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[southerngirl]

Missy is really aggravating my family especially my mom every time someone hugs me she has to join in. When company comes over she jumps all over them and makes her strange noises(not sure what to call it sounds like she's trying to talk) and it's really a problem because I have small nephews that come over a lot she knows not to jump on them but she gets in their face and makes her noises which scare them (my two younger nephews are scared of dogs.) When my nephews are running around screaming I have to put her up because I'm scared she's going to bite them. Also when I'm rough housing with my family or where just playing around hitting each other she gets really protective over me. She starts barking she'll even mouth them(wouldn't call it biting). Lately its gotten worse she always has to be in between me and who ever I'm talking to, hugging, sitting beside. How do I correct these behaviors.

 

[Anneke]

I know what you mean! I had a dog that did this. The jumping in when hugging or rough housing. I am trying to remember how I stopped him from doing this, but I really don't know exactly... I have had this dog for nearly 17 years, so it is a long time ago... He didn't completely stop doing it, the rough housing was too much for him and would always jump in. I guess we made a game of it and involve him in it. Meaning it always ended up in playing with the dog, in stead of with eachother...
With company coming over, I instructed everyone to ignore my dog untill he was calm. I would send him to his place and release him when everyone was sitting down.
But I do have to say, this dog was afraid of people. He was a rescue and probably mistreated badly.
As for the running children... It sounds like she is trying to eather herd them or to controle them. I have no clue as to how to go about this. I don't have children and my dogs don't come in contact with a lot of children. Cooper is afraid of them, especcially small children, so I keep him away from them. Jinx has no clue of what these little humans are doing, so she will playbow, bark and run around them and by doing this scaring the kids. So I keep her away from them too.

 

[tigerlily46514]

Maybe you can use the ideas here in this Kikopup video, and tweak them to fit the situations that *your* dog wants to jump about???
I guess you'd need a volunteer to hug you, as you do the steps shown in this video....

and then, maybe you could have some volunteers wrestle around, while you be Kikopup working the clicker, teaching the dog you want him to sit when ppl wrestle...(?)

 

[tigerlily46514]

my dog also barks if anyone hits anyone, but i never correct him for it. Like Craig's adult son punches Craig in the arm all the time, and Buddy leaps up and BARKS, and then watches the son for a while suspiciously.
i've never trained that out of him, might come in handy someday...

 

[tx_cowgirl]

Kikopup's video should help you.
Just a little extra exercise that is helpful...
With Missy on-leash and sitting or laying next to you, recruit a volunteer to walk up to the two of you. If she gets up or tries to jump, the person immediately turns around and walks away. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Once she will stay seated or laying(your choice) when another person approaches, have the person approach and then reach out to pet her. If she gets up or jumps, person turns around and walks away. Work your way up until Missy can sit next to you calmly while a person walks up to you and pets her. You can do this in your yard with a friend or relative, at the park, or even at Petsmart. Anytime someone approaches you to pet Missy, just explain to them that you are working on Missy's manners, please don't pet her if she jumps. Not everyone will listen, but at least try.

It's important to do this exercise with a variety of people. If you know some kids of various ages that are willing to help, definitely get them to! But with kids, make it a little tougher. Start out the same as above--your goal is to eventually get her to sit still while a child calmly walks up to her and pets her. Then maybe the child jogs to her(but walks away, not runs away). Then maybe the child runs at her. Then the typical cute doggie reaction from a kid--screaming, arms flailing, running at her.

In time she will learn that jumping on people makes people go away, and gets her no attention at all. You can tweak that exercise a bit at home. Recruit someone to come in. If Missy jumps, they go back outside. If it's just the hugging or whatever that makes her lose it, then have someone come in and hug you. Soon as she jumps, you both turn away from her or walk outside. Jumping=I get left alone and don't have any fun.


If she tries to keep you away from other people ("has to be between me and whoever I'm talking to, hugging, sitting beside"), she goes away. You control who is close to you, not her. If you are sitting by someone and she tries to push her way in between, you either use body blocking(no physical touching of any kind, literally just moving into her space, taking her space away) to "push" her out or actually put her in another room or outside or something.

Hope this helps. Good luck and be patient and consistent with her.

 

[southerngirl]

Thanks tigerlily and tx_cowgirl for your input.