Young whippet - jumping up and barking/growling

[theboakster]

Lucy is 7 months old, and we've had her for around 2 months now. On the whole things are great. We're starting with some more focused training now she's, which she's really responding to, and I'm hoping to take her to a class.

I have two things I'm having trouble with i) jumping up at people and ii) aggression with other dogs.

i) She loves people and is very sociable. She jumps up, but as she's quite big (she's whippet x greyhound x collie so I gather a bit bigger than pure whippet) people often don't like that. How do I train her out of that?

ii) At first when we got her, she just whined and got a bit anxious around other dogs. Now she's more confident in our locale she goes up to dogs (she's on lead) and gives them a sniff happily, but then she starts going down low and growling/barking. Other dog owners are obviously not happy about this! Shall I just walk her on quickly past any dogs? She will jump up and twist about on the lead if I do that, but at least she's not getting upfront with another dog...

 

[TTT]

Don't delay going to training classes - the sooner she learns to deal with it the better. Training classes gives you the opportunity to practice social situations in a controlled environment. Good luck!

 

[hanneroon]

ttt is right the best thing you can do is organise some help with training one way or another. Training classes will be excellent, you will be told how to get your dog to meet and greet others and such things.

In the meantime, you want her stop leaping on folk. Is this out and about, or visitors to the house, or everyone? You may need to enlist the help of a few willing jumpees for her to practise on. The best thing is to ignore a dog and give her no attention at all until she is calm. If this means turning your back, folding your arms, looking upwards, whatever it is that gets the message across that this is not acceptable. Getting into a discussion or pushing her off, can all be part of the fun. If she leaps on you you can practise by sidestepping, folding your arms and not even looking at her till she has stopped, and is calm, maybe even to the point of her wandering off or lying down. Then go and give her a pat and tell her well done. Make sure you tell her she is good whenever she isn't jumping up! Visitors and or people in the street can be told to practise the same technique with her, and this is why training classes will be good, cos you will always encounter folk out and about who say 'ooh i don't mind' and reward her for jumping up. You could arrange to meet a few people out and about so you can practise....

The funny growling and barking after a greeting, will be something to do with her anxiety about meeting other dogs, and not knowing how to behave, she innately wants to be sociable but hasn't got the skills yet! Dogs don't generally greet another strange dog by walking straight up face to face, and then sniffing, then hanging around. They will circle each other and go past each other, and come back in for a sniff. Possibly the tension of being in slightly stressful situation is alittle bit more than she knows what to with. Again training classes will be able to help you with this, they will be able to tell you how to meet and greet another dog, and things to look for in your own dog to see what she is and is not comfy with... meanwhile perhaps there is someone amongst one of the other dog owners that she has already met (if a bit naughtily) that might be willing to try again, and instead of a face to face meet, you both meet briefly (maybe with no sniffing, her just by your side) and get walking together in the same direction. This may resolve her worries about what to do next in this situation. This is a thing called parallel walking, i have found this is one of the only ways i can get my very reactive dog to meet another strange one, might be worth researching that maybe? But i definitley think some classes would be good for her, before she gets into the habit of scaring other dogs away! If you just try and rush her past every dog, she will get the idea that they are something to be worried about, and won't learn to behave nicely,

good luck! I'm sure it will work out just fine, don't give up! Photo's please,

 

[moonlake]

If she goes down on her elbows, leaving her bum in the air, this is an invitation to play, backed up by "vocals". Being on leads may introduce a confusing element for both dogs.

Gay

www.moonlake.co.uk