Dog jumping at joggers. Help!

[Snoopdogowner]

My 11 month cockapoo has decided recently that he likes to jump/lunge/bark at people jogging. Any tips on how to curb this behaviour? Is it a case of getting pup to remain focussed on me? Off lead walking just got even more stressful!

Keep him on the lead around people

Imo, keep on lead at all times away from people at least until the CV crisis is over. Then look up training techniques. Not worth the risk currently.

Whilst out running I have been bitten twice by dogs. If they don't behave around runners they should be on a lead. After all we share the same space.

You can't have your dog off the lead if they are going to jump up at people. I would be furious as a runner if you let your dog do this to me, I've been bitten twice

Keep on the lead.

I have a terrier who is the same..have invested in a training lead which means he can scamper around but i can reel him in . Best money i have ever spent

Do you allow him off lead?? Please stop until he learns to behave

Why are you taking him to public areas without a lead on.

You will have to restrict off lead to places where you can keep full control.

Your council may be asking for all dogs to be in lead at all times during pandemic restrictions, in which case you must comply.

So you probably need a long flat training lead (not a retractable), to allow for some snuffling around when safe and appropriate, but can immediately be reeled in to walk to heel whenever the dog starts to lunge, jump or bark. If he does not yet walk to heel reliably, that is probably the thing to teach next.

Shouldn’t be off a lead at the moment anyway to be honest... !

Appreciate your comments, it happened yesterday and today so lesson learnt. Keep on lead...

The last thing hospitals need right now are patients with dog bites when they are trying to keep themselves fit and healthy.

It happened yesterday so you let the dog off the lead today so it could do it again??
Longline. And some recall training. Lots of training.

@HappyHammy no biting, regardless of this you are totally right in what you say

@Wolfiefan longline is on order

My advice is go back to basics. Get him to come back to you when there is no one around. Do it once and if he does it put him back on the lead make a fuss and give him a treat. If he doesn't come back to you normally he will never come back when there's a distraction involved.

Long lines are really useful. Should be on a harness and not a collar though.
I’ve recently bought a biothane one. Rubbery type material that doesn’t soak up the mud!

Lead. Took 14 months for our recall to be consistently reliable.

You'll have to keep him on lead from now on while you work on this. Every time he repeats the behaviour it becomes more ingrained so you have to stop him being able to do it immediately. Use the time to implement a training programme to work on focus and recall. If you can access a suitable enclosed, non-public area to work on his training that would be ideal - you can hire enclosed paddocks for exercising dogs in many areas, maybe try a local Facebook dog walkers/owners group for recommendations.

The article linked below is long but it is excellent and both scientifically and ethically sound. David Ryan is a world authority on predatory chasing in dogs (predatory chase includes joggers, cyclists etc. not just small animals, it's the same drivers behind the behaviour in each case). It's also available as a book, Amazon link below. The other linked book 'Total Recall' by Pippa Mattinson is also highly recommended.

www.dog-secrets.co.uk/how-do-i-stop-my-dog-chasing/

www.amazon.co.uk/Stop-control-predatory-chasing-dogs/dp/1409258270/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=david+ryan&sprefix=David+rya&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1586288058&sr=8-1

www.amazon.co.uk/TOTAL-RECALL-PERFECT-RESPONSE-TRAINING-ebook/dp/B009ZZCZXQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=pippa+mattinson&sprefix=Pippa+&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1586288131&sr=8-2

Total recall is brilliant.

@VetOnCall thank you so much for all this info, so useful

Your dog is entering the teenage phase. Keep him on a lead and get him to focus on you. Don’t let him off lead in public until he is able to walk to heel and keep his focus on you to pass people and other dogs. Treat often for your dog getting it right (and to bribe).

When walking in a space with nobody else present let him off lead and keep practicing recall and walking to heel. Good Luck! It takes time and patience but you can do it. The end result is well worth the effort you put in.

With us it was just an age thing. From about 11 months rookiedog didn't show much interest in people or cyclists but occasionally like say once every couple of weeks he would chase after a bike or worst case ever got too close to a jogger one evening. So basically for the next 6 months I'd put him on a lead if I saw other people or cyclists in the distance, but now at almost 2 he's not interested at all. A lot of treats for good behaviour work well so he always expects his bit of sausage for not playing with the other dog. We didn't do much training other than rewarding him coming back and for ignoring bikes.

Annoyingly tonight when walking him someone's dog jumped all over me and made my clothes filthy. As a fellow dog owner I do the whole oh don't worry, but inwardly I'm seething. If rookiedog started jumping over people he'd be on a lead for the whole walk.

At exactly the same age, our Australian Labradoodle did the same thing- I was mortified and we were shouted at on a few occasions. He had a sudden regression in his recall- alongside chasing joggers and cyclists. He is now 13 months and (fingers crossed!) this phase only lasted for 2-3 weeks.

We helped the situation by very actively looking out for runners and cyclists and putting him on the lead or distracting him before he noticed them coming. It was about breaking the habit.

We were also advised (by a dog behaviourist) to bring a ball, to satisfy his 'chase instinct' on walks. It really has improved and he hasn't done this for over a month now (fingers crossed!)

Good luck!