Puppy won’t leave other dogs alone

[heatseeker14]

Our 5 month old pup goes crazy when we are in close proximity of another dog. So far I have been rewarding calm behaviour. I ask him to sit when other dogs pass and give him a treat if he sits calmly. I thought I was making progress yesterday. He went to jump up at another dog a couple of times. He stopped jumping when the dog growled and sat still while I spoke to the owner for 5 minutes. Today he saw a dog he knows quite well and kept jumping up at him. The other dog eventually growled, snapped and pinned him down. He yelped and ran back to me. I thought finally he had learnt his lesson. I put him back on the lead and started to head home. The owner of the other dog walked most of the way with me. After a few minutes my pup was trying to annoy the older dog.
I’m so worried he will get bitten because he does not seem to learn. I keep him on a long line at the moment so he doesn’t make a beeline for other dogs, and I have also been working on keeping his focus on me. I only let him off with dogs I know or with the owner’s permission.
Should I be worried about his boisterous behaviour or is this something he will grow out of? Is there anything else I should be doing?

[Spotty528]

Our puppy is 18 weeks and we’ve just started puppy classes with him. The trainer talks a lot about the 3 second rule. You meet a dog, they get 3 seconds to sniff and then you move on. Puppies will want to bounce around and play, ours certainly does! When he’s off lead I do let him have a run around with other dogs if they’re tolerant of him but even then it’s not for very long. On lead it’s 3 seconds and then we’re off. The trainer said how difficult this is because people do want to stop and chat when you’ve got a puppy!

[JKScot4]

Keep him on a lead!! Why are you allowing him to run up to other dogs when he has no manners? This is the dog owners I could gladly strangle, not every dog likes getting jumped on, the other dog tried teaching him.
On lead until he is properly trained.

[heatseeker14]

Thanks @Spotty, I will have to politely decline chats at the moment and try the 3 second rule. I find it very hard because there are so many friendly dog owners round our way who like to chat. Worried they will think I’m rude.
@JKScot4, I don’t let him run up to random dogs. He is on a long line, unless I know the owner.

[percheron67]

If you don't let the puppy know he has got it wrong he won't know. When he jumps at other dogs, tell him firmly NO and back it up. Make him sit and walk on when he has calmed down.

[Clymene]

But if you know he's going to jump up at another dog, he shouldn't be on a long line around them, he should be on a short lead.

And honestly other dog owners will have no problem with you shouting from a distance that your puppy has no manners. They'd much rather that than your puppy being an absolute pest.

[Spotty528]

I think it’s just expecting too much of a puppy to sit quietly for 5 minutes while you chat. Set him up for success not a telling off. 3 second sniff, good boy, treat, least go.

Have a stock phrase ready, ‘sorry, he’s too bouncy to stop and chat today’

[Spotty528]

*lets

[Scarsthelot]

He is a puppy and acting like a puppy. If he is on a long line this will keep happening.

You clearly dont have enough time to reel him back in. If you dont, he needs to be a short lead and do the 3 second rule.

[heatseeker14]

Sorry, I’m probably not explaining myself very well. He is on a long line so he doesn’t run up to other dogs. When I pass them I will shorten the lead right down. Most of the time the other dog will walk up to him and that’s when he goes ballistic. They will tell me it’s okay their dog is friendly and my pup will just want to jump on them. They also say don’t worry he/she will tell him off. The only time I walk towards another owner is if I know them or the owner talks to me. I will keep encounters brief from now on as you suggest. I hate being abrupt to other people especially when they are being friendly. Thanks for your replies.

[SutterCane]

Have you attended training classes with him yet? A decent puppy/basic manners course should give you a good grounding in appropriate dog-dog interactions as well as getting him to focus more on you than the other dogs.

Regardless of what other owners say it's not up to other dogs to teach yours how to behave. It's not fair on them to be pestered to the point they feel the need to tell him to bugger off and there's also the risk your puppy could become worried by these tellings off and start to get defensive. Even if that doesn't happen it's still not an effective way to teach him appropriate behaviour around other dogs as in order to get to the telling off point he's got to be a pest in the first place and the more he does the more of a habit it will become.

[frostedviolets]

So far I have been rewarding calm behaviour. I ask him to sit when other dogs pass and give him a treat if he sits calmly. I thought I was making progress yesterday
Personally, I would keep moving and make him heel past most dogs.
Make it a non event, see dogs, walk past dogs.
Don't give him the opportunity to react.
Occasionally I would put him in a sit stay or a down stay when dogs are passing and feed the treats pretty much constantly then phase out.

Any attempt to break the sit or down I personally would immediately push him back down and continue with the treats.

He went to jump up at another dog a couple of times. He stopped jumping when the dog growled and sat still while I spoke to the owner for 5 minutes. Today he saw a dog he knows quite well and kept jumping up at him
The other dog eventually growled, snapped and pinned him down. He yelped and ran back to me.
This is unfortunately highly likely how my dog would react.
As will many others.

I put him back on the lead and started to head home. The owner of the other dog walked most of the way with me. After a few minutes my pup was trying to annoy the older dog
I’m so worried he will get bitten because he does not seem to learn
Yes I'm afraid I would be worried about that too.

I keep him on a long line at the moment so he doesn’t make a beeline for other dogs, and I have also been working on keeping his focus on me. I only let him off with dogs I know or with the owner’s permission
Good.

Should I be worried about his boisterous behaviour or is this something he will grow out of
I would be worried yes because the more it happens the more of a habit it will become, it puts him at risk of aggression from other dogs.

[heatseeker14]

SutterCane, I’m taking him to puppy classes at the moment. We haven’t covered anything that would help us so far. I think in the early days I made too much effort trying to socialise him. I thought after a few interactions he would start to learn how to interact properly. That’s what other owners told me. I definitely do not want him becoming a pest. It’s not fair to other dogs and he is going to get hurt. This is why I have posted today for advice. I’m going to send the trainer an email tonight to ask for help.

[heatseeker14]

Thanks @frostedviolets for your post. Very helpful, thanks. I am willing to put in whatever training is required. I don’t want him to go around upsetting other dogs by being a total pain.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

Well done on using a long line - thank you from an owner who had had two training sessions interrupted in the space of about 4 days by a half-grown puppy with zero recall and clueless owners.

My dog will run and play with him, but when she comes back to me and I hold onto her while I wait for his gormless owners to amble up, he tries to mount her. She tells him to eff off. It's only a matter of time before he gets a proper doing over from another dog. It's. It's not fair on him. You are being much more sensible. Keep at it and your dog will learn how to behave.

[heatseeker14]

Thanks for your kind words GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman. Hopefully this time next year I might be able to have a chat with other willing owners without him bouncing about annoying their dog. Our pup has a lot to learn and so do I! I will keep at it.

[adaline]

Mine is nearly two and to be honest he's only just about managing to sit and stay while I chat to someone else with a dog!

In the meantime you need to keep him on a short lead, allow him three seconds to sniff the other dog then walk on. No long lines - they clearly don't enable you to have enough control over him and you don't want him to get hurt or scared and to end up reactive.

[Hoppinggreen]

Mine was like this, he was a pain in the arse and we failed 2 puppy classes because of it.
He just grew out of it really, he does still go up to dogs if I don’t recall him but mostly in a calm way. We did lots of training with high value treats but nothing was more exciting than the chance to play with another dog

[realitycalling]

Glad to find this thread. My 4 month old puppy is the same. We walk with a group of older dogs once a day and he can be a pest - too much 'in their face' and bouncing around. He does settle eventually but reading this I realise that I need to keep him on the lead for longer and only let him off if he's calm and respectful. I've been letting him off because I've been working on his recall - which is quite good but the downside is his 'lack of respect' to other dogs.
Was going to get advice as puppy class this week, but the comments on here have been really helpful. Thank you.

[Snufflesdog]

Mines the same so I don’t really have a solution yet, am following with interest.

We are trying to follow the 3 second rule, and she only gets to meet roughly 1 in 10 dogs -not all dogs are for greeting!
but people definitely think I’m rude.

We also really work on recall, eye contact, responding to name and ‘touch’ (puppies nose makes contact with my hand) also whistle training
Between all of these and really high value treats we seem to be encouraging her to ignore other dogs in the park

Pretty sure we’re going to fail our puppy class though as it’s too much to ask her to ignore other dogs for a full hour. And I’m now panicking with all the ignoring of other dogs that she’s not socialising enough with other dogs ...you can’t win!!

[percheron67]

If you walk him on a long line how ever is he going to walk properly to heel?

[frostedviolets]

In the meantime you need to keep him on a short lead, allow him three seconds to sniff the other dog then walk on

While the three second rule can be good for excitable/pushy/nervy dogs i wouldn't allow leashed meetings at all personally.

A lead, especially a short one, while good for 'control' doesn't allow the dog to behave naturally, they aren't able to flee easily if scared, it can hamper their movement and it frequently forces dogs to greet 'head on' which is a very unnatural and confrontational position.

Admittedly there may just be something about my dog that others can take offence to but honestly, I can't tell you how many times I have passed another dog on lead, their owner has stopped to talk to me or said 'ooh let's say hello' and their dog has gone for my dog 😡

No leashed greetings here.
In fact, it is exceptionally rare I do any greetings at all because my dog is uncomfortable around most other dogs now from repeated, as far as I can see unprovoked, aggression.

[realitycalling]

I think Snufflesdog has it. With puppies we're trying to manage so much (just like with children). So I've allowed realitypup off lead to walk and run with other dogs which has been great for his socialisation and gives me confidence that his recall is OK BUT I'm not tackling his over excitement and therefore raising the chance that another dog might hurt him (or he'll piss off their owners). So it's getting a balance.
I'm going to concentrate on getting him sitting more when we meet up and keep him on a shorter lead for longer.

[MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig]

My lab is coming up for five and he’s still incredibly dog focussed. I have to watch him like a hawk and pre-empt the behaviour rather than allow it to happen and then have to correct it. I could have a roast chicken in each hand and he’d still be more interested in another dog than me. I have given up trying to teach it out of him; my dog trainer said there’s no point trying to overcome his natural instincts. He’s a typical lab and he loves everyone. So far nobody has proven him wrong, but then I don’t let him get into any trouble.

[heatseeker14]

@percheron67, I put him back on a short lead when we get back to the path. I walk him in the fields near our house. When we are in the fields I keep him on a long line and if I pass close to dogs in the field I shorten the long line. I’ve just read my original post and it doesn’t explain the situation very well. I’m rubbish at explaining things. Hope this makes sense now.

The majority of dogs around our way are off the lead when they are in the fields or walking on the path next to the field. Most of the dogs we have met have been okay but when they wander up to say hello our pup wants to jump on them. He will also pull towards another dog on a lead whilst he is on his short lead. I don’t stop unless the other person stops or I know the owners. I think this has rewarded his bad behaviour. I should have said I’m sorry I can’t stop he is too hyped up right now. I just struggle with cutting people short.
It’s hard to get the balance right @Reality. I’ve been so worried about getting him socialised he is becoming a little pest!

[MustardScreams]

Every time you allow the puppy to go mad at other dogs you’re reinforcing and rewarding the bad behaviour.

Whilst socialisation is hugely important, it’s better to do this in a controlled environment such as the puppy classes.

You should be able to use the ‘look’ command to get dog sat at heel and looking at you as a new dog is approaching, reward as they continue to look and ignore passing dog.

Dogs are obviously going to interact, especially off lead, but you need to know that if something is going wrong your dog is going to come back as soon as you call them.

My 2 spaniels were pests when training, especially the big old Welshie who was an utter arse to train. But the ‘look’ command and getting heel work absolutely rock solid meant he was calm when dogs were approaching/walking past whilst he was on lead, and once we’d cracked that anytime he started getting boisterous I’d get him back into heel and look position.