Puppy jumping on other dogs

[hollysh]

I look after a cockapoo puppy for a few hours most days during the week. Shes 5 months and adorable. But i am having an issue with her jumping on other dogs when she wants to play and gets excited. When Im looking after her its generally with my family cavachon and spaniel puppy (10 months) i also look after 4 days a week. The thing is they do growl at her when shes getting overbearing but she just carries on. I worry if she does that to a dog that is less friendly when we are out and about. She literally jumps on theit back to play and then is upset because they dont want to play with her. How can i show her its not the way?

 

[gypsysmum2]

Let them do it for you. Encourage them to tell her off. If they won't do it, because they worry about what you are thinking of them, then try to find an older bitch to walk her with. They are mostly very intolerant of adolescent behaviour. The more you get involved the muddier the water gets.

If' that doesn't work and another dog is too tolerant of her behaviour then try to teach her a signal like "enough". If she doesn't stop pestering then catch her quickly and put her on lead until she calms down. Let her go play again but be prepared to keep repeating until she realises that if she doesn't calm down when she hears "enough" then she will be back on lead again, ending all her fun. You might have to leave a trailing lead on her at first so that the "enough" is followed quite quickly by the end of her fun. If it takes too long to catch her she will not know why she is in the sin bin.

 

[hollysh]

Thanks for the advice. I just feel harsh for her when they growl at her. I'm maybe a little too soft. And I worry that they would hurt her. They are gentle dogs but everybody has a limit. And if she keeps on and keeps pushing them, they may snap. Also I don't like her antagonising them, because it's not fair to them.

I might try the lead thing next week. I know this is probably normal puppy behaviour but can be quite testing at times. Especially as she isn't my dog. Neither is the spaniel. So its difficult to make sure I am being fair to all of them.

 

[hollysh]

I started doing the trailing lead thing on friday and am going to try and do it more next week and bring treats with me. She is way to bouncy for my spaniel to handle. He hurt his leg last week probably because of her jumping all over him. How do i pacify her?

 

[JoanneF]

When she gets too bouncy I would try to redirect her attention by doing a little training exercise. Sit, down, and if you can maybe some impulse control work?

 

[excuseme]

If we ever get a puppy that is too excitable with the others, I allow the "elders" to sort the puppy out and give the older dog re assurance that it was ok for them to do that. The youngster gets the word NO! and pushed away, the elder  gets a gentle stroke.

However,  we do not encourage any of the girls to be "bossy" with others or even amongst themselves.

 

[hollysh]

Thanks. They are 2 puppies of similar age playing with each other. The 10 month old is being overpowered by the 5 month old all the time and he doesnt fight back much. Hes quite easy going. She is extremely difficult to catch even on a trailing lead as she is so fast. And jumps on him quicker than i can get to her. It often takes me a while to catch up with her and pull her off him. I want to train her and she is getting a little better the more she is socialising but she is not getting when to stop. 

 

[JoanneF]

What about using a long line then? Make sure it is attached to a harness rather than a collat though.

 

[hollysh]

Been a few months since I started this topic but she is still slightly wild when out for a walk. And she gets so overexcited when I come to pick her up. Takes me ages to get her lead on. I think cockapoos are a bouncy breed in general but none of the other ones I have are as crazy as she is. She just wants to jump on the other dogs. And barking from other dogs she is with still doesn't put her off. Which is weird because if she hears barking generally she is terrified. But she will stop for a second and then start again. With no thought of what happened before. Going to take some treats out with me tomorrow. I dont use them much when I'm out. Maybe time I did. 

 

[gypsysmum2]

Yes, I think you are right, you need to use treats to train her to listen to you.

If the other dogs are being too tolerant of her behaviour, and male dogs can be too tolerant, then I would teach her a signal like "enough" when she is getting too wild.

Say the word and then grab the long line, or wade in and get her, and give her a time out for a minute or two. Keep repeating the interruption until you notice that when you say "enough" she stops the behaviour because she expects the time out to begin. Give her praise and, perhaps, a treat and allow her to continue playing. Be prepared to step in and give her time out again if she reverts to ignoring you. You can then control how excited she is allowed to get before you interrupt her behaviour.

When you go to pick her up, take some treats, if she jumps up in excitement then just stand still and fold you arms until you see a chink in the excitement that means you can get a swift "good dog" and an even swifter treat. She will, of course, get excited again so just repeat and repeat until she gets the idea that it is her sitting down that gets praise and a treat. They learn much more quickly if they work it out for themselves that sitting gets the reward. You may have to stand for a long time with your arms folded but it is essential that she doesn't get attention for the naughty behaviour and does get rewarded for the good behaviour.

 

[JoanneF]

As well as the above can you have a word with the owners to make sure they are also practicing the same techniques? It will take a lot longer if they continue to allow her to jump about etc. I do believe dogs can tell the difference between what they can 'get away with' from different handlers but her training will be faster and more effective if you are all consistent.

I'd also work on the sit - as soon as her bottom hits the floor, mark and reward like Gipsysmum says, but also use it outdoors when she sees other dogs. If you can train and reward calm behaviour and not let her practice rough play with other dogs, you won't need to stop it.

 

[leashedForLife]

I've read the entire thread, & a few things really jumped out at me:

 - her leaping all over other dogs to solicit play isn't "adolescent" behavior; it's leftover rudeness from young-puphood, & she never learned to inhibit it.

 - she was already 5-MO at the start of the thread, in early May; that's a full month beyond the usual expiration of puppy-license.   // Puppy-license is the indulgent period when adults & older pups ignore ignorant puppyish behavior in "the kids". When a pup reaches 14 to 16-wks, their elders are not usually so tolerant of mannerless puppy behaviors; their conspecifics' feedback is what tells the pup they've overstepped the limits of apropos behavior.
Obv, Ur own Spaniel, as well as the older pet-sitting dog, are way-too tolerant for their own good, AND for the Cocker-x-Poodle's long-term education.
They are falling down on the job!

 - why, after asking for advice & getting suggestions, did U wait 2-weeks to begin using them?  This isn't a dig, @hollysh - please don't think i ask this to be mean, i sincerely want to know what held U back from beginning the very next time U had the Poodle-mix under Ur supervision?
Were U conflicted about interfering with the owners' prerogatives? - Too concerned about hurting the puppy's feelings? - Worried that U'd take all the fun out of time spent with other dogs?  // What held U back?  Think about it, & address it; if it's the potential for conflict with the owners, U need to let them know that their dog's behavior is going to cause her a world of grief, when she tries it on with less-tolerant dogs.  If it's anxiety about upsetting the Cocker-X, lay that worry to rest; she needs to enjoy her dog-playmates, & they in turn need to enjoy their time with her. Allowing her to be a jerk is not a kindness, short-term or long.
Of course there's no way to go back in time; i'm pointing this out in the hope that, the next time U see a behavior U don't want, U act immediately to halt that behavior, on the spot, & then ask the dog to do something they already know well, reward that preferred behavior, & ask for advice or find tips later, to modify the behavior.   Act to end undesirable behavior the 1st time U see it; ask for a fluent behavior the dog knows well, so U can reward it - this will likely require some reduction in the triggering stimulus, so move away from the provoking item, or get outta Dodge fast.

Concrete example:
U're taking a client's dog to the vet's for a simple in-&-out appt; check on their recent S/N, remove a few stitches, a booster-shot, ____ . // As soon as U walk into the waiting room, the client's dog loses their mind & lunges at the nearest dog, who's inoffensively sitting beside their owner.  Whaddaya do?
a, scold the client's dog & drag them, still lunging, to the receptionist's desk.
b, ask for a 'sit'... [HINT: which the over-threshold dog cannot possibly do.]
c, a brisk about-face, a happy "Let's go!", & an emergency exit / Ask for a 'sit' just outside the closed door.
Re-enter & try again; rinse, lather, repeat.
The correct answer is C - get outta Dodge, away from the trigger, ask for an incompatible behavior, reward it. // If this happened in a training class, i'd move as far as physically possible from the other dogs, if need be behind a visual barrier, & slowly reduce the distance over time.


The longer anyone practices a behavior, the harder it becomes to change that behavior. // A smoker who's sucked a pack-a-day for 30-years has a much-harder time quitting vs someone who smoked a few cigs a day for 2-months. Part of that's the nicotine dependency itself, but a bigger part is the literal habits of lighting-up under certain specific circs - 1st thing after toilet & brushing teeth, or with the morning coffee, or after the AM staff-meeting, & so on. Those EVENTS trigger the desire for a smoke, as the events continue to occur after the smoker stops buying ciggies.
For the Cocker-cross, her triggering events are the presence of other dogs - so that's when she needs redirection AND prevention.

My suggestions are 4:
 - some impulse-control games, such as 'Go WILD!... annnnd ...freeze.'  
Remember that when YOU call out, 'Sit!', YOU must freeze - in whatever silly pose U might be; that's the visual clue for the dogs that all motion must cease, & they are all to SIT.  // 'Go wild!...' is a great group-cue game, the first dog to get their butt on the floor gets a goody, all the runners-up get warm, quiet praise & calm, slow pets only. [If U shriek "Good dog!" excitedly, they'll lose it - warm deep-pitched quiet sincere praise, not mania.]  Tethering the Cocker-X on a 3-ft tether gives her room to be crazy, but not freedom to leap on another dog.
- tether the Cocker-X on a 3-ft tether to a solid object for playtime; the other dogs can approach her to play or interact, & when she leaps on them, THEY CAN LEAVE.  Over, & over, & over, & over, &...  Until the penny finally drops.
 -  umbilical the Cocker-X to U.
I'd have her on a body-harness, preferably a Y-type, with the leash clipped to her chest, & either attach the leash to a purpose-made hands-free belt, or to a belt of my own, with the wrist-loop slipped over my belt B4 i buckled it.  When she predictably leaps at another dog, a sharp turn to the side & i bring her along, patting my leg encouragingly.  I don't say a word; I move, the leash goes taut, i pat my leg & smile.  // The off-leash dog can re-engage with her, or move away freely - their choice. My job is to prevent any of her paws FROM TOUCHING the other dog; the other dog's job is to reward her self-control, & play with her. HER job is to figure out the new rules, & modify her own habitual behavior.
  - I'd teach group sits & group downs.
Have a group 'name' such as puppies or dogs, have all of them leashed [in her case, i'd tether her to an immovable object], say 'Puppies, SIT'... & wait. 1st dog whose butt hits the floor gets a jackpot: a string of 6 to 8 pea-sized goodies, one after the other, as quick as the preceding one is swallowed, accompanied by warm calm praise.  Note that the jackpot happens only once or twice for each dog; when they succeed in SITTING that first key time, or maybe the 2nd time, that big payout makes an impression.  // This process goes fastest if all the dogs are separable; EX, the Cocker-X on an 18-inch-long tether; the other 2 umbilicaled on traffic-leads, their wrist-loops on opposite sides of a 2-inch wide belt, run thru the loops of a sturdy pair of khakis or similar, & then buckled snugly.

Once the Cocker-X has successfully gone 2 full weeks [14 days in a row, or 3 weeks of 5-weekdays each of petsitting] without once molesting either of the other 2 dogs, she should be able to transition to a drag-line at all times, & if or when she leaps on another dog TO ELICIT PLAY [if they are already playing, mutual bouncing should be seen], step on the trailing end of the drag, bend over, bring her in hand-over-hand briskly, & tether her immediately. // Don't scold; act. U can smile, there's no need to stomp or scowl - just tether her without any comment, & let the other dogs re-teach some manners. It takes approx a month to learn a new incompatible behavior, even with consistent practice.

5th suggestion: keep a log. 
Record how long it takes for her to STOP jumping on the other dogs when tethered: how many days to get to that FIRST day when she leaps on no-one - that's step ONE;  then, how long for her to achieve 14 contiguous days, or 15 weekdays in 3 consecutive weeks, without leaping on any other dog - that's Step TWO.
Then, how many days does she succeed in polite behavior on the drag-line B4 she regresses? // How long to stop leaping when once again on the tether? - that's Step THREE.
Odds are step 2 takes longer than Step 1; however, step 3 should be significantly shorter.   She's learning to connect consequences to her own behavior.

To quote Brian Kilcommons, 'Control first; then, train."
U need to physically pre-empt undesired behaviors; if the dog can still perform them, U cannot train an incompatible behavior.  U can't teach a pup to come when called while off-leash on a mile-long beach with other dogs, random humans, tide-wrack full of marvelously stinky stuff, running kids, & a volleyball game.  U teach recall on a leash, indoors; then a long-line, indoors; then a leash, outdoors; a long-line, outdoors; at home with a drag-line, inside the [boring, familiar] fenced garden; on a leash, away from home; on a long-line, away from home but with minimal distractions; on a drag-line inside a fence, with minimal distractions; on a long-line, outside a fence, with minimal distractions; on a long-line, with distant distractions; on a drag-line, with distant distractions; on a long-line, with ONE nearby distraction; etc, etc, etc.
Without physical control to begin with, & also minimal competing distractions, U cannot effectively train.   Prevention of unwanted behavior is key.

 - terry

Terry Pride, certified Vet's Assistant; member Truly Dog-Friendly
'dogs R dogs, wolves R wolves, & primates R us.'  -- (™ 2007)
 

 

[hollysh]

Thank you. A lot of points to digest there.