In Your Face

[Fordogs]

My now 8 month old puppy really REALLY wants to be friends with every dog she meets but unfortunately she is so much in their face they soon back off, even with my other dogs she is submissive, licks their face, rolls over and then jumps all over them. I don't allow her to get too close with strange dogs because I am sure that if I do one time she will be bitten.

When the other dog is not too close I can get her attention, she will come in front nice and close, watch me and she gets treats but if they are nearer she takes no notice what so ever, then I look like an idiot with a wild, uncontrollable dog. She is not aggressive just uncontrollably happy to see you and friendly. Yes she even has her own cheer squad

Does anyone have any ideas as to handle this kind of behavior. All ideas welcome, this is getting out of control and I also want her to have friends that like her !!!!

[wuffles]

I can't really talk as my girl is exactly the same, but has she met any well-adjusted adult dogs who will give her a correction for her rude manners? My girl was SO rude as a younger puppy and she has been told off many times by my older dog as well as other dogs we know. It really helped her social skills and learn that dogs do not like to have their heads jumped on. She is still a rude greeter on lead, we are working on this at obedience class by only letting her meet another dog if she is being calm, otherwise we walk away. That being said she doesn't meet many dogs in class

[Stitch]

Do you take her to obedience classes and do basic training every day??

[Prinsesse]

My now 8 month old puppy really REALLY wants to be friends with every dog she meets but unfortunately she is so much in their face they soon back off, even with my other dogs she is submissive, licks their face, rolls over and then jumps all over them. I don't allow her to get too close with strange dogs because I am sure that if I do one time she will be bitten.

When the other dog is not too close I can get her attention, she will come in front nice and close, watch me and she gets treats but if they are nearer she takes no notice what so ever, then I look like an idiot with a wild, uncontrollable dog. She is not aggressive just uncontrollably happy to see you and friendly. Yes she even has her own cheer squad

Does anyone have any ideas as to handle this kind of behavior. All ideas welcome, this is getting out of control and I also want her to have friends that like her !!!!

My son had this problem with his staffy and he thought she would never learn but with loads of training, love and affection she is now about 15months old and i would rather take her for a walk than my six month old dalmatian. Keep up with the training and you will see the reward. I would possibly try putting a haltie on her every time she was naughty (for a few minutes at a time) so she might realise that you don't approve of that behaviour. if she doesn't mind the haltie i would tie her up in a boring place and ignore her for a few minutes each time until she gets the idea.? good luck

[alpha bet]

Your dog is a teenager, this phase can last till she is 12-15 months old.

Perfectly normal that they can get over excited in the company of other dogs. Standard obedience training is really difficult at this age and you probably find that it doesn't seem to relate back to your day to day activity. You know your dog is generally good and just trying to be happy and friendly but you feel embarrased about how rough and pushy your dogs behaviour is.

Most dogs don't get enough social work with other dogs (and I mean with dogs other than with your dogs). Never be afraid if dogs have a bit of push and shove back at your dog, this is just social conflict, an older more experienced dog is just trying to teach your dog better manners.

Ideally, see if you can find a private dog trainer in your area that works on building the dogs social skills and manners. They should be able to guide you through the social process. You won't believe the difference this will make.

If you cant find someone then seek out people at the park or training who have mature fun dogs and ask if you can let your pup interact with them. You can always leave your dog on a long lead to play and then tug and release each time your dog is toooooooo pushy. There are lots of great people out there who are relaxed and happy to help.

Shame your not closer - you could have fun in my classes.

[Red Fox]

My son had this problem with his staffy and he thought she would never learn but with loads of training, love and affection she is now about 15months old and i would rather take her for a walk than my six month old dalmatian. Keep up with the training and you will see the reward. I would possibly try putting a haltie on her every time she was naughty (for a few minutes at a time) so she might realise that you don't approve of that behaviour. if she doesn't mind the haltie i would tie her up in a boring place and ignore her for a few minutes each time until she gets the idea.? good luck

A Halti should NOT be used as punishment!

Fordogs, you might want to try posting your question in the training forum. I think there was a similar topic in there not long ago which you might find useful

eta, here you go http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=201289

Edited July 31, 2010 by SecretKei

[Fordogs]

Thank you all for your advice, it is all very helpful and not only that I don't feel so lonely now about my problem puppy.

Thank you for your offer Alpha Bet might see you there one day It sound like a fun place to train. Both of the clubs near me are NO CHECK CHAIN types so I give them a miss I am open to all types of training as I have been involve with Puppy Preschool and Barry Weston"s books are very helpful so I know how easy training can be with most breeds but my GSD devil in disguise would be an even bigger challenge using a flat collar or halti as a training collar, she needs a little firmer tool used correctly of course with lots of encouragement and treats. Yes we endeavor to do some training every day in several short session

Actually Alpha Bet, just reading your post again has me thinking I do know a few of the boarding kennels in my area maybe one of them might allow me to take her there and introduce her to more dogs.

[Fordogs]

Thanks SecretKei check it out. Sorry I should have done a search first.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

my dog is the same, but she drops and waits or crawls, and she doesn't jump all over the other dogs.

I tell her to drop when greeting small children, or just in new situations.

But I think I'd treat your problem the same way I'd treat a potentially aggressive dog. Eg you approach until she starts getting excited and stops listening to you and then you retreat, turn and go the other way. She only gets her reward ie gets to greet the other dogs when she is still able to listen to you, and is behaving politely.

If there is some point, like after the roll over where she goes to jump all over - take her back a ways as soon as she comes upright and before she can jump on the other dogs.

However most puppies will do this and most adult dogs will sort it themselves fairly gently but firmly. So if it's possible, let the other dog set the boundaries or she won't learn.

Dogs that are going to be really nasty usually make it clear from quite a way out, ie 5 metres to 2 metres, or even as soon as they see another dog. Don't bother allowing a greeting with those dogs.

There are some dogs that launch suprise attacks on puppies but their owners will usually tell you. So also make sure you have a discussion about greeting another person's dog from a safe distance.

Even now, I check out what dogs are already in an environment before I let my dog off lead. If there are any new dogs, I keep her on lead until we've greeted them politely. If a new dog arrives, I try to catch her for meet and greet, especially if the other owner has kept their dog on lead.

You might want to consider a front-attach harness as an alternative to a halti. And martingale collars are supposed to offer a correction like the slip collars but a limit on how small the collar can get ie so the dog is not choked. But I haven't tried one of these. I love the front attach harness. Dog hates the halti and I found I had to use it with a really light lead, and she's very quick at cutting those with her teeth.