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7 month old jumpy pup

7 replies

Headinthedrawer · 27/01/2018 09:00

Hi-my mini poodle is 7 months old in a couple of weeks.Shes had 6 wks training and about to start another 6 weeks in 3 weeks time (no spaces before this and really like this trainer).I am training her all the time when we are out but she is so jumpy.She gets really excited when she sees other people-wriggles around trying not to jump and then lunges when she can't contain it.Shes on the lead but it takes all my effort.Funnily enough she is ok in town when it's crowded-it's when she hasn't seen anyone for a bit so in the woods/fields or quieter streets.I am using hot dog sausages etc to get her to sit and look at me when people are approaching which mainly works. She is not food orientated though (leaves her food in her bowl , eats half of it and then comes back 5 mins later) so sometimes even chicken etc does not work.I'm having to walk her on a training lead because although her recall was getting good I can't trust her not to excitedly go crazy if she sees someone else and she gets a muddy jump in and then comes back to me.It is often because the stranger greets her but I can't stop that!I was also advised by a passing dog trainer not to throw balls for her as that can over excite some dogs.I will keep on with the training but can I ask if they grow out of it a bit as they get older and calmer too?(Please tell me yes!)A bloke yelled at her yesterday (I didn't mind...she was being a pain and she was on the lead but straining at him) and she instantly sat down and obeyed him (quite annoying!)which also made me wonder if my command is really weak but yelling goes against all the training I've read and done.Anyone with experience of this who has advice and tips?

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BiteyShark · 27/01/2018 09:08

7 months is a difficult age anyway as they tend to have selective deafness being a teenager Grin.

I don't think you necessarily need to yell but you may want to think about your voice. I have the opposite in that I didn't make my 'good boy' voice high and squeaky enough whereas you may find your 'command' voice isn't perhaps as strong as it should be. Also I find my dog is very clever and if I don't follow through on something he just takes the pee next time so perhaps if she jumps get her and make her sit until she is quiet and you have given her the command to resume play/walk etc.

My dog is ball obsessed but that can work to your advantage. If I need him to focus on me then if I get a ball out of my pocket he will so you could try that and she gets rewarded with a short ball game for being calm and not jumping up. Yes dogs can get over excited with balls. I limit our ball throwing to around 20-30 mins and always have two so he will drop the one he went to get for the next one so he is always 'happy' to give a ball up because he expects another iykwim.

Headinthedrawer · 27/01/2018 09:19

Thank you biteyshark-that's all really good advice.I'll stop using the ball slinger thing and keep a couple hidden in my pocket instead and use them if she is on the training lead and sees someone.She probably only has about 10 minutes with the ball but that's enough to get her wired.My voice definitely needs some work...this next training course can't come soon enough.

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missbattenburg · 27/01/2018 09:23

I think this can be the dark side of a well socialised puppy. They are so cute when they are little that everyone says hello to them and, as owners, we like that because it gets them used to all sorts of people. However, the dog is also learning that other people are fun, fun, fun.

As a mini poodle yours is likely STILL little and cute and so it's probably still going on. Whereas mine (springer) is six months old and so much bigger that only spaniels lovers tend to stop to say hello now. As a result, people have got less interesting to him.

At seven months old she is about getting to the age where adolescence kicks in and so the chances are she is going to get worse before she gets better. Patience persistence is the key. Keep doing the training over and over and over.

If she is too excited close up then keep your distance. e.g. mine's recall is ok, even within about 25 metres of another dog but any closer and it won't work. We started at about 50 metres and each time we go out I let us get just that little bit closer when I see another dog and then recall - so we practise it closer and closer. If a dog surprises us and we are closer than a distance I KNOW he will recall at, then I don't bother trying to recall - you risk the dog learning that recall is optional. Instead, I walk in and get him on lead manually. I don't use him name and I don't use 'come here'. I save them for when I know they will work.

It means I have to be sharp on the lookout and only let him off lead where there is space to do all this. Otherwise, I risk having to let him go up to strange dogs that might not be at all friendly and/or ruining someone else's walk.

You can get little vests that say 'ignore me' on them to help prevent strangers from greeting your dog - which may help her learn that other people are boooring.

There is also a difference between yelling and having a firm voice. My pup often responds to a firm voice when he is too excited but gets more excited if someone shouts at him. That said, young dogs tend to listen to strangers being firm more than owners because the stranger is unknown so might be a threat. An owner isn't worth being scared of because they are associated with all the good things in life.

In order to maximise her like of the treat I would only do training walks just before a meal time so she is maximum hungry. Every dog has their own preferences so it's worth experimenting to see if yours would prefer:

  • tiny cubes of cheese
  • a squeeze of primula
  • dried livers, cut up into squares
  • beef instead of chicken
  • something fish based like little bits of salmon skin (dried)

For e.g. I train with turkey/chicken/hot dog with mine most of the time but I know he will try extra hard for cheese because he loves it and doesn't get it very often.

PerfectlyChaotic · 27/01/2018 11:55

I could have written this headinthedrawer. My Dpup is 8mths...super confident, super friendly. And I’m currently super on edge throughout our walks! Following for tips too - 🍷&/or 🍫 for you.

BiteyShark · 27/01/2018 13:09

Oh I forgot to mention that it's frustrating when you are training them and a passerby goes up and fusses them when you don't want. I found that a lot of people will oblige if you sit the dog down and before the person is too close you say I am training her not to approach people and have you back positioned in a way that makes it clear you don't want them to approach. It's hard because you appear a bit unfriendly but at the end of the day I figured it was better to appear that than get home and feel deflated about the training.

My dog was super friendly wanting to run to everyone and every dog but eventually he got to the position where we could be off lead and he would look at me for a guidance on whether he should approach anyone.

tabulahrasa · 27/01/2018 15:10

If the attention from someone else is more rewarding than food, you want to use that as your reward...

The easiest way is to get a stooge and only move forwards while she's calm and mover her backwards if she starts to jump or lunge, so she only gets to the person and gets attention from her when she's calm.

And you can stop strangers greeting her, you just have to actually tell them not to...

Headinthedrawer · 27/01/2018 17:52

Thanks all.Just took her into town and down the pub and she didn't jump up at anyone and was perfectly behaved ...she's so unpredictable!Thanks for all your messages and it's good to know I'm not the only one.Taking her out hungry is a good idea and I do need to rotate the snacks.Now I need to rope in some stooges.

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