Leaping at passers by

[justgivein]

My four month old is finally walking well to heel and generally well behaved with people and dogs on walks.I get out every day and we pass many people,some get down giving him a head cuddle which he has no trouble with but he's only lately less nervous with other dogs and has gone nose to nose with them.However three or four times he's suddenly jumped at people seeming to aim at their heads ,luckily I've caught him mid air but it is such a shock that I tell him No quite firmly but I don't think I'm doing the right thing.I've taken to holding him tight because I never know how he will react to passers by now which I'm sure will not help with socialisation.

Any help would be great thanks.

Don’t let people stroke your dog, say politely sorry we are in training with a tinkly laugh and keep your dog focusing on you as you walk past them. You’re just setting them up to fail if you let them think they need to interact with everyone they see

You want your dog to be neutral to other people and dogs they don’t need to get in everyone’s face and say hi.

I agree you need to stop letting everyone greet him as now he's learnt that all people are going to give him attention!

Train him to focus on you instead - a well socialised dog should ignore other dogs and people unless the owner says it's okay to greet.

Ok I never thought of this thanks.Because he's a puppy most people ask can they stroke him but a couple have just got down before I can say anything and grab his head and give him an affectionate smothering stroke, hard to describe really.It will be hard to be tougher but I'll go with the training line in future.

Just one other point I'm not sure is ok.He wakes me up at 5.30 in the morning, I let him out,then sit on the couch where we have a brief little playfight whilst I try to have a tea.He likes to stick his nose in my face which I fend off and to lick my ear.I thought he's a puppy ,that this is ok it's a bit of fun .But he also clambers all over my wife when she first sits down which I suppose she likes because of the affectionate nature he seems to have.But after a while I say keep him lower than your head because he enjoys it a bit too much and gets carried away.He does settle down after say five minutes and chills out or goes to sleep.Should we be stopping all of this too? aswell.Thanks for your help.

My dog is five and loves to nibble my ears. I still play with her.

You are allowing pretty much the same behaviour you have a problem with- at home. Stop with the excessive attention, Get him off the couch - thats not a great habit. Attention happens = when he has all four feet on the ground and is not jumping. On walks you have to advocate for your dog by saying he is in training and no you cant touch him.
If you dont do this the problem will continue.

He likes to lie across the top of the couch behind us and look out of the window and watch activity outside. I thought this would help with leaving him whilst we are out and he has gone four hours now before we have come back.But when we are back he's asleep in his bed along with our older dog in the hallway. So this would be hard to stop him because he has the run of the lounge too.It all makes sense we have to be tougher with him but it will be hard.

I do not allow my dog to lick or chew my face because quite frankly I don’t want them doing it when they are bigger and it’s not ok.

Set pup up to succeed be consistent, something that is cute at puppy stage is often a massive pita when they are adults!
also your pup won’t understand why at 530 it’s ok but not later in the day which can lead to frustration

Its hard to be firm when out walking but remember it’s your dog and you have to live with them, having a dog that bounds up to everyone they see will be a nightmare if you want to let it off lead (just see the huge amount of threads on mumsnet complaining about exactly this)

There's absolutely nothing wrong with having your dog on the couch and letting them lick you in play if that's what you're comfortable with. It's a great way to bond with your dog.

However I would be trying to teach a command for licking so she knows when it's acceptable and when it's not. Mine learnt "kisses!" which means you can lick now. But he won't do it at other times as he knows he has to wait for the command.

As a PP has said, you want to make sure you don't encourage behaviour that could be dangerous as they get older. A cute puppy licking your face is very different from a big older dog doing it who isn't so easy to remove!

I don't ever allow my dogs upstairs or on couch - particularly couch. Its my space and its one of the most common areas for resource guarding. The dog stays on the floor. The more consistent you are now the better things will be as bigger dogs are harder. I don't train kisses either as I want my dog not to go near my face or anyone elses and commands are easy to forget in excitment.

Well, our dog is allowed on the couch (see photo) and licks/kisses us and he loves strangers fussing over him. We've probably done this all wrong, but he's 15 months now and an absolute sweetheart of a dog with a nicest temperament. I think you should do what feels right for your family

Shut down behavior you don't like. Correct him every time sternly. Be super consistent.

Reward behaviour you do like, get lots of little treats and be generous, he'll learn fast with positive reinforcement.

If thats a pug its unlikely to be an issue jumping up.

Not totally sure what to do now.Because like your dog he loves to sleep on the couch,he sort of moulds himself around you when he's calm which we love.Also he loves the attention he gets out walking and his position looking out of the window is part of his daily routine. But he nearly took out a lady walking with her coffee yesterday and he's a good size already and very agile,so it a dilemma.But I think I'll have to be stricter because I really want him running free when he's older.

I suspect 'holding tight' is exactly the right way to proceed, especially while dog is young & exhuberant.

I wouldn't mind yours leaping at me but obviously it's a dodgy habit in general so best to remove opportunity/reduce habit.

I have discovered recent success (with snappy dog who tries to go for other dogs) by distracting her with a treat in my hand, when she passes other dogs. To help her get used to ignoring. Revolutionary (!!). I should have done this months ago.

Him being on the couch is separate to him jumping up at people when on a walk.
My dog is allowed on my bed and couch, but when we visit my family, he isn’t. And he doesn’t even try. He also doesn’t jump up at people.
It’s all about being clear and consistent.

If people want to interact then you need to say that you are in training and they can help by asking him to sit, before rewarding with a treat and/or pats and fuss.

When you say he is jumping up and nearly took out the woman, is this just a passerby that he has run over to, or did she approach and fuss him?

You have two separate issues here.

Dogs shouldn't be allowed to jump up at people BUT it can be a really hard behaviour to get under control as jumping up and getting fussed or getting treats is naturally rewarding to them. At home, you can scatter treats on the ground so they focus on those, and practise "four on the floor" - which basically means you ignore them completely unless they've got all four feet on the floor.

When out, you need to stop them approaching other people and only allow people to fuss them when they're sitting nicely. If they jump, the person needs to withdraw attention immediately. The problem you'll have is lots of dog owners will say "it's fine, I don't mind!" and your dog won't learn anything, lol.

The sofa issue is entirely personal choice. My own dog sleeps in the bed and on the sofa, but during the day, my in-laws look after him and he has his own bed there and knows he can't go on the furniture unless invited. Dogs are smart and will learn that that they can, say, go on furniture when invited, or only in certain rooms or when blankets are in place etc.

I had him tight walking to heel and was approaching a road about to get him to sit before crossing.It was a tight pavement,the lady was just passing and he hadn't leapt at anyone for almost a week so it really caught me off guard.I'll try the treats which I've been using for training so far,recall and fetching balls.

Walking to heel is not tight. Walking to heel is loose lead but dog at heel. You need to do loads more heel first on loose lead then add, distance (length of lead), distraction (people passing by a bit away, then nearer, then closer, then passing in front etc) and then add difficulty - so that could be multiple people etc.
You are trying too much too early and relying on lead to pull in. He needs to know heel is on a loose lead too.
What breed is he?
Have you trained 'look at me'? Its superb - It means when I stop you wait and look at me when I say so then I decide what we do next. If you teach it your dog will automatically check in with you when deciding next things/ direction on a lead.

We are STILL working on this with our 9 month whippet despite it never being rewarded or allowed.... and bring a whippet she has springs not legs. We now use trailing toys to focus her attention on something exciting at floor level which is starting to help.

Your dog will get enough positive attention from you, he doesn't need anything from strangers, people or dogs. By teaching him to ignore them or be neutral you are protecting him from stress and people getting in his face when one day he doesn't want it.
Position yourself between your dog and other people. Don't let people approach for a stroke even if they ask, unless you are completely happy and dog is four paws on the floor and calm.
This is all setting good practice for the future when your dog doesn't see strange people as a source of attention or even a threat, this applies to children too.
Your dog is not there as entertainment for others, or for them to indulge their cutesy whims. He is an animal you are trying to protect and train.

I wouldn’t leave a four month old pup for four hours.
Dont let people greet him. You can get leads that say in training.
Dont accept any behaviour you don’t want as he gets older.
Are you signed up to puppy training classes?

I agree fully with @Ihaventgottimeforthis - there is an obsession from both dog owners and the general public that everyone has the right to invade a dogs space when they want. I always ignore or say no to people wanting to approach me, particularly if I am training. We are the only advocates our dogs have and can read situations for them.

Yes I've got to harden up and not be so liberal with him he's going to be a big strong dog so have to forget he's an affectionate puppy and train him properly .Even though people ask politely I'll have to say no and sort a qiuck explanation to respond with .Thankyou.

Ok I thought it was quite an achievement being toilet trained aswell.As I said he has the older dog with him and everything out of reach ,it's been fine so far.