FAQ: 6, 9, or 12 month old dog jumping up and biting

I have no words of wisdom but that I am going through the same thing. My lab is 9 months now and is doing what you and everyone else is talking about. The other day he was triggered by walking on a small mound of sand in the road, he started to slip and it scared him. He started to act like a zoomie was coming on, I redirected him to walk across the street, it calmed him for a minute, than we started walking. A couple minutes passed and he was jumping up and mouthing like crazy, I could not get him to stop. I handed him the leash, which usually helps but it didn’t that time. I finally took off my sports watch, which he was nipping at and he carried it home. All full of bites on my forearms we stayed home from our walk today and not looking forward to a walk with him tomorrow. I’m understanding now that adolescent labs are just as hard as puppyhood! I was told by the groomer today it has a lot to do with hormones/adolescence.

 

I contacted my dog's breeder after I couldn't stop Sam from biting me today. I ended up tying him to a tree. My arms are like a junkies right now. The breeder said to get an obedience collar. Also my neighbour used one with his Golden and it only took one or two zaps and now just looking at the collar makes him sit and behaves like a beautiful well trained dog. So, instead of rehomiing him...we are going to try this and have him neutered.

 

Teaching with fear isn’t the way to go and e collars are definitely not supported on this site. Find a local dog walker who can teach you how to train with rewards and kindness.

 

I meant trainer although I’m sure some of the walkers will train too!

 

Just discovered this forum and wish I'd found it months ago! My lab was about 7 months old (he's 15 months now), when he started jumping at my arms and face during walks and playtime in the yard. He would get a look of excitement in his eyes the moment before, then bite hard enough to break the skin on occasion. He tore a hole in my coat and put holes in more than one shirt. The AKC certified breeder said I should hit him hard to show him who is in control. That didn't sound like modern-day training so instead, I started keeping a journal of when it occurred, the time of day, what was happening beforehand, how he reacted, etc. Sometimes I couldn't determine a reason. Other times it happened after I wouldn't let him dive to the side of the road to pick up the huge stick he was reaching for or allow him to make an unplanned detour from our usual walking path. I couldn’t find any help online, so I thought I was the only one with this problem. Out of ideas and at 9 months old, I decided to sign us up for puppy training. Long story short, I quit the walks for a few weeks and instead let him run and play in our fenced-in yard, and worked on teaching him "OFF!". I continued to try to figure out his triggers - getting excited, playing hide and seek and finding me, run and chase - and used those moments when that jump/bite was coming, to say, "OFF!". It didn't work at first, so I tried ignoring him while staying in the fenced area, but he would keep jumping and biting. I tried walking out of the fenced area, but he didn't seem to care and would eventually start again when I came back. It was then that I tried what the AKC trainer suggested and responded by taking him to his crate for 5-10 minutes and ignoring him. Then I would take him back in the yard and we'd play and practice some more. Eventually, saying "OFF, crate", eliminated the behavior (he still likes his crate). We practiced other commands using treat-training/positive reinforcement during these play/teaching sessions as well. It took at least 3 weeks for this behavior to stop while we were in the yard, and then we started walking again. Then I began focusing on what seemed to trigger this behavior on our walks. It would happen when I didn't take the detour he wanted (I know it's a good thing to let your dog have choices on walks, but this wasn't the time) or I wouldn't let him have the giant stick/log he wanted, or after he saw a dog or person. He would look at me with excitement and jump at my arm. I would say, "OFF, crate". He would still jump up and grab my coat with his mouth, but he didn't bite, and this only happened once or twice a week versus daily. Within a few more weeks, I still got the look of excitement from time to time but the behavior stopped. Now he looks at me with loving eyes and we sometimes take his detour or have that stick.