# She runs smack dab into me.



## mooselips (Dec 4, 2011)

I have ben on an island here at the cotage, we have miles of hiking/walking trails, so therefore, Bridget has been off leash quite a bit.

I walk her to the trail, take her off leash and let her go. I keep walking if she stops to smell, then whistle/call her and she FLIES to come.

Yesterday, I didn't call her, but she came flying, and knocked me flat out off my feet. Then, right after that AGAIN! 
She also has taken down our 88 year old neighbor. Thank goodness he wasn't hurt.

How can I communicate to her this is not acceptable?

Although she is very nice when I'm on the ground and comes back to check on me, and kisses me..........yikes!

Maybe at my age (61)I'm just not fast enough to get out of the way?
Altho' I'm pretty darn quick.


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## penparson (Sep 19, 2010)

That sounds about right for a golden puppy. Youthful exuberance! She needs to understand that nothing positive happens until all 4 feet are on the ground. You can also prepare YOURSELF by flexing your knees when she approaches you - that might help you stay on your feet. Good luck.


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

Yep....bend your knees...it does get better when they mature, but I just noticed Liza does it too, and she is only 12 weeks old.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Have training sessions and teach her to sit every time she comes to you. Enough practice and it should be come reflex for her. Bravo on your good recall though!


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## Tennyson (Mar 26, 2011)

Maybe Bridget is a middle linebacker? 
Mick did that a few times and I just learned a very fast side-step.


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## newport (Aug 8, 2011)

I am ashamed to admit that my Lola who is 2 this month does this to me STILL when I am throwing the ball for her..... she is over 70 pounds and it is NO FUN:no:. I have arthritis and am almost 60---- it kind of scares me that I may fall. She also does this jumping on me when I tell her it is time to go inside and I start to walk to the house... I have to yell NO to her to make her stop jumping up on me. She does not do this bad behavior to my husband when he throws the ball.... only me. Any advise would be helpful! 

PS: Lola has very good behavior other than this jumping thing. She is a very mellow sweet girl.


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

penparson said:


> You can also prepare YOURSELF by flexing your knees when she approaches you - that might help you stay on your feet.





inge said:


> Yep....bend your knees...


Good advice, really is. Anytime I am with a bunch of dogs doing zoomies I always bend my knees. Two people I know have had knee surgery because they didn't.

When Tucker was young he knocked our local Pastor on her butt whilst doing zoomies. She dusted herself off and said no problem. That was embarrassing  

Been tackled by a rambunctious Irish Wolfhound once. I'm a 6' tall guy too, had a good laugh.


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## Mom of Maizie (Nov 11, 2011)

Maizie has knocked both myself and my DH down, always when she is racing around outside. Just came full force into us. 

I'm thinking the "bend your knees" suggestion is good. Also, it helps some, I think, to have her sit when she comes to us. We would take her off leash through a field close to our house and got in the habit of having a treat ready when she would zoom back to us every little bit. I'd have her sit before I gave it to her, which she didn't especially like because it sort of interrupted her escalating fun. But she got used to it. However, nothing is fool-proof and we still wound up on the ground occasionally. 

That wild, fun behavior we call "zoomies" makes me laugh at times, but as Maizie has gotten older and bigger and stronger, I've realized it is not something I want to encourage. I'm doing some reading now on how to teach dogs to calm down...preliminary stages of learning about it. 

Jill


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## mooselips (Dec 4, 2011)

Yes, good thinking, about the relaxation.

I'm trying to get her into a lay down 
and stay for extended periods of time.


Plus hubby gives a pup massage...with a good belly rub every a.m.
Now she sees my hubby get up in the morning and she immediately lies down and rolls on her back and spreads it...
.we get a good laugh to start every day....




Funny, no one has to teach ME how to relax....
(I'm ready for my belly rub 24/7.... )


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## *Laura* (Dec 13, 2011)

Ouch that can hurt when you get knocked over....but sounds like you're getting things under control....(and your cottage on an island sounds wonderful!!!)


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Assuming you see her coming, wait til she is fairly close, make sure you give yourself enough time to do this, but you don't want her far enough away that she will think you are 'game' to play. Surprise her by running a few steps towards her, she is focused on her 'target' and not really 'thinking' at this point, so this should throw her off enough to dodge you, rather than run into you. Which would give you an opportunity to redirect.

A couple of other things may be worth a shot, try using some calming signals, perhaps practice this when she is excited but not super wound up to start with. Call her to you, or wait until she is coming to you, turn your side to her, and look away,keeping her in your peripheral vision as she is coming, she should/will slow down before she gets there, as she does ask for the sit and reward her for it. Another calming signal is lowering your body, call her to you or wait until she is coming on her own, turn your side to her and drop into a crouch and reward her for approaching 'nicely'.
Once the dog is doing the behavior it is pretty tough to stop it because it is rewarding for them, but working at calming/slowing them down enough so they don't slam into you, can give you an opportunity to reward for a behavior you do want.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

Hank is 3 y.o. and still will 'take you out at the knees' if you aren't alert. I consider it bad manners and have been pretty much unsuccessful at breaking the habit. I try to direct him when coming at me, to always pass on my left by me stepping to the right. It's usually when we're outdoors and he's running around.


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## mooselips (Dec 4, 2011)

This morning for our walk she did pretty well.
But, I am REALLY paying attention to her approach..

Then she got excited, and jumped for the stick I was holding...(clearing the cobwebs in front of me on the path) and her teeth grazed me.......

If it ain't one thing, it's another.

But, seriously, IMO, she's coming along nicely.
She does alot of GOOD dog behaviors too.

For example, if someone is eating, she has to be lying down.
She can be under the table, but down.

Also, when given a bone, 
that bone has to remain on her rug, or towel.

Yep...coming along nicely.......


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## kwhit (Apr 7, 2008)

mylissyk said:


> Have training sessions and teach her to sit every time she comes to you. Enough practice and it should be come reflex for her.


This is _great_ advise. From having Great Danes before my Goldens, this was a very, very important thing to teach. 

I think all puppies do this, but when it's a large or giant breed, it can become very serious. On my Dane board we have many, many posts on DRIs, (Dane Related Injuries). A lot of which require a hospital visit. Teaching them to sit before they approach you is one way to avoid this. 

All my Danes would come to a sliding sit when running up to me. I had to teach this because even at only 6 months old, a Dane can weigh over 100 lbs. It saved me many times from being really hurt.


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## mooselips (Dec 4, 2011)

Well, she plays a game.
She's really good about keeping me in her sight when she's ahead of me.
Sometimes I reverse, and then give a whistle, and call "Bridget come" and she does. Although it's a darn fast return, and I have to step back unless I want to get knocked over.

So, we'll work on a "Easy" when she comes back to me.

The times she runs into me, is when she starts to investigate something, and I keep walking, give a whistle, and then she comes..quick, and I always seem to step the wrong way.

But yes, we'll work on the sit.....with an easy with it, as she's running to me.

I don't generally bring treats with me anymore on a walk.
I was getting bitten to death, and I thought one reason was the treats in my pocket.
But she is told, "let's go home and get a biscuit", and she will run full out to get home. Altho' still never out of my sight


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## Evie (Dec 22, 2011)

I do the knees bent thing, too, and I hold both my hands out flat in a stop gesture. Otherwise I would get bowled over -- or my knee dislocated.


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