap jump etc etc but when they here that key word they do a free stack.It about then listening when you now there not truly focused compared to being an obedient zombie during a session

[bozthepup]

Thanks all.

Perspephone - you're right on the food. No need for him to be there while I"m preparing it. I'm trying TOT which calls for him to already be outside before the feed so I need to be consistent here. Do you think a lead for the entire time he's inside is good ? He's good in and around doors, usually no matter his moods. Sits and waits to be told to come in or out.

Luvsdogs - yes he started puppy school last week. The jury is still out on how good this one is. He certainly loves the socialisation/play bit !

Tassie- thanks, I think the X pen could be a good idea - I'm not exactly sure what that is, but it's a pen of some kind right ? That way he's not confined to the small area of the crate but still suitably controlled. I am trying to put him outside for extended periods of time - started with 5-10 minutes and building up. Sydney is 42 degrees today where we live and he truly hates it, although he's got a little pool he cools off in.

Roo - sounds like no playing at all inside is a good way to go. He associates play with outside and calmness with inside, correct ?

Settlvr - he's a smart cookie, i think this could be a good approach and could help calm in down when he's in a 'mood'. He's a little Mr Gentlemen whenever he knows I've got food though .... what do you mean by 'stack' ?

Kavik - I do all this with his crate - I'll see how the mat approach goes.

thanks again !

[Dogsfevr]

Settlvr - he's a smart cookie, i think this could be a good approach and could help calm in down when he's in a 'mood'. He's a little Mr Gentlemen whenever he knows I've got food though .... what do you mean by 'stack' ?

Stack is for the show ring so not an area you need to worry about.

What i find is many puppies owners get caught in the "it sits,drops etc etc but when out in the real world or is required because its an emergency or to settle a dog it doesnt work.

You can do distraction training even now.

Whilst training a family member can run around like a goon & your job is to keep pups attention.someone eating food whilst pup is asked to do a task(sit,drop)

Its really the next level up but with reality added in not quite,calm .

When i trialled my girl she was a squeaky ball nut.She would turn inside out for this one item.I used it in her down stays & any training where i wanted her to realize she couldnt have & for distraction turning during offelash exercises.Healing on lead i would do figure 8 around 2 squeaky balls.

Her doing well was getting her balls & i used these as her go fetch & bring training.

Our showdogs need to be focused but i find the more you train young with distraction the lesser the big deal is/I find its harder to train in calm mood & then with age deal with the distractions whilst there getting bigger,

[R00]

Roo - sounds like no playing at all inside is a good way to go. He associates play with outside and calmness with inside, correct ?

IMO exactly! no confusion, inside is for sleeping and hanging out with his best mate! Outside is for going nuts.

[blacklabrador]

generally- what obedience are you doing?what rules does he have? it reads a bit as if he is making the rules

calmly ....

You're right - I've stalled a bit with the obedience - actually not sure what to do next. He sits, shakes hands, drops, rolls over - sits and waits beautifully for his food (albeit he jumps up on me while I'm preparing it).

I try to have 2 little 'sessions' of around 10 minutes per day of sit,shake, drop etc., with variations in the order.

Then we have random sits everytime there's been a 'separation' - even if he's been outside for 2 minutes, every time we 'greet' him, it's preceeded by a sit, and then his 'love' is in the form of a good boy and pat.

A bit more tough love do you think ?

Also, any tips on the next types of tricks to help his obedience ?

You need to take him to obedience classes - it's not about teaching tricks, it's about learning to be your dog's leader. At the moment your pup is walking all over you and it's only going to get worse and more difficult to deal with as he gets bigger. Your dog will actually be happier knowing his proper place in the pack (which is at the bottom).

I've rehomed too many lab pups because people think (for some reason) that labradors are a placid breed. They're bloody nutcases!! They get to a certain age and people can't cope any more - they put them outside and ignore them for a couple of months (while the dog destroys the back yard) then they decide they want their yard back and rehome the dog. The usual story is that they've been to "puppy school" while the dog was young, thinking that was all the dog needed.

Once your pup is past 12 weeks old and has had his vaccinations get him into PROPER puppy obedience with your local obedience club. These are non profit organisations and the courses are very cheap. I think my local one is thirty something dollars for an 8 week basic puppy course. Puppy school is a bit of fun for socialisation and basic manners but you need to understand that he needs more. Obedience will give you weekly contact with people knowledgable in dog behaviour who will be able to help you solve problems as they arise. Most of your issues will probably disappear once you begin earning your dogs respect.

I have a pup here that loves to get up on his back legs (pointer not labrador). He gets kneed off balance at the same time as I say "NO!!" in a big voice. When he approaches me and sits at my feet he gets big pats and ear rubs. When he went through a "deaf" stage of ignoring me a few weeks back I got out the spray bottle. A few squirts for ignoring me when he was doing something wrong and all of a sudden I had authority again .

[Anna H]

A few squirts for ignoring me when he was doing something wrong and all of a sudden I had authority again wink.gif.

That works well at our house too.

[bozthepup]

generally- what obedience are you doing?what rules does he have? it reads a bit as if he is making the rules

calmly ....

You're right - I've stalled a bit with the obedience - actually not sure what to do next. He sits, shakes hands, drops, rolls over - sits and waits beautifully for his food (albeit he jumps up on me while I'm preparing it).

I try to have 2 little 'sessions' of around 10 minutes per day of sit,shake, drop etc., with variations in the order.

Then we have random sits everytime there's been a 'separation' - even if he's been outside for 2 minutes, every time we 'greet' him, it's preceeded by a sit, and then his 'love' is in the form of a good boy and pat.

A bit more tough love do you think ?

Also, any tips on the next types of tricks to help his obedience ?

You need to take him to obedience classes - it's not about teaching tricks, it's about learning to be your dog's leader. At the moment your pup is walking all over you and it's only going to get worse and more difficult to deal with as he gets bigger. Your dog will actually be happier knowing his proper place in the pack (which is at the bottom).

I've rehomed too many lab pups because people think (for some reason) that labradors are a placid breed. They're bloody nutcases!! They get to a certain age and people can't cope any more - they put them outside and ignore them for a couple of months (while the dog destroys the back yard) then they decide they want their yard back and rehome the dog. The usual story is that they've been to "puppy school" while the dog was young, thinking that was all the dog needed.

Once your pup is past 12 weeks old and has had his vaccinations get him into PROPER puppy obedience with your local obedience club. These are non profit organisations and the courses are very cheap. I think my local one is thirty something dollars for an 8 week basic puppy course. Puppy school is a bit of fun for socialisation and basic manners but you need to understand that he needs more. Obedience will give you weekly contact with people knowledgable in dog behaviour who will be able to help you solve problems as they arise. Most of your issues will probably disappear once you begin earning your dogs respect.

I have a pup here that loves to get up on his back legs (pointer not labrador). He gets kneed off balance at the same time as I say "NO!!" in a big voice. When he approaches me and sits at my feet he gets big pats and ear rubs. When he went through a "deaf" stage of ignoring me a few weeks back I got out the spray bottle. A few squirts for ignoring me when he was doing something wrong and all of a sudden I had authority again ;).

I recognise for sure that tricks are all very well to show off to the family and friends and that sit shake and stay is a very basic starting point .... I think somewhere else here I indicated I'm not sure where to go 'next' with this kind of at home training.There is a heck of alot to take in for us and him when trying to 'mould' the kind of dog you'd like him to be. I think OH and I need to sit down again and write out how we ultimately want him to behave and be. I actually wrote some puppy rules up on the fridge yesterday while OH was at work to help us start on this track. Naturally we want to have the 'best' dog around but acheiving that we realise takes alot of work.

Yes, we have looked into the local training possibilities, thanks. The local kennel club takes them from four months, so just a little longer to wait but we'll get there asap. There's nice lady down the street iwth a perfectly behaved GR who went there so it looks like a good place. The pup school we're going to isn't much chop on first impressions but the socialisation is amazing and he adores it (plus he sleeps like a log for a couple of hours afterwards so we get to clean the house !)

thanks alot

[blacklabrador]

Having house rules is great. The dog needs consistency otherwise it will become very confused. Mum and Dad need to present a united front (just like with kids!) and whatever is unacceptable behaviour for Mum has to be unacceptable for Dad as well.

Have a chat to whomever is running your puppy school and ask them how to solve these issues. SOME of the people (often vet nurses) who run puppy schools are very good but some leave a lot to be desired.

At the same time - your expectations seem pretty high. Your lab is going to be a puppy for a long time. Average about 4 years. Some don't "grow up" until they're old! Doesn't mean it can't be a well behaved puppy though! If you've got an average labrador then the journey will be slow and will take consistent work. Don't compare too much to the beautifully behaved Goldie down the road - Boz is an individual dog and he will be the "best" dog around because he's yours. He probably won't be the best behaved though at least not for a good few years.