# My 10 month old attacks me



## opera330

*sounds like you are describing my dog 8mos. old*

I don't have any sugguestions. We are in training and when my dog does this to me in class the trainer asks me to put him in a time out which consists of a minute or two in and empty closet by himself. He comes out very nicely ands usually can be good. It starts out when he wants to play or perhaps I want him to go in his crate. It is upsetting. My trainer says she doesn't feel he is being agressive but full of misdirected puppy energy. He is not neutered either.


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## Oaklys Dad

I have a couple of goldens with excessive greeting dissorder too. They don't jump on me so much but new people they meet. I try to stress no eye contact and no dangling appendages. In other words look at the ceiling and cross your arms across your chest or just turn 180 degrees. When they are calm you can give them attention. Good luck to you and welcome to the forum.


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## Jax's Mom

OMGosh.....please dont give your dog a time out in the closet! (I know this was not the intial poster, but I had to comment on that FIRST!) If your trainer is telling you to put the dog in a closet for time out, get a NEW TRAINER!!!! To the original poster, have you tried finding a signal BEFORE he gets this over excited and get him to relax? Our trainer has been working with us to get the dogs to go to mat when they look like they are getting too excited. We had too much choas going on in the house. We foudn this exercise is really good to help the dogs regain control and most importantly CALM. We use the term "go to bed", but we also use the word ENOUGH when they are getting too riled up around the house to break the excitement before it gets out of hand. For a time out, use a sit or lie down on the mat, not the closet. I am sure some more people with better training advice will come to post soon.


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## Mirinde

Removing a dog from the situation and putting them in a non-visually stimulating room is actually pretty common-place and I'm not sure why it's a problem? My vet recommended a "mud room or similar area". If it's just for a quick 30-second time out to really reinforce that mouthing/jumping/etc means that play time totally stops, why is this bad? When Iorek gets too hyper with company, or even when my fiance gets home from work, I calmly and gently lead him into the bedroom and close the door for a minute. Works like a charm... I'm not saying you're wrong, Jax's Mom, I'm just curious as to where you heard this was bad?


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## mylissyk

opera330 said:


> I don't have any sugguestions. We are in training and when my dog does this to me in class the trainer asks me to put him in a time out which consists of a minute or two in and empty closet by himself. He comes out very nicely ands usually can be good. It starts out when he wants to play or perhaps I want him to go in his crate. It is upsetting. *My trainer says she doesn't feel he is being agressive but full of misdirected puppy energy. He is not neutered either.*


The part in bold is the only think the trainer said right. A time out is ok, but shut in a closet just seems mean to me.

The OP, I think your dog is also full of misdirected puppy energy, not aggressive.


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## GinnyinPA

When we first brought Ben home, he would get overexcited like that and jump up on me and bite. I was black and blue. Turning my back on him didn't work - he just attacked my back and shoulders. A trainer suggested we fill a spray bottle with vinegar and water and spray him when he attacked. By the third time, I only had to pick up the bottle for him to back off and calm down. The uncontrolled behavior soon stopped completely. 

Ben was completely untrained at that point. Since your dog has had training, I would start with giving him commands he knows well. The main idea was to distract him from whatever excitement or frustration was making him lose it. A good down-stay might work for you. 

It also helps to learn to identify the triggers and to see the behavior ramping up from play to frenzy. If you can get your dog calmed down before it escalates, everybody will benefit. Occasionally Ben still gets overstimulated, but usually I can head it off before any harm is done. No more bruises.


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## Coop's Mom

Thanks so much for the posts so far. I've tried turning my back too, but he just jumps & bites at the back of me instead of the front. So far the only thing that works slightly is the spray bottle. It's sad that it's become another appendage to me just in case he goes insane. LOL. 

I will definitely have to try the misdirection onto something else when I see he's headed in that rambunctious state. I am going to have to watch for any triggers I can tell. Again, thanks everyone!


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## crazy daisy

the time-out is really applying human psychology to non-humans... may not always work.

dogs naturally have their own ways of treating these situations-- they have their correction methods both physical & verbal--- which we can try to duplicate. Verbal as in saying "No", "down", etc... and physical as in blocking, touching or the spray bottle...


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## opera330

*Sorry Coop's mom*

I didn't mean to jump into your post but I wanted to say tahnk you to everyone who made comments. And Coop's mom I was glad to see that I was not the only one with this problem. Everyone around me has this calm passive almost drugged like puppy while mine is running crazy. 

When we are in a class as a group we use the closet it is actually a pass through to another room. The main thing is that it is empty and he is just in it for a minute. Turning my back lead to ripped clothing, He is learning go to place but not there yet.


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## BriGuy

I just read the book "Calming Signals", and turning your back on the dog is good. That is a signal that dogs should understand which means to cool it.

You could try to add one other piece to this though - tell the dog what you want them to do. For example, play tug with the dog to get them excited (but not to the point where he loses his mind), turn your back...when the dog sits and releases the tug toy, you click and treat. The idea is to get the dog to do something you want when you turn your back. This takes some practice, but it is worth a try.

Others have recommended a book called "Control Unleashed" to help with dogs that get overexcited.


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## momtoMax

GinnyinPA said:


> When we first brought Ben home, he would get overexcited like that and jump up on me and bite. I was black and blue. Turning my back on him didn't work - he just attacked my back and shoulders. A trainer suggested we fill a spray bottle with vinegar and water and spray him when he attacked. By the third time, I only had to pick up the bottle for him to back off and calm down. The uncontrolled behavior soon stopped completely.
> 
> Ben was completely untrained at that point. Since your dog has had training, I would start with giving him commands he knows well. The main idea was to distract him from whatever excitement or frustration was making him lose it. A good down-stay might work for you.
> 
> It also helps to learn to identify the triggers and to see the behavior ramping up from play to frenzy. If you can get your dog calmed down before it escalates, everybody will benefit. Occasionally Ben still gets overstimulated, but usually I can head it off before any harm is done. No more bruises.


 
If you sprayed it in his eyes, I wouldn't wonder he stopped. I don't know if I'd go this route either. Did you spray yourself to see how badly or if it stung? 

And as an aside, there is a difference between a pantry room and a closet. I wouldn't go for the closet either.

What to do? Know it's normal and this too will pass. You'll have to try different techniques to find something that works, I just hope you stick with the ones that do not make your dog fear you.


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## zephyr

Oscar used to do this as well -- I have many past posts on the topic! I totally understand your frustrations!!! With Oscar, it usually happened (1) on-leash AND (2) when he was really revved up and wanting to sniff/play/run and I wasn't letting him. This meant it of course happened at (inconvenient & embarrassing) times like obedience class, walking past a park, or heading back into our building at the end of a walk. :doh: Ack! Even if this isn't your exact situation, I hope some of my suggestions help. Just know, there is hope!

Oscar is almost 2 (and still not neutered, I don't think that has much if anything to do with this) and NOT a mean bone in his body. I've just learned he is a highly excitable/aroused dog, which CAN be managed though it isn't always easy! But definitely possible! Also, I do think as the dog's ages, that DOES help, BUT it's NOT a magic solution, training is still required 

Re. putting your dog in a "time out": For a big dog who is having a overstimulated moment, I would suggest that if you can move into a quiet space and work on "calm" exercises together (down-stay, sit-stay, "watch me"/"look at me", etc), that is more conducive to the state of mind you want to reinforce in the dog than just isolating the him alone. I think you definitely shouldn't just drag him into a crate/room and leave him there while he's all wound up or worked up -- you do need to try to move into a less stimulating environment, regain his attention/focus, and then REWARD REWARD REWARD the heck out of any appropriate responses. In the heat of the moment when he is jumping all over you, that is very difficult (and I know!!), but important to maintain control of the situation by regaining his focus however you can, even if you have to pull out a favorite and very high value toy/food/etc before he will calm down. Often less-knowledgeable people suggested to me that I should yank on his collar/leash and like "wrestle" him down onto the floor to get him into a "down" -- um, first of all, that never really works, my dog is very strong, is a master wiggler, and is probably already trying to bait me into "play rough" in the first place!! -- and second of all, that is ultimately just physically punishing my dog for a situation that *I* got him into because I didn't properly read his signals and understand his increasingly agitated/aroused mindset. SO try and avoid such wrestling matches for control (only in like a life and death situation if he's going to run onto a road or something!)

Definitely read "Control Unleashed" (by Leslie McDevitt, Leslie McDevitt: Control Unleashed®: Home Page) which others here and on other threads have recommended. Although some of the advice doesn't directly pertain to this situation, she does at length address the CRITICAL importance of state of mind to the dog, and getting them in the right mindset for training and focus, and a lot of suggestions about how you might do that. I wish I had gotten the book a year before I actually ordered it! (Though the shipping to Canada is $$$, ugh.)

The _main thing_ I've learned (through that book, on GRF, my own experiences, etc) is that the actual frenzied outburst is the end point of a long sequence of an escalating "aroused"/"excited" mindset, where he is getting increasingly stimulated or intense (even if he isn't actually running around like a nut, since he's on leash) and he has no outlet for it. So looking back, I should have been a better manager of his environment, so as not to put him/US in that position. I had to look at it like, SO WHAT if everyone else's dog can make it through obedience class/go on a walk without flipping out? Mine can't (YET), and that's okay. We have to start simpler. If I start to see those signals from him, I need to GET OUT of there for a minute and REDIRECT his focus back onto me -- and **I** need to breathe calmly and not get upset/frustrated (SO IMPORTANT).

So for us, that was doing parts of obedience classes outside the ring (where everyone else was -- that is too stimulating for an excitable dog!) and just working on calm FOCUS and ATTENTION. I was fortunate to have had SO much help doing this (in person and from excellent GRF suggestions!!!), because the trainers were very willing to show me how to work on click-and-treat for every time Oscar looked at me (attention), walked with me, etc. Trust me, if you start working on a foundation of getting good attention, everything else that you want to train is LIKE A BILLION times easier!! Oh how I wish I knew that from the start LOL

Also, if they starting looking like they will go into a "frenzy" like that (and you need to learn the signals!), having a "default behavior" such as a "down" or "go to place" is really handy. Practice "lie down" EVERYWHERE and every time you want them to do something, and it will be even easier to get them to do it when they are in a bit of an intense mindset.

Hmmm sorry for the novel I wrote here LOL But my last point is that despite a sometimes rocky start during his first year, we did eventually make it through 2 obedience classes and just finished one agility class! And he did awesome. So please don't give up hope on your dog just yet


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## Jax's Mom

To Mirinde: Putting a dog in a closet and putting him a room is two completely different things. I think putting a dog in a closet is cruel, and I dont think it teaches calm. I do feel that is where the problem lies with the OP. His dog needs to learn calm behavior which needs to be practiced BEFORE he gets to the overly excited state. Practicing calm over and over again with go to place behavior (or in our case we say go to bed) really does help. They learn that instead of jumping around like crazy, they need to go lie down and relax. Once my dogs relax in place, I give them soothing attention in the form of petting, scratching or just low voice good boy. I try to differentiate the kind of reinforcement I give since I dont want to excite by a frenzied "good boy" so they continue the calm time.


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## Shalva

deleted there is no point


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## BayBeams

I just wanted to say that titling your message as your dog "attacking" you is doing your dog a disservice. This is normal older puppy behavior that needs training and redirection. Your puppy is not attacking you. What bothers me about that statement is it gives the impression that your dog is menacing and aggressive which can stay with your pup forever if that is perptuated. Please try to look at the behavior for what it is...your pup has some behaviors that you would like to change. If you label your dog as "attacking" there can be all sorts of ramifications from him being labeled at the vet or by neighbors in a negative way.
Just my thoughts.


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## GoldensGirl

As others point out, what you describe is adolescent playfulness, not aggression. We are working on similar issues with Sunny, who suffers from Excessive Greeting Disorder. Knowing that she is excited to see us and wants attention, when she first comes out of her crate I usually begin by stroking her and spending some time just focusing on her. That gets us off to a good start. We are teaching her to come sit in front of us when she wants attention, rewarding this with lots of praise and stroking. It also helps to remember that Goldens at this age usually have a lot of energy that needs an outlet and direction.

You really don't want anyone to think your pup has attacked you or anyone else. That can have dangerous consequences for the dog and for you, potentially resulting in higher insurance bills, legal problems, and even euthanasia.


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## MILLIESMOM

I think this is a very common adolesent behavior in any breed at that stage. There are some good suggestions here,you know your dog choose the one that you think would work for you and start right away. Even my Shitztu puppy Cricket can get crazy like this. She is nine months old and weighs just under six pounds. Doesn't matter those teeth still hurt. She knows the word no very well but sometims even this does not work,even though I put her down on the floor she will just jump up and continue on with her naughtyness. I then put her in time out in her ctate for ten minutes this usually works everytime. She IS improving.


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## opera330

*Not a closet*

OK I think I need to clarify.. In class the trainer suggested this very small pass through were there was a rack and some storage. There was an entrance to the bathroom. There were lights. For lack of a better place it was his time out. At home my closets are the size of small room 6x7 feet being the smallest. I dont use the closets, I use a room and shut the door maybe for minute. It seems to work. He is my 3rd golden, my fourth dog. My terminology for attacking was perhaps overstated. Thank you all very much for the suggestions. I have certainly learned that dogs within the same breed can actually be VERY different.


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## vcm5

I would definitely suggest enrolling your dog in obedience classes asap if you haven't already. And if you really feel like there are aggression issues (although from the sound of it it just sounds like misdirected puppy energy, but you would know best), please consult a veterinary behaviorist because you don't want to put anyone in a dangerous situation. Good luck!


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## iansgran

When Jaro would do this I turned my back with my arms crossed, head down eyes averted. If that did not work I left the room and left him alone for a few minutes. I think you have some excellent advice above, and I also would recommend Control Unleashed which is about calming your overly excited dog. I got it from the public library since it is a rather expensive book.It teaches some calming exercises.


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## jackie_hubert

Cosmo is an easily aroused dog as well. I have to manage his excitement threshold constantly. Learn where his threshold is and work through it with default behaviours, calming exercises and avoiding over arousal situations. On the other hand these types of dogs are often highly motivated dogs too, you just have to channel the energy. Your dog might really enjoy something like agility, tracking or other sports.

And yes, Control Unleashed is an excellent recommendation.


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## opera330

*Thank you*

Great suggestions. although not the original poster I have gotten some great suggestions. Will certainly read that book and we are to begin our next set of classes "nose work" as I have noticed that he is wonderfully happy when working on something!


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## Coop's Mom

Sure, "attack" may come w/ some negative connotations, but that's exactly what he's doing when trying to describe it to others. He's jumping at me aggressively, teeth shown, nose wrinkled, ears back, fur raised, biting & bruising (just recently ripping my clothes). If you have a problem w/ that, then that's just it, your problem. I am seeking assistance w/ this issue and for someone to comment on the vocabulary used to describe the situation really ticks me off. So thanks, but no thanks for your input.



BayBeams said:


> I just wanted to say that titling your message as your dog "attacking" you is doing your dog a disservice. This is normal older puppy behavior that needs training and redirection. Your puppy is not attacking you. What bothers me about that statement is it gives the impression that your dog is menacing and aggressive which can stay with your pup forever if that is perptuated. Please try to look at the behavior for what it is...your pup has some behaviors that you would like to change. If you label your dog as "attacking" there can be all sorts of ramifications from him being labeled at the vet or by neighbors in a negative way.
> Just my thoughts.


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## Deb_Bayne

Bayne seems to do this at night, during the day he listens to me more but at night it's like he has saved some of his daytime energy and expends it by jumping up and mouthing, biting my clothes, even turning around with my back to him he just starts biting me from behind. I end up just having to leave the room or area, sometimes if I'm able I put him in his crate by grabbing a biscuit and he goes right in. Should I just leave him in his crate only for a minute or two and let him out again to see if his behaviour has settled?


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## solinvictus

In todays world labels matter. Saying that a 10 month old puppy that needs the owner to train it is "attacking" may eventually get your pup a record. Which in turn may get him euthanized all because he needs better training.
A 10 month old pup acting out is the same as a toddler having a tantram. unfortunately, a 10 month old golden is much larger than a toddler. You need to figure out when your pup becomes over threshold and to stop before it happens as every time it happens it is building a bad habit.
You need to go back to the basics with your pup and work on solidifying his downs and sits. practice them over and over building very good habits by doing each in one room and when it is solid there, move to the next room. Once it is solid in the house move to the backyard and practice, then move to the front yard, then move to the park etc. As the pup is solid in each of these places on the downs and sits then add in low distractions, once solidly doing them on low distractions add in higher distractions. By building good solid habits these will become default behaviors and when you see your pup getting over threshold the commands will be so solid that the dog will respond to your commands. This doesn't happen over night and building the good habits must be well rewarded for the dog to choose to do them over getting over threshold as getting over threshold is a reward in it self (adrenaline rush) so you need lots of solid habit building repetition to over come that.

I would also suggest getting into a good manners or obedience training class so that you have a professional available to guide you.


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## Elisabeth Kazup

I'm a firm believer in telling Penny what I want her to do. I found turning my back didn't give her any command. When she was that wound up, she couldn't 'hear' my body language.

I would grab my treat pouch and start practicing our obedience homework. Redirecting her to commands she knew set her up for success. Working on obedience was mentally tiring for her. We'd practice for 15 minutes or so and then go for a short walk. After 30 minutes 'work' she was usually ready for a nap or at least a calm rest period.

It's the same with the horses. When they want to be goofy, it's leg on and RIDE!

I also second the command of "enough!" It comes in handy even now @ 9 1/2. I can start play and when it gets too rough (she can still get pretty wound up and the teeth still hurt) that one word gets her to put the brakes on and stop playing.

Hang in there, it does get better!


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## ActionJackson

zephyr said:


> Oscar used to do this as well -- I have many past posts on the topic! I totally understand your frustrations!!! With Oscar, it usually happened (1) on-leash AND (2) when he was really revved up and wanting to sniff/play/run and I wasn't letting him. This meant it of course happened at (inconvenient & embarrassing) times like obedience class, walking past a park, or heading back into our building at the end of a walk. :doh: Ack! Even if this isn't your exact situation, I hope some of my suggestions help. Just know, there is hope!
> 
> Oscar is almost 2 (and still not neutered, I don't think that has much if anything to do with this) and NOT a mean bone in his body. I've just learned he is a highly excitable/aroused dog, which CAN be managed though it isn't always easy! But definitely possible! Also, I do think as the dog's ages, that DOES help, BUT it's NOT a magic solution, training is still required
> 
> Re. putting your dog in a "time out": For a big dog who is having a overstimulated moment, I would suggest that if you can move into a quiet space and work on "calm" exercises together (down-stay, sit-stay, "watch me"/"look at me", etc), that is more conducive to the state of mind you want to reinforce in the dog than just isolating the him alone. I think you definitely shouldn't just drag him into a crate/room and leave him there while he's all wound up or worked up -- you do need to try to move into a less stimulating environment, regain his attention/focus, and then REWARD REWARD REWARD the heck out of any appropriate responses. In the heat of the moment when he is jumping all over you, that is very difficult (and I know!!), but important to maintain control of the situation by regaining his focus however you can, even if you have to pull out a favorite and very high value toy/food/etc before he will calm down. Often less-knowledgeable people suggested to me that I should yank on his collar/leash and like "wrestle" him down onto the floor to get him into a "down" -- um, first of all, that never really works, my dog is very strong, is a master wiggler, and is probably already trying to bait me into "play rough" in the first place!! -- and second of all, that is ultimately just physically punishing my dog for a situation that *I* got him into because I didn't properly read his signals and understand his increasingly agitated/aroused mindset. SO try and avoid such wrestling matches for control (only in like a life and death situation if he's going to run onto a road or something!)
> 
> Definitely read "Control Unleashed" (by Leslie McDevitt, Leslie McDevitt: Control Unleashed®: Home Page) which others here and on other threads have recommended. Although some of the advice doesn't directly pertain to this situation, she does at length address the CRITICAL importance of state of mind to the dog, and getting them in the right mindset for training and focus, and a lot of suggestions about how you might do that. I wish I had gotten the book a year before I actually ordered it! (Though the shipping to Canada is $$$, ugh.)
> 
> The _main thing_ I've learned (through that book, on GRF, my own experiences, etc) is that the actual frenzied outburst is the end point of a long sequence of an escalating "aroused"/"excited" mindset, where he is getting increasingly stimulated or intense (even if he isn't actually running around like a nut, since he's on leash) and he has no outlet for it. So looking back, I should have been a better manager of his environment, so as not to put him/US in that position. I had to look at it like, SO WHAT if everyone else's dog can make it through obedience class/go on a walk without flipping out? Mine can't (YET), and that's okay. We have to start simpler. If I start to see those signals from him, I need to GET OUT of there for a minute and REDIRECT his focus back onto me -- and **I** need to breathe calmly and not get upset/frustrated (SO IMPORTANT).
> 
> So for us, that was doing parts of obedience classes outside the ring (where everyone else was -- that is too stimulating for an excitable dog!) and just working on calm FOCUS and ATTENTION. I was fortunate to have had SO much help doing this (in person and from excellent GRF suggestions!!!), because the trainers were very willing to show me how to work on click-and-treat for every time Oscar looked at me (attention), walked with me, etc. Trust me, if you start working on a foundation of getting good attention, everything else that you want to train is LIKE A BILLION times easier!! Oh how I wish I knew that from the start LOL
> 
> Also, if they starting looking like they will go into a "frenzy" like that (and you need to learn the signals!), having a "default behavior" such as a "down" or "go to place" is really handy. Practice "lie down" EVERYWHERE and every time you want them to do something, and it will be even easier to get them to do it when they are in a bit of an intense mindset.
> 
> Hmmm sorry for the novel I wrote here LOL But my last point is that despite a sometimes rocky start during his first year, we did eventually make it through 2 obedience classes and just finished one agility class! And he did awesome. So please don't give up hope on your dog just yet


Took the words right out of my mouth

The puppy behavior is the dog trying to tell you something - either i want to play, i'm excited, i need water, i'm hungry, etc. etc.

Last night Jackson (11 months) had just eaten dinner, then he grabbed his ball and wanted to play. I like to wait a bit after he eats before I start playing with him, so I wasn't playing fetch with him. After about 5 minutes of blowing him off, he started to grab at my shoelaces. I took him outside on the deck, we sat out there for about 10 minutes to let him get out of that crazed mindset, and he was fine when we came back in.

Oftentimes he does the nipping/puppy biting when he has to go to the bathroom. When he was younger I just thought he was being a brat and we used to go to war LOL. Then I realized that most of the time when he's nipping at me, if I let him out he goes to the bathroom and is fine after that.

So like everyone here said - look for the signs or triggers that cause it - what perceive as attacking or aggression isn't always the case.

Good Luck!


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## MaggieO

Hi I'm a new member here and having the same problem as Coop's mum with my 7 month old puppy called Ella. In fact we have just returned from the most horrendous walk where she 'mauled' my arm all the way down the road because we were going home. I've tried everything and I'm at my wits end with her. We have been attending obedience classes since she was 15 weeks old and she's really good most of the time. She starts to jump up, nipping and biting when she doesn't get her own way and it's absolutely horrible! I would like to ask Coop's mum if she found a way to stop this horrible behaviour and if so how old was he when he came to his senses. I totally understand her feeling under 'attack'.


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## simplygoldens

*Jumping/Rough Play*

When your dog jumps... take his paws in your hands, gently squeeze and say "no jumping" Then return his paws to the ground. Try to coax him to jump up on you again and if he does... repeat the squeezing. This is a gentle squeeze. He will probably let out a small wimper.
After a few of these he will get the idea. Make sure to reward him with a treat when he doesn't fall for your trap 
Another way to stop jumping is to lift your knee into his chest as he jumps. He will jump right into your knee which is not as comfy and jumping into your tummy  Make sure you are also saying "no jumping" and rewarding when he listens.
Hope this helps


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## MaggieO

Thanks I'll give this a go tomorrow!


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## solinvictus

Teach the dog something to do instead of jumping. Or if he doesn't already knows alternative behaviors then do more training.

Kneeing the dog may stop the dog from jumping on you because he/she doesn't like being kneed but the dog will jump up on others.

Kneeing the dog just means the dog knows not to trust you because you may hurt him.

Why do many people choose to hurt, or risk hurting their dog in the name of training?

Dogs jump up because they are happy and want our attention. By kneeing the dog you are giving the dog attention. It may not be the kind and gentle attention but any attention is better than none. 

Give your dog an alternative behavior when the dog is attempting to jump. Such as sit or down. If the dog is sitting or lying down he cannot jump. Be consistent. When you ask for the sit or down and the dog does not do it you know you need to work on those commands more until the dog will do them no matter when or where.


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## kwhit

solinvictus said:


> Give your dog an alternative behavior when the dog is attempting to jump. Such as sit or down.


This is exactly what I have always done. I'm very lucky that Chance has never jumped on anyone, but all my Danes would always try to jump as puppies. My last girl, Greta, weighed 110 lbs. @ 6 months old so it was extremely important that I always taught sit when greeting anyone. 

They would literally go into a sliding sit when I came home. They knew that if they jumped up, there was _zero_ attention given to them. But if they would sit, then they would get the attention they wanted. If they broke their sit and tried to jump up, they would get ignored again.

Not all of them picked it up right away, but with consistency, they all got it eventually. Then it became a habit for them.


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## Dallas Gold

To the first two posters, congratulations! You both have golden puppies! My Toby was like that as well. I personally don't think putting a dog in a time out in a closet for a couple of minutes is a positive thing and could backfire (as in your dog won't follow you for fear of being put in a closet and punished). If you can use a term in a calm voice, and turn your back on them, it can work, but you must be consistent and when they try to get in front of you, keep on turning your back to them--it may take a long time. That's JMO. 

As far as combining vinegar and water and spraying the dog--please don't add the vinegar and please never ever spray their face. I say this as an owner of a visually impaired dog (cataracts). You really don't want to risk your dog rubbing his eyes and possibly scratching his cornea from something you put in his eyes, like vinegar. Think of how that would feel if someone did that to you. I agree that using a spray bottle of water a few times, directed at the body, and not the face, works and soon you can just show them the bottle to stop the behavior, but you really don't want to risk causing permanent damage to your dog's eyes.


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## MaggieO

Hi thanks for the advice - I always use the 'sit' command when Ella looks just about to pounce and I'm ready with a reward but once she has jumped and grabbed a hold of my arm or sleeve she's not listening to any command and past the point of no return.


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## Ljilly28

One good thing is to have Cooper (and the other dogs on the thread who get over threshold )drag a six foot leash. Get your eye- foot coordination going, and step on his leash when you see signs of that kind of jumping( tail goes up, ears pinned, hackles, chest puffed.) Step on the leash, ask for down, praise/treat for the down, and move on when he is calmer. Stepping on the leash is great bc your hands still stay friendly, but he really has to modifiy his behavior. Try to address it before he goes over threshold, nip it in the bud so he does not get to "practice" negative behaviors. Interrupt it at once.

Another thing that will help is really working on your downs. Work on downs from in front, on the side in heel position, down-stays, and moving downs too. Keep your training sessions positive and upbeat. Once you have a really solid down, ask for a down when you get that kind of rough behavior that is half friendly, but half too assertive.

It is a huge thing not to let this behavior be rehearsed and practiced. Even if you have to toss a treat away from yourself or toss a handful of kibble on the ground, toss a ball or a toy, at least he won't be practicing it. Obviously, it is better to let him know that you are in charge, but is pays to have several tools in the toolbox to change a behavior. 

I am glad you plan to have him neutered; it DOES make a difference.

Playing freeze tag can work too. Freeze and totally ignore him. I think this works better with puppies than young males feeling their oats. If you go this road, you have to make it your religion. The dog is dead to you. Dog? What Dog? When he stops jumping, it is like a light switch and you are back and more fun than ever. The difference must be dramatic. There will be an "extinction burst" before this works in which the jumping/bitey frenzy intensifies before he gives it up. Dogs only do what they find rewarding, so if jumping/bitey has a really terrible outcome, he will stop. I think this method doess/ can work, but it's pretty passive.


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## mayapaya

Maya is seven months, and I am having similar problems. We have started using the "freeze" concept, and it is working better than any of the other things we have tried. She still jumps a few times but eventually sits and wags her tail for attention, and when she does we are then rewarding her with treats and pets. We tried the "off" command and pushing her away, but I think she viewed it as we still wanted to play. Ignoring her has worked best. The only problem is that while this works for the members in our house, it's not working well with visitors who want to greet her, and not ignore her. I am going to start using the leash idea as well.


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## Wyatt's mommy

The time out always worked for both our boys. Also the kneeing is not you hurting him......if done correctly it will show the dog that it is uncomfortable so as to avoid doing it. He will learn it is brought on by HIS actions not yours.


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## HoundSnout

This is my first post. My Cooper is also 10 months old and orally aggressive. I'd like to try the spray bottle with vinegar. Please advise, how many parts water to vinegar do you recommend? Thanks


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## JDK

I'm in the same position with my 5 month old Golden, JJ. Rather then start a new thread about the same thing, I was wondering if I could get some advise here.

I read through many of the posts and saw people mentioning that turning your back on the dog or walking away, leaving him to sit by himself, is a good technique to teach him how to stop biting and pulling at your clothes.

I've been doing this myself for about the past 2 months, but JJ hasn't gotten the idea yet. Then a friend asked me, did I ever think that many by leaving the room (puppy proof area where all his toys are) that I'm giving into his "domination" and leaving, therfore allowing him to win the "battle".

He's not biting to be mean, I know it's just play. Am I teaching him the wrong thing though by ripping my pants out his mouth, telling him "No!" and walking away into an area where he can't get me?


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## Gwen

HoundSnout said:


> This is my first post. My Cooper is also 10 months old and orally aggressive. I'd like to try the spray bottle with vinegar. Please advise, how many parts water to vinegar do you recommend? Thanks


Here's Dallasgold's response to using vinegar & I agree 100%

"As far as combining vinegar and water and spraying the dog--please don't add the vinegar and please never ever spray their face. I say this as an owner of a visually impaired dog (cataracts). You really don't want to risk your dog rubbing his eyes and possibly scratching his cornea from something you put in his eyes, like vinegar. Think of how that would feel if someone did that to you. I agree that using a spray bottle of water a few times, directed at the body, and not the face, works and soon you can just show them the bottle to stop the behavior, but you really don't want to risk causing permanent damage to your dog's eyes."


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## OutWest

JDK said:


> I'm in the same position with my 5 month old Golden, JJ. Rather then start a new thread about the same thing, I was wondering if I could get some advise here.
> 
> I read through many of the posts and saw people mentioning that turning your back on the dog or walking away, leaving him to sit by himself, is a good technique to teach him how to stop biting and pulling at your clothes.
> 
> I've been doing this myself for about the past 2 months, but JJ hasn't gotten the idea yet. Then a friend asked me, did I ever think that many by leaving the room (puppy proof area where all his toys are) that I'm giving into his "domination" and leaving, therfore allowing him to win the "battle".
> 
> He's not biting to be mean, I know it's just play. Am I teaching him the wrong thing though by ripping my pants out his mouth, telling him "No!" and walking away into an area where he can't get me?


I'm not sure about whether the dog might feel ddominant if you leave the room...my understanding is that turning your back on a apuppy is a puppy signal that says "I'm mad at you and I don't want to play." 

When my puppy was jumping my small spaniel and being too rough, he was just trying to play with her but I had to protect her because he's big, she's small, and she has health issues. So I had a routine of saying "no!' forcefully. If that was ignored, I'd spray him with a bottle of water with a smidgen of vinegar in it (away from the face). If that was ignored, I'd get him into a corner hemmed in my chairs and a box, and stand with my back to him for up to a minute, keeping absolutely silent. It took a while but he did get the message. He still tries to play with the small dog but he's much more gentle now. 

The biggest comment I have regarding all the many posts here (I know they go back quite a ways) is that GR puppies have so much energy and if these issues are going on, perhaps the puppies don't have enough exercise. I've been taking Tucker to the dog park every morning since he was vaccinated and old enough to go and it has really improved his behavior. The whole day goes much smoother if he has a good romp with dogs in the park.


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## MaggieO

Hi Ella is 7 1/2 months old now and I would say these jumping/biting/ tantrums lasted about 6 weeks. I tried everything, turning my back, ignoring, standing on leash etc,. but nothing worked. Although i have always used positive training methods, I finally had to resort to shaking a can full of pennies when she started this carry on. As soon as she heard the rattle, she stopped immediately, sat down and was rewarded with a treat. Now, 2 weeks later, I can see her thinking twice about even starting the tantrum. She still has the odd tantrum and turns into a land shark when being put on the lead after playing with other dogs or when she's frustrated at training class but all-in-all she is so much better now and I don't dread taking her for walks anymore! I hope this helps anyone going through the same thing because it really is a horrible phase.


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