I Got A Jumper!!!

[Boxergirl]

TigerLily has a really bad habit of jumping up on people when the come over and she goes crazy and even bites people. When I tell her to get her toy, she barks and gets even more hyper. When i do that, it doesn't work because then she thinks that every time she bites me, that I will play with her which should not be the case. Sometimes she can get uncontrollably insane and bite and attack me and the only way to get her to stop is to grab her collar and tell her "no" in a serious yet not scaring tone. She does this to my other little dog Disco also but gets even more aggressive when I try to break them apart but grabbing her. Please Helppppppp.

 

[whipple]

First of all, I would not tell a dog to go get a toy if they are acting aggressive. Thats a reward. You dont ever want to reward bad behavior. I'm not sure how bad your dog is, but I would personally kennel her when other people come around, explain to the person/people how to behave (calm, no eye contact, not touch, no talk), then only let her out if she is calm. I would even go as far as to not let her come up to new people, they must ask her to come to them. Do you have anyone you could do drill with? To practice this in a more controlled situation?

 

[tx_cowgirl]

See this thread for info on jumping.

Do NOT grab her collar and tell her no when she is trying to bite you. This will inevitably make her much worse in the longrun.

Is she biting aggressively or because she is extremely excited and doesn't understand that biting is unacceptable?

Understand that not all biting is aggressive. Try to figure out if she is being aggressive or if this is just simply a lack of self-control and training. If this is not an aggressive behavior, read this thread. It's a good read anyway even if it is aggression, but do try to determine whether or not she is behaving aggressively and then we can help you much better.

How old is Tigerlily, and how much exercise does she get?

With a little more info we can give you some tips.

 

[Boxergirl]

TigerLily bites more because she is extremely excited and doesnt understand biting is acceptable but I really don't know what to do anymore, the biting is out of control. She has even chipped 2 of my teeth before by punching me with her paw or "boxing" lol. we take her out to the dog park as often as possible maybe like once every two weeks because we have a busy schedule. I play fetch in the house in my big open space a lot and she loves it.

 

[tigerlily46514]

lol, at first, i thought this thread was about ME! I took online name of tigerlily back when i joined a gardener's website, and just kept it for all webboards, ha ha!

Take a deep breath, all puppies bite, all of them. It's one reason i always go for adopting adult dogs! hee hee.
Here's some help on helping puppies learn to stop biting. How old is your Tigerlily,
and how long have you had this dog?

 

[tigerlily46514]

Crating is a good idea, to prevent ppl biting when visitors come over.
BUT
if you DO use a kennel as a punishment,
as a response to after dog biting someone-----

the dog will know it, and learn to hate being in his kennel, and you may have problems if you ever want to kennel the dog for any other reason, the dog may eat his kennel, bark or whine nonstop in there, etc, etc, or just be extremely unhappy to be in his kennel, IF you kennel him as punishment, dogs REMEMBER that.

but using it to PREVENT a bite, is okay, kenneling him BEFORE he bites someone. Does this dog allow strangers to pet him?

 

[Boxergirl]

Yes, TigerLily loves being pet and all she just bites and jumps due to over excitement. She is almost 10 months. I have had her since she was 6 weeks. She even bites me and it hurts. she is about 40 lbs.

 

[TiflovesBCs]

My dog Bella was a terror at nipping when she was a puppy. I taught her "kisses" licking the hand instead as acceptable.

You could try this by placing a bit of peanut butter on your hand and when she licks it praise and reward. Worked for Bella anyway, she now "kisses on command" lol and not one command instead i get a lick attack heehee.

 

[tigerlily46514]

OH, thank you Boxergirl, for answers. IS GREAT SIGN YOUR PUP ALLOWS STRANGERS TO PET HIM! YAY! whew. He is not a shy dog.
The thread on "jumping" and the video on biting should help!! Let us know if those methods need tweaking for your dog, or if it isn't working.
GOOD LUCK!
Slightly off topic, but puppies who are removed from their mommas before 12 weeks old, whether by breeder or by bad, unpreventable circumstances, are almost always nippy nippy nippier pups. = yet Another reason breeders should leave pups with their mom til 10 weeks minimum, and 12 weeks preferable. There are valuable lessons going on in weeks 8 to 12 from momma and siblings, that if robbed of, we humans get to try to teach the puppy, but, it's a lot harder for us humans to teach that.

 

[Boxergirl]

I tried that though but she turns it into more of a game and thinks whenever she bites me, I will play peeka boo and every time I walk back in, she continues the behavior.

 

[tigerlily46514]

Do try the methods in the "jumping" thread, (also has kikopup video in that thread on jumpers)

and do watch the "stop biting" video by Kikopup, (who is great for behavior issues).

 

[tigerlily46514]

Tx_cowgirl also has great point, about how much exercise a dog gets.

Does Tigerlily get two good long walks a day? (minimum)

HOw long(minutes) and how often is this game of fetch?

A TIRED DOG
IS A GOOD DOG.

Dogs who are chockful of unspent energy are harder to control, and more likely to explode with all the unspent energy. What breed is this dog anyway?

 

[whipple]

"we take her out to the dog park as often as possible maybe like once every two weeks because we have a busy schedule. I play fetch in the house in my big open space a lot and she loves it."
Is that the only exercise she gets? She needs way more! WAY more.

Just to be clear, I was not advocating using the crate as a punishment, only as a way to calm her down without turning it into a game or accidentally rewarding the unwanted behavior.

 

[Boxergirl]

I totally understand the crate point whipple. No way that is no the only exercise she gets. I try to run for about 30 minutes to an hour with her each day along with several walks. She is a boxer. We always play til she eventually lays down.

 

[Anneke]

It sounds like you pup is lacking a bit of selfcontrol
Something you can try is to give her no attention AT ALL, when she is jumping and mouthing you. Turn your back and make like a tree(my trainer says) Put your hands in your pockets so she can't bite them, don't look at her, don't say anything.
Sometimes pushing away a jumping dog, will be reinforcement for this dog, even if it is a negative one. So asying no, is a reinforcement(negative reinforcement)
The more excited your dog is, the calmer you will have to be. Patience is the key. She will get nothing if she is not calm.
So if she gets into her crazy mode(biting and attacking you) you end the game. Leave the room, close the door.
Only give a treat when she has all four on the floor, preferabley when she is a sit.
When you praise her, don't pitch your voice high, this will trigger excitement, and you want her to be calm.
When you play fetch, make her sit, before you throw the ball. If she jumps, put the ball away and ignore her, by going away.
As for visitors coming around... I would take her into another room, or crate her. Have your visitors come in, and wait for at least 10 to 15 minutes before letting her into the room. Instuct your visitors that she is to have no contact with your dog, if she is not calm. And if she is not being calm, just take her out of the room again.

Tigerlily46514: she is a Boxer! Known for their excitable nature

 

[whipple]

Sierra is this way, and it took getting a few good friends to come and reinforce that she is getting nothing until she calms down. Now she is only like this with my boyfriend and his mother when she visits (they just can't seem to get the concept of ignore her). Anyhow, consistency is key!

Glad to hear she is getting more exercise, sorry I misunderstood.

 

[Boxergirl]

Turning my back never works because then she just bites my butt.......I would have to leave the room but that doesn't really work either because then she thinks that it's a game which I don't understand. It started to work and now is getting a bit better. Thank you sooo much everyone!!!

 

[tigerlily46514]

//"Tigerlily46514: she is a Boxer! Known for their excitable nature"//

I'm glad i did finally ask what breed we were talking about then! Guess next time we'll have to ask right off the bat. I didn't put her name together with a breed, i think i was distracted cuz her dog has MY screenname!!

I did not know this about boxers being excitable breed, i only know one, and she is not that way, but she was already one year old when i met her. I don't even see too many boxers on our walks, really.
Boxergirl, it does sound like your dog is getting a nice run each day, that is great! I too, misunderstood a bit there, somehow. Lucky lucky dog!!!

I still think the exercises in the kikopup "stop biting" video might help, even for a boxer dog. Worth a try. Anneke's advice is great, too, and actually, it is a lot like kikopup's advice. I think Whipple is right, having some volunteers helps, too.
I have high hopes for this problem, HANG IN THERE! I really bet you can solve this, don't give up! We are all rooting for you.

 

[Anneke]

I know several boxers, all happy, jumpy, crazy dogs. They mean well, but you have to put the break on, with them They will be very playfull up to a very old age.
Love their clowny way, allways the little jokers, they are.

 

[Boxergirl]

Thank you soooo much guys. I have been working with her constantly these past two days and she is already catching on!!! I do have two questions for you though....
1) TigerLily and I are training for a 5k in May. She is nine months. How many minutes/miles do you think would be safe for her, I don't want to overwork her. Today we ran 2.5 km and walked/ ran a total of 4.3 km including the 2.5. She seemed okay and did a FABULOUS job!!! But as I was saying, How many minutes/ miles are definitely safe for her.
2) I have a creek by my house that we run at and I want to let her play in the creek without her leash but I am a little scared that she won't come back. How can I assure that that would be safe and that she will come back because sometimes in my backyard she doesn't come to me or just looks at me. I just don't want her to run off. Thanks, Alyssa