My 8 month old male pup has started jumping on my back when we are outside. He does not normally jump on me when I approach. He will run toward me but easily goes into a sit on command if I feel he is coming at me too hard. I am a female and I am told I need to show him who is boss. The jumping seems to occur when there is a break in activity and I start to walk away. A couple of times he runs toward me and I turn my back. He will also grab my arm in his mouth and pull. He hasn't drawn blood but it harder than I think is appropriate. I have used loud firm language to get him to stop but that seems to excite him. Tonight I had to grab his collar and push him down while I eacorted him to his pen. He is very strong and I need to nip this asap. I realize I must be doing something wrong. I end all interaction with him after these episodes. I believe he is playing but much to aggressively. This is my 4th lab and I don't recall this in the other pups. I don't hit him and I don't know if I can physically get him on the ground to show my control like some have suggested. Many suggestions say to turn your back when a dog jumps but he is jumping on my back! Help me figure out what I am doing to encourage this behavior. Please be specific, as "show him who is the leader" is not helping me right now. How do I show him? I think I may be praising him too much so I am going to make an effort to spread out the praise. What else can I do or stop doing?
You are definitely not alone in dealing with this problem - it's fairly common for exuberant young Labradors to jump up on and pull at their humans in an effort to get then to play (or sometimes it can be frustration because something fun has ended, and sometimes it's just a massive amount of energy looking for an outlet). So you are 100% right when you said you think he is playing (but just in a way that is way too rough for us poor humans). Rest assured that your dog is definitely NOT doing this because of a lack of leadership or whatever. He is purely doing it because it is fun and/or he thinks it might get him what he wants (fun games). As you have found, using a loud voice or pushing him just excites him more as, to a boisterous dog, this looks like you are joining in the game. Definitely do not ever attempt to throw him to the ground - this will only make him confused and scared of you. Just politely ignore all suggestions to get physical with him, be the leader, show him who is boss etc etc - these approaches are totally wrong, based on ignorance and will only worsen the problem. So - what to do instead? There are a few things you can do: You mentioned that you can get him to sit as he runs towards you. This is excellent and is exactly the right thing for you to do. When he butt is on the ground he can't be on your back. So, very heavily train and rewards (with treats) sitting when he gets to you. Practice this a lot and reward him with treats every time. Make sitting more rewarding and worthwhile for him than jumping He is trying to get your attention by jumping at you. In theory you are doing the right thing by withdrawing your attention by turning away...except he has upped the ante and is now just jumping on your back.... So, give him an alternative way to engage you in a game. That might be sitting, as per the point above. Reward sitting with a game he enjoys that is safe for you, like chasing after a toy, or hunting for treats that you hide around a room of the house. Some dogs even love short training sessions (because it's a chance to interact with you, to engage their brain and to earn food rewards... When my dog is doing attention seeking things (in his case this is sitting in front of the TV ) a short training session can settle him down very effectively and he usually has a snooze right after) Make sure he is getting plenty of interesting things to do so he is not trying to create his own entertainment. I can't remember where I read it (might be on here!) but as dog owners the best way to think of our role is as a zoo keeper who has to work out a program of environmental enrichment for our 'zoo animal' (aka dog). Outings, walks, meeting new people and friends (human and doggie), training sessions, day care, dog sports....all these planned activities will give your dog an outlet for his mental and physical energy Notice the signs that he is starting to get too excited and stop whatever you are doing with him and do something calmer and slower instead, like a short training session, or a break with a chewy treat or filled Kong And - when he is doing something that you want, you can absolutely never praise him too much Whenever he does anything you like that you would like him to keep doing the next time - reward this lavishly with praise, treats, attention and games. As I mentioned, this is a really common behaviour, so I am sure that others will be more than happy to share their experiences with you and what worked and what didn't. Don't despair - this is definitely something you can fix with training and time
Here's a link to an article about dealing with boisterous young Labs: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/how-to-cope-with-an-excitable-labrador/ Notice that the sub-heading a bit further down the page is "8 months old and the boisterous stage" There are lots of other articles on the main site e.g. http://www.thelabradorsite.com/no-more-jumping-up/ http://www.thelabradorsite.com/9-wonderful-ways-to-tire-out-your-labrador/
The simple truth is you have a teenager! I had exactly the same problems with my dog Molly when she was at that age. They are "over threshold" or whatever term you choose to use, but they are beyond their or our control. I never detected a moments agression, it was just that she was a ball of energy with nowhere to go. I never found a trigger for these episodes and believe me I tried, though I think they may have been more common it the late afternoon early evening, I don't think it was because she was tired, she was always difficult at about 6.00pm, I used to call it "the six o'clock stupids". She will still do things at six o'clock that she wouldn't do any other time of the day. Reacting to them, shouting or trying to subdue them physically simply doesn't work, if anything it winds them up and makes the situation worse. I know this sounds very weak and as if I am abandoning all responsibility for my dogs behaviour, but that is not so. Not reacting is the only way to deal with this. When they are having one of these episodes they are simply unrreachable. Dominance theory is now considered old hat. I think it would take a very strong man and a great deal of effort to wrestle a Large, athletic, strong dog like a Labrador to the ground. And you would probably find yourself doing it several times a day. All you can hope to do is ensure your own, those around you and your dogs safety when they are having one of their hissy fits. I have hung on to trees, fences, just about anything while Molly flailed about on the end of her lead. It is awful while it lasts, but if you ride out the storm you will wind up with a gentle friend.
I can only echo what Tina has said. We are coming through the other side with Coco at 18 months - I get the feeling he was allowed to do what he wanted when he wanted in his previous home, he certainly had no training at all. We were starting from scratch. He would jump all over me before I took him out for a walk, and all over Belle too - she was fed up. I honestly don't think it was anything I did or didn't do while he was jumping up at me that has made him calm down (I tried turning my back, moving away, shrieking & yelling - I didn't mean to do that, it is wrong and achieves nothing, but he would be way "over the threshold" and nothing helped, I couldn't get through). I think it's all the other training I'm putting in that has given him overall control of himself. He no longer jumps (OK he does it very rarely, and it's nowhere near as bad), he no longer grabs at Belle with his mouth. Or is it because he's 3 months older? Who knows, but he's gone from a nightmare dog, causing many tears of frustration, to such a joy. I haven't tried to show him who's boss (who IS boss anyway?), I've tried to encourage him to do the right thing. We still have a long way to go, but I can say we're definitely getting there. Hang in there Teresa, thing WILL get better.
Thanks for the feedback. It is appreciated. I love this breed and know someday he will be a really great dog. I just have to make sure everyone is on the same page with how we respond to his antics. He's getting ready to start a more formal training/retrieving class. This should give us both something else to focus on while we are outside. His retrieving instincts are in high gear and with some focus this could be a great outlet for his energy.
Hi. Im also having the same behavior problem with my 9 month old lab. This usually happens after he went to the cr or after a walk.He jumps at me then try to pull me like playing tag with his toy. He also prefer my hands to play with than his chew toys. (im afraid that one day this will be more worse). I tried not reacting to him but when he pulls my hand it hurts. And he jumps just to reach my arms. I tried to be calm but I still fail. Please help us.
Isn't it a relief to know that you are NOT the only one with nutty dog I was embarrassed by Molly's behaviour and my complete inability to control it. I used to joke that people with a Labrarador puppy hid because of their awful behaviour. You are in the window of when a Labrador is most likely to be sent to rescue. I can clearly remember walking along wondering how much longer I would be able to keep her. Ten months is the worst time, described by the trainer as "Adult body with a puppy mind". Pretty insightful description. If these episodes occur with a smaller dog, they just look silly and laughable, but when you have a large, powerful, muscular dog like a Lab they are not at all funny. In fact they are frightening and downright painful. I know it feels like you should be doing something, but as I am sure you have observed, they are quite beyond it when having on of their episodes. By NOT reacting you are doing the very best thing. Those of us that have been through it with a teenage Labrador know that doing nothing is the hardest thing of all. The storm will blow itself out. That doesn't mean you have to like it or not get angry with the dog. You are a human being after all, you just have to hide your anger from the dog.
It's best not to wait till they're having a hurricane-force moment.... When they're calm train a range of alternative behaviours (sit, drop, on your mat) and practise these at every opportunity, giving very high value rewards when you get steps towards the behaviour you're looking for. Then you can use these cues to get calmer behaviour when you see a hurricane on the horizon. I've got a dog who was like the ones described above, rehomed at 9 months. When I met him the first thing he did was grab my whole face in his mouth. It was alarming. But I could see he was just a young dog with no understanding of how to behave. Within a month he was much improved and within two a totally different dog. But everything needed proactive training - not to jump, not to grab and pull on body parts, not to grab and tear at clothing, not to jump on the TV cabinet, not to pull, not to bark continuously whenever we stopped entertaining him. We also started daycare, obedience classes and dog sports to engage his brain and provide an energy outlet. He is smart and needs to be given stuff to do. That's critical. If I'd've adopted the 'stay still and ignore' approach he'd still be like he was at the start....withholding attention is one good strategy but it's not enough on its own.
Rachael's post has made me see that I might have been ambiguous in my comments. When I say don't react, I mean don't shout, hit or physically interact with your dog, because it will wind him up. It is the sheer unpredictability of these episode that makes it so difficult to deal with. I could never see them coming (and i analysed everything to find a trigger) so was unable to prepare. You still need to train, train, train because eventually when this phase has past there will still be very exciting situations that you will need to control your dog in. Teenagers huh! Who needs them. At least the canine type don't answer back.
I thought your post was clear, molly , I don't think anyone thought you meant anything else. I do really agree with Racheal that training is the key - giving the dog an outlet for all that energy in a constructive way, and training incompatible behaviours. Charlie was never really boisterous in the same way as others describe with teenage dogs (he used to pull and lunge, but he was always gentle when he touched people) - but he was, and continues to be, just nuts. He is a nutty dog, and the only that helps is to teach him stuff. All sorts of stuff that wears out his furry mind so he settles. Gundog training has been a godsend for us. Not that Charlie is ever going to make a good gundog (no-one in their right minds would trust him around a loaded gun ), or that it particularly matters that we do gundog stuff rather than something else. What matters is that we have stuff to do together, stuff to learn, and concentrate hard on instead of getting up to no good. Left to his own devices, Charlie is the absolute king of getting up to no good....
I am having the same problem with my Marvin. I, however do believe I must be doing something wrong. He is still boisterous with my husband, but does not try the things he does with me. He is even better with me when my husband is watching. But when I am out alone with him he bites my arms and jumps on me or attacks from the back. Everyone says don't try to push him away because he thinks you are engaging in the game, but it hurts! When we do actual training he listens, but as soon as treats are gone he is right back at it. I thought he would stop as he grew- my other lab stopped around 6 months- but Marvin is 8 months and only getting stronger. I am full of bruises.
