Jumping Dog

[3LittleMonkeys]

Hi wondering if anyone can give me any tips on training a big labrador not to jump up at people. I have just taken her for a walk and she has jumped up at 4 people (two of which were not dog people and although I had shouted a warning the women said in a very snotty voice - it is up to you to stop your dog jumping not us.)

I know that is is up to me to stop her and I was trying, they were just round the corner and I hadn't seen them otherwise I would have put her on the lead. Though can I go on for ever watching out for people and putting her back on the lead? The walk has been a disaster, since she has been spayed her recall has been very hit and miss. She has never walked properly on the lead, I have tried three methods:

Just stopping and waiting for her to come back to me
Turning and walking the other way - no effect as she just digs her legs in and won't walk.
Or giving her a squeeze on the lead (like a half halt for those who ride)

I am the end of my tether with her and I am not sure what to do with her next. I was told by the veternary nurse to use cheese but it seems to me that she had trained us to give her cheese and then just goes on doing what she was doing.

At the moment I just want to give her up as she is not a pleasure to walk and this is a huge part of having a dog.

Please could I have constructive replies and I know as I have said before she is my responsibility to control - I just need some help.

She needs to stay on the lead at all times in the mean time - I am a crazy dog lady and even I would have torn you a new one for allowing your dog to jump up at me.

This is the sort of thing covered at puppy/basic training classes, do you/did you go to these? Sorting the walking on the lead would be the first concern, again something a regular training class will teach you, but you could start at home by sticking to an effective method and making time to practice every day. I like the silky leash method, you could use 300 peck, stop/start, about turn etc. Treats must be small pieces of high value - cheese, sausage, ham, chicken.

Until recall is sorted the only 'free' exercise she gets should be on a long line so you can physically reel her in if she ignores you. Then praise (through gritted teeth if neccessary ).

A trainer would be able to set up a situation for you with stooge walkers where anyone she approaches and tries to jump up at will shout "AH!", turn around and ignore her. That is your cue to leap about, squealing like you've just discovered the most exciting thing in the world, scattering cheese and sausage in your wake and basically being a really interesting person to come running back to.

I feel your pain, I thought I'd sussed the jumping up with my 19 month old lab. It all seemed to be going so well, the training (distracting, treats etc) was working and he was reliably responding to wait, leave, come etc on walks when people and dogs were around. So I eased off the training and things were fine for a month or so. Then last week disaster we were by the river and he was rummaging in mud and found a huge stick, got very excited and charged down the path with it tripping people up and ignoring me completely. He jumped up at a woman covering her in mud, she was, quite rightly, furious. It was completely my fault for not keeping up the training and I'm still cringing about it.
We've got him walking nicely on lead though, I used to hold a dried liver treat just above his nose and give it to him at random intervals, making him walk for longer and longer before he got the treat. I only have to use the liver now when there are lots of distractions.
You didn't say how old your lab is but I've found mine has calmed down a lot over the past 6 months (apart from the incident last week). Good luck.

tobodlygo - I haven't been able to get into a training class yet as they are all full - I am waiting for a place.

The problem is that at the moment nothing seems to be getting through to her even with a treat - I always carry treats in my pockets so she's always aware that they are there but it doesn't seem to make a bit of difference.

I can see why you would say to keep her on the lead at all times but i fear she will just pull me about so much that she will pull me over she has already strained the muscles in my back.

I could do with some positive stories for people who have got passed this stage and ended up with a well trained dog.

I have a large jumpy labradoodle and was never able to train her not to jump up. She is now older and has mostly grown out of it. Can't stop her ridiculously loud barking every time someone/something comes within a few thousand feet of the front door. However, she is lovely in lots of other ways, so I'll guess I'll keep her. (We've had her nine years.)

However, the solution I found was to keep her pretty close to me on walks i.e 25 feet or under. That way they are always close enough for a recall, or you can grab them fairly quickly. The recall is harder is they are further away.

I think to start with you will just have to accept that you will have to put her on the lead when you meet people - just in case they are the snotty sort and wearing their best white coat (yes it happened to me).

I was taught to practice, practice, practice recall all the time. And thats when you use cheese, garlic sausage, high pitched excited squealing and hugs.

When we went on walks, as soon as she got a little in front, or a bit behind, recall, treat and let her on her way. If she gets a bit further away, get down low, arms wide open and call in as as excited way as you can. Recall the dog when you are in the kitchen she's in the lounge - do it 50 times a day.

What they learn, is that everytime you call them something good happens, and that occasionally they'll go on the lead, get in the car, go indoors etc. If you only use recall for those latter reasons, they'll think, "why go back, I'll only have to stop, go on the lead etc, etc.

I used to take food treats with me regularly on walks for the first two years. My pockets were always full of something. But surprise the dog by occasionaly just giving praise.

The only other solution (which I tried and did'nt work) is to get other people to react loudly/scarily (?) to the dog when she jumps up.

Hope this is some help to you - it would be a shame to give her up. Post back if you want more info and I'll check back on this thread.

UptownAbbie - she is 6month old

Thanks Igetcrazytoo - it is good to hear that you can get through to them. My worry is that this is just her personality, also not really helped by people giving her treats after she has jumped up at them. It is amazing how many people don't mind a big muddly labrador jumping up at them which is really confusing for a 6 mth old labrador when someone doesn't like it! I even had someone picnicing give her a sandwich just as I have managed to get her attention and she was moving away.

There are places near where I live that I won't go near with a dog and like you igetcrazytoo there are people with cream/white coats and that really would be a sight to see with mud splattered all over it.

I will try the keeping closer to me, though she was only 5meters away when she saw the ladies today.

Thank you all for your replies I am feeling a little more positive that she will learn and not be a problem dog.

just to say whatever treat you give her must be better than anything she'll ever find in her food bowl.

I used to use matteson garlic sausage, cut into little cubes in a small bag in my coat pocket, that I could dip into. I personally have never heard of a labrador not obsessed by food - guess yours could be a first.

You could try feed her slightly less to make up for the avalanche of treats, having a ball game before you leave the house/garden just to let off excess steam. Perhaps you need to keep her say under 10 feet on a walk.

I also used to walk my dog to heel, holding an opened tube of primula cheese just in front of her and just squeeze the tube straight into her mouth as a reward.

6 months is still VERY young, keep that in mind when she's driving you crazy.
Mine would go deaf through excitement - very, very frustrating.

She sounds normal for a 6 month lab, mine was completely manic at that age. Its amazing how tolerant complete strangers are when a lab puppy jumps on them, he was always getting fussed and treated for it which used to drive me mad. But now he's 19 months and not quite so cute.
It might be worth getting a long line (NOT an extending lead) to help with training, best used in an open space as they get tangled up in bushes. I used a 15ft one, very light nylon so he didn't know it was there. I'd let it trail behind him on the ground so I could step on it to reinforce commands if he ignored me.

I have very scent-driven dogs so I've more or less abandoned the idea of training them to keep to a light trot at my side on a lead all the time, as most of the joy of a country walk for them is truffling for smells at their own pace. However I have taught them a rock solid 'heel' command for when people in white coats are walking past, or for when they're on leads in town - by holding a piece of something yum (cheese, sausage, chicken, ham) by my left side, just in front of their nose, while squeaking 'heel, heel'. They associate 'heel' with a treat, and will come bounding up and stay at my side as long as the treat's dangling.

The younger one's recall is about 70%, so he's on a retractable tape lead that I can shorten whenever unknown people or dogs are around; he doesn't jump up so much any more but I'm rewarding him for sitting for a pat. It's hard, as you say, when people reward for jumping, or hold their hands out at hip level which seems to say, 'Jump!' to a tiny dog brain.

Generally, though, even though they're pretty chilled dogs and we walk in quiet country areas, I don't let them out of my sight, and I put them on the lead if I see anyone approaching that I don't know - months of reading 'AIBU to report this dog owner for letting her dog look at my baby?!' threads have made me more aware that not everyone likes dogs, even if they're walking in doggy areas. (NB not 'in dogging areas'.)

Thank you for all your replies.

I will try these tips and let you know how I get on.

where did you buy your long line from UptownAbbie?

I got a Clix longline it was 15m but didn't need it that long, the 10m would have been OK.

Mine are taught to sit for fuss. Then they get attention. They are pushed off and told off. For recall they also have to sit then get a treat. Just needs consistency but you'll get there.

I have the same problem with out cocker spaniel pup. He is 18 weeks, and doing very well in his training, particularly at recall. However, if he sees other dogs he just wants to play and then will try and jump up at the human. - I always say to the human please tell him off and push him down - even if they don't mind him jumping up. Today he jumped up at a child - parents were ok, but this is not Ok behaviour so we will be practicing our recall more!

you need a long line, you can get tracker lines or the clix ones, either one works. You need to not let her off unless you are in a secure area that you can get to her quickly.

Make her sit for everything, sit before you leave the house, sit at street corners/crossing roads and treat every time for now. But make sure the treats are 'special' and only for training - she doesnt get cheese or whatever you use at any other time. She sits before she gets any fuss at all - that way she learns to be calm and have 4 paws on the ground before anyone touches her.

If people want to fuss her out on a walk, you can say no thanks, she is training and keep walking, she has to learn that not everyone wants her paws on them!

I understand how fed up you are at the moment, but this needs stopping.