# Jumping, biting and sometimes humping while walking on leash



## SwimDog (Sep 28, 2014)

My first dog was like this, the more training things we did, the worse it seemed to get. We did a lot of training, exercise, play, etc. We followed recommendations and didn't see a lot of change - he was able to eventually do it for a whole 90 minute training class. 

We changed plans and it reduced by 95% within a few weeks.

What changed? More clicks, treats, and going at his pace rather than the pace I wanted to go. Now that I'm more experienced, I can look at it with a different perspective - we see this a lot in dogs who don't know how to interact with their families. The families aren't intentionally doing anything 'wrong' - but for whatever reason, it's just not clear to the dog what he should be doing. The dog is trying to interact but ends up interacting in an appropriate way. Often if we video the behavior, watch the clip with the family, and then we can point out the areas where the dog has hesitated, looked for direction, or maybe was even accidently rewarded for the unwanted behavior.

Recommendations:
- Take a short break from the walks. If you keep going on those walks and biting happens you are cementing a habit you don't want.
- Go on mini training walks in your driveway - lots of rewards, every 2-3 steps initially. Be super super generous. We are trying to create new habits, new feelings.
- Train new tricks and behaviors so your dog learns better ways of handling frustration (clicker training is great for this).
- If you misjudge, freeze, stand still. Most injuries result from people pulling away. go home, give him a break. 
- Seek an outside opinion from an appropriately qualified professional.

I was so frustrated and sad with my dog. I just wanted him to do well and be happy and it was so, so difficult. Now I see that he was not happy in any way when he was doing the jumping and biting, he was super confused and that was just his way of handling the frustration.


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## Goldylover2 (May 1, 2014)

I feel your frustration Lloyds Mom. My last golden Ginger who died a little over a year ago was my first golden and the perfect dog. She was totally different than my current 14 month old male golden Caleb. It's like night and day between the two dogs. I wasn't prepared for it at all. Just after 3 months he was biting and lunging. He would bite the leash and sometimes just flop down on the ground and not move. I was like what the heck is wrong with this dog. Then he would act up when he got into the garbage can or kitchen sink and get something. My girlfriend is usually the one who caught him. She would tell him no from a distance (5 or 6 feet). He would actually charge her and try to bite her then dive under the kitchen table. This usually happened in the morning before work. All the commotion would wake me up and I would jump out and see what was going on. She had told before that he has shown some aggression. I didn't see it and thought she was exaggerating. I thought he would be just like our sweet Ginger. Not the case. My girlfriend was afraid of him. One day he got a banana peel and I tried to get it out of his mouth. I pulled the part that was hanging out of his mouth. He charged her then went around the recliner chair and charged me, ripping my shirt sleeve. My girlfriend was practically in tears and said that's it. We need to get rid of him. I still didn't want to but I knew something had to be done. His behavior in the house was the worst. I walked him and could deal with his bad behavior for the most part. My girlfriend didn't walk him. So I looked up a trainer and found one 70 miles away. We made the drive the next day. My girlfriend was reluctant. The trainer kept him for a week and worked with him teaching him the basics. We went back for an hour each weekend for 7 weeks after that. His behavior is much better. He has tons of energy. We are going on vacation in May and he will be staying with the trainer. So a little refresher course. I suggest you find a trainer who has been in the business for awhile who can keep him and work with him. It will cost you but its worth it. It will give you a break also.


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## lloyddobler (Nov 30, 2014)

Thank you for the suggestions. I have contacted the trainer we worked with through puppy socialization and basic obedience classes. Her take on the behavior is that it is normal adolescent behavior and she recommends using a gentle leader to help curb the behavior as it allows for more control. I used a gentle lead on my previous golden because she loved to pull and it was the best way for me to actually enjoy a walk with her. I was hoping I would not need to use one for Lloyd, but it may be worth a try. I'm going to reach out to other trainers as well to see what types of suggestions they may have.

I hadn't though of taking a break from the walks for a bit so as not to cement this bad habits. Brilliant! I will definitely do that and focus more on training while outside and almost starting over with leash training.

I walked him home from work last night and he immediately started jumping and biting at me on the way home. It's so strange how this went from a behavior that was very much sporadic (we would go days without him doing this) to him doing every time we walk and the biting getting worse. It seems he is more excitable than he was before and much more interested in sniffing the ground... The smells he's staking in seem to get him especially excited. I also noticed he is now marking every now and again (outside only, so far). Hormones!

Lloyd is my third golden retriever and he is definitely giving me a run for my money mores than they other two. My other two were not perfect in any stretch of the imagination so I thought I was prepared for whatever he would throw my way. However, his "quirks' are all completely different than the other two! He's especially ramped up his "wicked" ways over the last two weeks and I really, really hope that it's a short stage and he calms back down. I realize I need to expect a lot of these ramped up behaviors during the next year, so I may need to invest in some great wine. 

I had planned to wait another year or so to get him neutered per the recommendation of my vet and the breeder. However, many of my friends have asked if I should consider having the procedure sooner. I have no idea if that would help even him out... I suspect it may help a bit, but likely not enough to make it worth it.


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## SwimDog (Sep 28, 2014)

I have experienced that marking is more related to stress/anxiety than hormones.


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## Anon-2130948gsoni (Apr 12, 2014)

Is this happening in the same proximity each time?

It's a long shot, but there may be a female in heat in your area, and the scent is short-circuiting his impulse control?


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## lloyddobler (Nov 30, 2014)

The behavior happens in various places, so I don't think it's related to picking up on a female in heat. Because I live in a info and do t have my own yard, I've been taking him to the park to work on the basics again.... I read where other ex would carry a spray bottle to deter the biting and jumping. Because I have to go out in public to train I brought a bottle of the bitter apple spray just in case he started getting jumpy. It's insane, but it worked!!! He started jumping and biting me and I simply pulled out the bottle and he immediately plopped his butt on the ground and stopped without me even having to spray!!! The strangest thing is, I've never sprayed him with it in his life. I mostly use it to deter him from chewing a rug in my living room. After he sat down, we continued to work on his commands like nothing happened. I feel much more hopeful today after this discovery. I really didn't not want to resort to spraying him or doing something to scare him to behave, so I'm relived that just the sight of the bottle will make him reevaluate his behavior, at least for now.


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## Goldylover2 (May 1, 2014)

lloyddobler said:


> The behavior happens in various places, so I don't think it's related to picking up on a female in heat. Because I live in a info and do t have my own yard, I've been taking him to the park to work on the basics again.... I read where other ex would carry a spray bottle to deter the biting and jumping. Because I have to go out in public to train I brought a bottle of the bitter apple spray just in case he started getting jumpy. It's insane, but it worked!!! He started jumping and biting me and I simply pulled out the bottle and he immediately plopped his butt on the ground and stopped without me even having to spray!!! The strangest thing is, I've never sprayed him with it in his life. I mostly use it to deter him from chewing a rug in my living room. After he sat down, we continued to work on his commands like nothing happened. I feel much more hopeful today after this discovery. I really didn't not want to resort to spraying him or doing something to scare him to behave, so I'm relived that just the sight of the bottle will make him reevaluate his behavior, at least for now.


That's good news that the spray bottle is working. The spray bottle didn't work with my pup. I tried the gentle leader, harness also. Both didn't work also. He would just plop down on the ground with the gentle leader and not move. He would just pull more with the harness on. Hopefully the bottle will get him to calm down and train easier for you.


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## SwimDog (Sep 28, 2014)

If the bottle made him stop, it most likely scared him in some dogs this resolves the problem and in others it creates more conflict (my very first dog got worse).


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## lloyddobler (Nov 30, 2014)

I know he hates the taste of the bitter apple spray. Even at home if he started to nibble on my rug, I just have to pick up the bottle and he stops chewing. I've never sprayed him with it, so hopefully it doesn't scare him. I've only sprayed it on my rug or on my hands to stop him from biting on me or the rug.  

Good to know the gentle leader didn't help in some situations as that was going to be one of my last resorts.


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## Rumple’s Mom (Apr 1, 2015)

I don't have anything to add, but I love your screen name. One of my favorite movies right there.


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## Kdemoort (10 mo ago)

lloyddobler said:


> All - I found this original thread from April, 2013 in the behavioral issues forum and it is very similar to what I am going through:
> 
> *Hi everyone. I hope someone can shed some light on an ongoing problem(s) I am having with our 14 month old (male) golden.
> 
> ...


Dear lloyd,

Hope you are doing well. I was wondering if you could be able to provide me with an update on how this behaviour eventually turned out or what eventually helped you to solve this.
The thing is that we are currently going through EXACTLY the same pains with our 9 months old Aussie. However, our trainers (we have multiple in our school) all provide different explanations and solutions (wants attention -> ignore, testing dominance over leader -> correct him, hormones -> redirect his behavior,…). Its all very confusing and probably did not deal with it well the first time it appeared. 
Really hope you could give some additional input; I especially made an account to ask this question haha, thats how dedicated I am to getting a well-balanced dog.
Best, Kevin


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## GoldenDude (Nov 5, 2016)

Kdemoort said:


> Dear lloyd,
> 
> Hope you are doing well. I was wondering if you could be able to provide me with an update on how this behaviour eventually turned out or what eventually helped you to solve this.
> The thing is that we are currently going through EXACTLY the same pains with our 9 months old Aussie. However, our trainers (we have multiple in our school) all provide different explanations and solutions (wants attention -> ignore, testing dominance over leader -> correct him, hormones -> redirect his behavior,…). Its all very confusing and probably did not deal with it well the first time it appeared.
> ...


That comment was left almost 7 years ago and the person hasn't been back on the forum since December 2019. You are unlikely to receive a response. Your best bet is to create a new thread.


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

Thanks for posting on this thread, it's hilarious.
Feeling a little self conscious now. None of my dogs have ever jumped on, bit and humped me. Do dogs not find me attractive?


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