Problem Or Just Puppy Exuberance

[Amateur]

Culprit: Zoe the border collie ( 10 months)
Jumping on people when playing ball at dog park.
Recently zoe has taken to jumping up at people when returning with her ball.
She "gives" the ball nicely if you hold out your hand
so I am assuming she is trying to reach people's hands in order to "give" them the ball.
I try and intercept her but at this stage, daddy's little girl will play with everybody else first rather than me. I suggest to people to just hold out their hand, but a lot are reluctant to touch a goobery ball ... Go figure ! ( these are the same people that go to a dog park and just stand there while I end up playing ball with 2 or 3 other people's dogs besides my own ! )

 

[tx_cowgirl]

I would say a little bit of both.
At the dog park, you can tell people to end the game if she jumps on them. She brings the ball and jumps, they turn around and walk away. No more fetch. Game over.

But it is also good to work on this in general. An exercise I use is to start with the dog on leash, sitting at your side, and have someone approach you. If she jumps or breaks her sit, the person immediately turns around and walks away. Now try again. And again and again. When she sits still and is nice, the person can reach towards her. If she jumps, they turn around and walk away. Try again. Once they can pet her, if she starts to jump/break her sit while they are petting her, petting stops, they turn around and walk away. Nothing gets her attention except sitting still and being nice. When she's great with this you can make it a little tougher--instead of walking towards you, maybe the other person runs towards you. If you're working with kids, maybe the kid screams and runs towards you.
You can add this exercise with playing ball too. She jumps, no one throws the ball for her, no one gives her attention of any kind. If she brings it to you nicely, YAY! Throw the ball for her.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[Amateur]

Do you realise how many times I have asked people to ignore her !
Carrots are easier to train than people.

Today I took the clicker to the dog park, and clicked when she brought it nicely - problem is she almost ALWAYS brings it to me nicely. And anyone who sticks out their hand gets the ball nicely too ...

Also people can't resist talking baby talk and trying to get your dogs attention. When on walks and we meet someone who just ignores them at first, within a minute they just lay down and wait. But People just can't help themselves. ... maybe if I carried Human treats and a clicker ?

 

[tigerlily46514]

//" I suggest to people to just hold out their hand, but a lot are reluctant to touch a goobery ball ... Go figure !"//

//"Carrots are easier to train than people."//
i so agree!

you might also have some pals over, or go to park with you,
pals who WILL listen to you,
and have THEM play fetch with your dog,
and have them turn away if dog jumps up on them?
maybe that will help your dog understand the "i can not jump on other ppl" ?

OR
maybe ask some friendly looking bystanders at the park who might be willing to help you teach your dog
about jumping up on strangers?
Maybe, if asked PRIOR to the game beginning, and told you ARE specifically working on
helping your dog learn not to jump up on strangers,------ maybe THAT will elicit their co-operation?

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[Amateur]

carrots I tell ya !
but maybe I can find some odd person at the dog park

 

[tigerlily46514]

or bring one with you.
bring a person you know will go along with your training plan. Make them a nice dinner for their efforts....or a batch of cookies for them as a "thank you".
.
Explain to your volunteer pal just what you want them to do,
and why,
prior to getting there.
Maybe even practice it in your yard first.
.
who knows, maybe as others witness your pal doing what you DO want them to do,
they will be able to imitate your pal, and join in, too.

?

 

[mewzard]

Do you realise how many times I have asked people to ignore her !
Carrots are easier to train than people.

I TOTALLY agree. Oka up till 12/13 months never jumped up at people after she was initally taught that it got no response - the ignoring trick.
.
Now at 17months she KEEPS doing it so we've gone back to -you jump- no greeting-you sit - nice greeting+treats. Except she doesn't jump at me or my parnter or MIL. but everyone else, despite being told before hand, will still go "NO, sit, siiiiiitttt, NO, down!" It drives me nuts!!
.
Just feeling your pain!

 

[Amateur]

You made me laugh anyways with your impression. It was bang on except for the part where they bend down to put their face right in the way of jumping paws.

 

[tx_cowgirl]

Lol, people are definitely not trained easily.
Perhaps you should try, if possible, to go to the dog park at a different time; when you might possibly have a different group of people, and/or less people(less people=less opportunities for her to jump on people). Try the on-leash exercise at dog-friendly stores. Explain to strangers that you are working on teaching her to greet people with manners, would you mind helping me for a sec?
Lol, kind of screwy, but reel in the trainers at Petsmart and PetCo. "I'm trying this exercise to get my dog to stop jumping, could you help me?" They might think they're getting a training sale, lol, so they may be more willing to help.

 

[mewzard]

You made me laugh anyways with your impression. It was bang on except for the part where they bend down to put their face right in the way of jumping paws.

Oh i just skipped that part! Oka's paws are the same size as my hands! frequently people bend down to stroke "it's better on thier level" () and then get 'dog slapped'!

 

[tigerlily46514]

//"Explain to strangers that you are working on teaching her to greet people with manners, would you mind helping me for a sec?"//

AWESOME advice, Tx! whooot! LIKE, LIKE, AND LIKE.
cute thread!

 

[running_dog]

Carrots are easier to train than people.

I spend weeks getting my dog to return the ball to hand and then someone gets him to drop the ball because they are scared of his jaws and I have to spend more weeks retraining... Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh

Roll on the performing vegetables...