I've always tried to make sure I turn my back and otherwise ignore an overexcited greeting until the dogs are calm and I've found if people are coming into the house who they don't know or haven't seen for ages popping them into the crate until they are completely calm helps hugely but Rusty is still way too excited when he hasn't seen me and I need to do something more. On Friday as I was taking Barney out on a PAT visit rather than leave Rusty alone my friend Roger took him home to be with him and his 2 dogs. When I arrived at Roger's with Barney about 2 hours later Rusty was so excited to see me he leaped over the three other dogs and crashed into my back which nearly knocked me flying. This morning we walked all 4 together then as we were all soaked put the dogs in the utility room while we had a cuppa. I then got my coat etc on while they were watching me through a baby gate. When Rog opened the gate to let my two out to come home Rusty flew down the kitchen and launched at me this time his front paws hitting me in the thighs. Perhaps he thought I was going to leave without him. This suddenly seems to have become a problem - possibly since I was away for 5 days a few weeks ago working. Any suggestions welcome!
Re: over excited greeting Hi Carole, a few suggestions. I am sure you have thought of this, but maybe you are making quite a fuss of him when he hasn't seen you for a while. This is easily done, most people do it, and some dogs just can't cope. We go all high pitched and cheery and it melts the dog's brain. Better to wait and make a fuss of him when he is relaxed and lying down later. Try sounding a bit grumpy when you greet him, you could give a bit of a warning growl as he approaches. This just says, "take care, I might not be feeling too friendly today" It might seem mean, but he isn't going to have much fun if he breaks your leg! Maybe it would also help to think about what do you want him to do when he greets you. Sit? Lie Down? Both of these are good options. How about not calling him to you when he is excited, but rather telling him to sit (or blowing the whistle sit) and then walking calmly up to him and putting on his lead. I had a lab that persistently bashed into me on the recall despite trying all the usual tricks. And I resolved it by blowing the whistle sit each time he approached me for a while. It is not an ideal use of the sit whistle, but it saved me from being hospitalised. If you haven't taught a whistle sit yet, it might be time to do that. Just to give you some initial control, some greedy dogs can be easily deflected by throwing a handful of food on the floor as you approach. This works with aggressive dogs too incidentally. Instead of greeting Rusty in your normal way, greet him a bit distantly or even ignore him. Then tell him 'good' in a calm voice whilst all four paws are on the floor and follow that up by dropping a piece of chicken, or something similar on the floor by way of hello. A lot of it is about being low key and somewhat aloof. He will still love you - I promise Pippa
Re: over excited greeting thanks Pippa - but no I purposely don't make a fuss until they're calm - I learnt this with Barney - he landed on my back as I was standing with my back to him looking at the ceiling! On a normal recall he's fine. In the morning they are in the crate I wait until they are calm before I let them out - then there is lots of wagging and they both pick up a blanket to show me - again I stand still looking away until it's subsided a bit then open the back door - barney rushes out and Rusty sits and waits for fuss. Thinking as I type these two examples I gave that hurt have both been at Roger's house which is where he tends to be if I'm away for more than a couple of hours. Normally Barney would be with him. This time he didn't have me or Barney although he was somewhere he knew with Roger who he's known as long as me. So maybe this is more about separation than greeting?
Re: over excited greeting [quote author=editor link=topic=601.msg2780#msg2780 date=1341762316] If you haven't taught a whistle sit yet, it might be time to do that. [/quote] Sorry to but in, and Carole I am sure you will get on top of this with Rusty, but Pippa I'd be very interested in how to train a whistle sit. Sounds like a very useful command!
Re: over excited greeting It does sound more like a seperation issue Carole , bless him . I almost wish I had this problem , Sam is so bone idle and laid back that he rarely greets us , just a thump of his tail, which I find quite sad . My old Lab Tess was so enthusiastic in her greetings too , I used to try and ignore her, but agree that its hard to do when they are demanding a fuss :
Re: over excited greeting Sounds as though he got himself in a bit of a 'tizzy' Hopefully it is just a one-off. If he is in the same situation again, you might be able to forestall him with some commands or some food.
Re: over excited greeting I hope you're right Pippa. Yesterday the boys were alone until 3pm with visits periodically to be let out by my neighbour then Rog collected then both, took them home and walked them with his 2. I got to them about 7pm after working in London and while it was very keen the greeting wasn't out of control. I think I do need to do more work again at separating them as I've lapsed into walking them together as the weather is so grim I haven't been able to face going out 4 times a day instead of 2!
Re: over excited greeting Any further tips on this for an 8 month old who wants to be everyones friend? Its everyone else, when myself or my girlfriend arrive home we do what we do and when ready greet him, he now rarely jumps up at all just gets his toy to show us, obviously used to us. Its when other people come round or when we meet people on walks, he just goes barmy. Anyone who comes to the house is strongly briefed to ignore him unless he has all feet on the floor, but this is sometimes impossible because he is so excited even with them ignoring him; jumping all over them. How do we deal with this on the lead, but even on the lead or if i make him sit i have to physically hold his collar and he wont stay sat, i'd need a piece of steak to keep him sat and it would become mighty expensive. Again out on a walk if someone is passing etc, i make him sit and wait but again when they are close that goes out the window and i have to hold his collar from stopping him jumping all over them. Any ideas what we can do, i want to teach him to sit and be calm but it seems impossible. I'm thinking of taking him for his walk round more busy places with more people a couple of times a week so he can get used to more people, he can surely not go mad for everyone. Would this help get him used to it and not so excited? I'm lost with what to do because we have tried all the usual avenues, i appreciate things dont happen over time but could do with a little ray of hope
Re: over excited greeting Hoping that this will give you that little ray of hope , my Sam was just the same when he was that age I did what you are suggesting doing , I took him out around the village to meet more people and strange dogs . I had some success with little bits of sausage , using it as a means to get Sam to look at me and sit . Most of the time this worked really well , he still has his moments but on the whole, the throwing himself at others has stopped . It seems to be a common problem with Lab pups , as they are so full of beans and love everyone too, but a lot will diminish as he grows up a bit . If he has a favourite toy, or like Sam loves a ball , it could be worth using this as a distraction, cheaper than steak
Re: over excited greeting Riley is like this too but gradually with age (he's so old at 15 months!) and asking everyone to ignore him he's calmed down a bit in the house, still a work in progress though. Out and about he's a lot less interested in people. Still goes mad for other dogs though so it's on the lead and lots of treats when he looks at me.
Re: over excited greeting Riley is just a month older than Sam then Barbara Sam adores other dogs too but if I have his ball or safetix with me , he doesnt even give them a glance ( the other dogs I mean !) How is baby ?
Re: over excited greeting We're trying to be the centre of Riley's world with high value treats and his favourite ball. It works pretty well when we're both out and one of us can focus on him properly. When it's just me and the buggy it's a little harder though and I've lost him through a hedge recently because there were other dogs in the field so i'm trying to choose our walks more carefully and working hard on his recall. Lizzie is great, smiling and chuckling away and she's put on loads of weight after her slow, lightweight start
Re: over excited greeting That is normal when teaching youngsters to obey in the presence of distractions. The closer the distraction, the harder it is for them to resist it. It really helps to practice 'sit' and 'heel' with some distractions at a distance. For example, you can practice at the local recreation ground with a good distance between you and any other activities that are going on there. When the dog is able to focus on you with distractions in the distance, then you can move him closer to them. Taking him into a busy place might work if you are able to stand back away from the crowds, and are strong enough to hang on to him if he attempts to lunge away from you, and can keep him from rewarding himself by bouncing on people. The trick is to keep the dog moving up and down briskly, don't give him time to think, make him focus on you all the time. A sharp 'NO' if he starts to leave you, lots of praise 'Good dog! Good dog!' and rewards as he stays with you. Keep changing direction and hurry him along. Not everyone can cope with making a spectacle of themselves in public like this! Putting a muzzle on a dog is not a bad way of making people leave him alone, as people tend to assume he is aggressive, and he won't look as cute. ;D If you can't control him to this degree, or physically stop him jumping on people, or can't stop people petting him whilst he is being unruly, then this type of exercise may well just make him worse. Have you thought of joining a training class? That way he would learn to behave amongst other dogs and people, albeit under fairly controlled conditions. You would also learn some techniques for managing him in different situations. Many people find this very helpful. Pippa
Re: over excited greeting I`ve just enrolled my rescue terrier Flynn into a local class starting end of October ,and judging by Sams OTT behaviour at the river this afternoon ( loads of children and dogs ) he may well be joining his little brother : : I swear this juvenille stage is like teenagers , testing the boundaries
