Businesses Breeders Classifieds Forums Photos Chat News Video Features Events Clubs Books
Reptile & Amphibians Insects Birds Cats Dogs Exotics Horses Aquaria Ponds PetHobbyist PetPress PetSupport RescueNetwork My Account
auctions - advertising rates - site news - help - contact

Looking for a pet? Try a rescue first! Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Columbia Fed. St. of Micronesia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Marshall Islands Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota N. Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Palau Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Alberta British Columbia Labrador Manitoba Newfoundland New Brunswick Nova Scotia Nunavut Northwest Territories Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon Territories Other click here to add your rescue

Is "Greatest American Dog" good for dogs? Thursday: 9PM ET Pet Loss 10PM ET Small Dog Chat - Long Term Illness Support

Posted by KDiamondDavis on February 18, 2003 at 12:34:21:

In Reply to: My 7 month old is jumping too much posted by musayume on February 18, 2003 at 00:58:27:

:I have a 7 month old Basenji mix I adopted from the shelter when he was 3 months old. He's been neutered. I've no idea how he used to live before the shelter but when I brought him home, he could not be left alone. He would bark and whine when he was left alone.
:That's been fixed a lot nowadays, while he still whimpers a bit when I go out of the house, it's not frantic as he used to be. The problem is, whenever I go out and come back in a 'x' number of hours, he'll jump on the door, then will jump on me when I enter the house. He'll whimper and circle around me as well.
:While this doesn't bother me much, it's really frustrating when other people such as friends come into the house.
:He'll jump on them frantically, whimper and circle them desperately. I have a friend who comes over often and to him, my dog seems to not want to leave him alone. He'll start nipping him, growl at him and just become too much to handle to him. He won't do it to me as he knows that it's the wrong thing to do, but he'll do it to my friends and anybody else that he considers new.

:How can I fix this?

:Thanks.>>>

When you come in, ignore him for a few minutes. No big greeting, no scolding for anything he has done while you were gone or for the jumping at the time. Just keep walking. After you've been home a little while, speak to him quietly and pet him calmly. If you will do this consistently, it will take a lot of the steam out of the greetings.

For when other people come, fit him with a head halter. Since there is some mouth action going on, I'd recommend a session with a behavior specialist. This person can help you fit the head halter, introduce the dog to it, and show you how to use it safely and effectively. When the dog is wearing a head halter, the leash should be loose almost all the time.

Use treats while the head halter is on, to reward the dog for the behavior you want, and also to distract the dog from resisting the head halter. The behavior to reward is feet on the ground and calm attitude. Make the treats tiny so that you can keep giving him tiny pieces all along, as he keeps doing what you want.

Before a guest comes in the door, put the head halter on the dog, attached to a leash no longer than 4 feet. Longer leashes on head halters increase the risk of neck injury. Start rewarding the dog for remaining calm and feet on the ground before the person even comes in the door--it's best to either have someone else to attend to the guest while you train the dog, or have guests let themselves in during the training period.

We humans actually "teach" dogs to jump up on people by petting them when they are young and they stand up on hind legs to get nearer our hands and faces. Make sure no one pets your dog when the dog is on hind legs anymore. When the humans change, and keep that change consistent, the dog will change, too. When the dog is keeping feet on the ground, make the special effort to reward that behavior with the petting the dog was seeking by jumping up.

Eventually you may be able to stop using the head halter when guests arrive. You could start this process by removing the head halter after the first 15 minutes the guest is there, and see if the dog remains calm. It may be a long time before the dog can remain calm when someone first walks in the door, so keep up the head halter as long as needed to avoid backsliding in this behavior. Your dog is getting older, and this behavior could turn much more aggressive if you don't control it in a POSITIVE manner, starting right now. Be diligent in working on this.

Eventually you may be able to stop using a head halter and just use a collar and leash. I would continue the treats, at least part of the time, when people come to the door, forever, even if and when the time comes that you no longer need the leash at all. Giving the tiny treats to reward the dog when he's keeping feet calmly on the floor will help to keep that behavior going consistently. When you stop rewarding a behavior completely, it can disappear. Don't expect the dog to "know what's right." What's right to a dog and what's right to a person are two different things! Your goal is to shape the dog's behavior into what WORKS for you and for him, and of course to be humane at the same time.

Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinarypartner.com

Follow Ups: