# 14 month old jumping/humping/biting while walking (long)



## 2tired (Oct 19, 2011)

Hi everyone. I hope someone can shed some light on an ongoing problem(s) I am having with our 14 month old (male) golden.

The main problem occurs when I am walking him on lead. No demands made of him other than not to pull. I will work some obedience training into our walks on occasion, but only for a few minutes then I break it off.

While we are walking he suddenly turns and jumps me. He will start humping and biting. Although frustration can be a trigger (for example, if I won’t let him pull to see another dog), often it is out of the blue with no triggers noted. It is quite scary when I am not expecting it, especially in the night time and if I have my hood up due to the cold.

Any reasonable attempt to get him off me, such as off, default sit, walking into him, gently taking him by the collar to sit, does not work. Pushing him off or any type of contact with him makes it worse. In either situation, he does not stop, he just keeps coming back, jumping and biting. I can distract him by saying “look at that”, and start walking. This works some of the time, and off we go. The other times, once he realizes there is nothing to look at, he turns and jumps me again.

I have tried various collars and harness, with no success. The gentle leader was the worst of all, it was a definite trigger.

He will do something similar in the back yard. I try to play fetch with a ball with him. Where he will play for a few minutes, suddenly he jumps me and is biting at me. I have turned my back and have had marks up between my shoulder blades as he has jumped this high.

He is not yet neutered, although recommended by trainers and a behaviorist that I have worked with. Our breeder prefers he not be neutered until 18 months old, if at all, and is in our contract. I have been in contact with the breeder over his behaviour.

He was well socialized as a puppy, and has been in classes since we got him at age 9 weeks. We have been going to competitive obedience classes 1x/week. He is extremely smart, but his behavior (similarly in class) limits how good he actually is when he can focus. He has tried jumping both trainers we have worked with; one was male and the other female.

This is not our first golden; he is our 3rd. I have put a CD on both of our previous dogs. I consider myself a good handler and our present trainers would concur.

On another note, he resource guards his food bowl, and on occasion a favourite toy or coveted treat. He has done this since he was 11 weeks old. We thought we had this under control, until it reared its head again. We are working on this with the behaviorist, and making headway again.

The behaviorist is not sure why he is jumping. Her suggestion for now is to have my husband walk him. This is not likely to happen very often. :no: He does not jump my husband.

I realize he must feel he is rewarded by jumping me, but I am not sure what the reward is.  I really just want it to stop. I am covered in marks and bruises, totally frustrated, and embarrassed when it happens in class on the street.

I am welcome to any ideas and suggestions.

Thank you.


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## goldhaven (Sep 3, 2009)

As far as the jumping, instead of turning your back, try facing him and stepping toward him so that he has to back up. Don't speak to him, just very calmly walk towards him. As soon as he sits, calmly treat, still no speaking. Then begin your walk again. Each time he jumps, repeat. 
The reason that I say not to speak to him is because during our training class, I observed a dog that did this to his handler but not to her husband. The trainer noticed that the husband either didn't speak or spoke in a very deep voice. When his wife spoke, it was very high pitched and somewhat excited. He recommended the wife lower her voice or not speak at all and it worked. I hope this works for you.


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## 2tired (Oct 19, 2011)

2tired said:


> Any reasonable attempt to get him off me, such as off, default sit, *walking into him*, gently taking him by the collar to sit, does not work. Pushing him off or any type of contact with him makes it worse. In either situation, he does not stop, he just keeps coming back, jumping and biting.


Thank you for the suggestion. I have tried this at the recommendation of our present trainer, he continues to bite harder.

Any ideas as to why he does it in the first place?


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## Finn's Fan (Dec 22, 2007)

You might ask the behaviorist that you're working with if having a muzzle of some type on him while you're trying to stop the jumping/biting behavior would be helpful, if for no other reason than to stop you from getting marks and bruises. What's his reward for stopping the behavior? Treats, praise, playing with a toy? If your reward isn't working, perhaps it's time to switch that up and see if it makes a difference.


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## Leslie B (Mar 17, 2011)

First of all, is your dog getting enough exercise? Not just walks but full out running 3-4 times a week for a minimum of 20 minutes each session? I do love the line that a "tired dog is a good dog". Draining off the extra energy can solve some of the problems right off - or at least lessen the severity of the problem. Since he jumps in the yard I would guess that it is hard for you to really get his energy effectively drained. I would start with a half a dozen bumpers or tennis balls. When he is just getting back to you with the first bumper, throw a second bumper. Don't give him time to stop - or jump. Don't worry about getting your hand on the first bumper. He will drop most of them as soon as the second one is airborn. It is important that you never let him get behind you. You don't want to reward his jumping with a bumper. I would also add a 4-6 foot check cord. You can step on it if he looks like he is going to jump.

As for the jumping and biting, I have to ask do you think that he is doing it to contol you or is he doing it primarily out of frustration and excitement? I like the analogy of a cranky school age child vs a defiant teen ager. The first one does not mean to be difficult and being difficult is the goal of the second. Only you can tell if your dog is being a "child" or a "teenager".

As for the resource guarding, it can be from insecurity but it can also be because the dog believes that you have the right to take anything from him. Again, is he being a child or a teenager?

My first Golden was a "teenager". My breeder informed me that my dog was giving me "the paw" when he jumped, bit, refused to obey commands that he knew, etc, etc. He was an extremely an independent and assertive (teenager) dog. If you think that this describes your dog, then I would suggest that you start with a prong collar. Get it fitted correctly and learn how to give the correction. Refusals to obey a known command receives a correction. Start using it during a walk. If he jumps - which he knows is not allowed - give a collar correction. The dog needs to know that you meant business. If he jumps a second or third time, step on the leash to pull the dog down to as close to a lay down as you can. Release the tension on the collar but do not give him enough leash to stand up. Then stand there for a good long time - until he gives up and accepts that you are going to stay there.

For a strong dog that is difficult on a leash, I use a piece of PVC (about 3 feet) and string the leash down the center. This gives me a lever that I can use to prevent the dog from jumping and to force him off of me if he does jump. It does not hurt the dog at all. It is a tool that gives me control of the dog.

My current 18 month old is a "child". She jumps and dances and cannot seem to stand still. She never uses her teeth. I use a flat collar for her most of the time, but I give her a verbal correction "NO" when she jumps, I make her sit or lay down (by stepping on the leash if she is too busy) and be still for at least a minute - again by stepping on the leash. Then I resume the walk or the training. 

I hope this helps.


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## 2tired (Oct 19, 2011)

Thanks so much for responding.
*
First of all, is your dog getting enough exercise? Not just walks but full out running 3-4 times a week for a minimum of 20 minutes each session? I do love the line that a "tired dog is a good dog". Draining off the extra energy can solve some of the problems right off - or at least lessen the severity of the problem.
*
While he doesn't always get to run in the backyard, he gets multiple walks per day, up to 10km some days. He also goes to class once/week.

*Since he jumps in the yard I would guess that it is hard for you to really get his energy effectively drained. I would start with a half a dozen bumpers or tennis balls. When he is just getting back to you with the first bumper, throw a second bumper. Don't give him time to stop - or jump. Don't worry about getting your hand on the first will drop most of them as soon as the second one is airborn. It is important that you never let him get behind you. You don't want to reward his jumping with a bumper. I would also add a 4-6 foot check cord. You can step on it if he looks like he is going to jump.*

I will often use a short line in the backyard so I have something to grab if he starts jumping. I will try what you have suggested.

*As for the jumping and biting, I have to ask do you think that he is doing it to contol you or is he doing it primarily out of frustration and excitement? I like the analogy of a cranky school age child vs a defiant teen ager. The first one does not mean to be difficult and being difficult is the goal of the second. Only you can tell if your dog is being a "child" or a "teenager".*

During walks, I would say it is to control me. In the backyard, more likely due to excitement. 
_
*As for the resource guarding, it can be from insecurity but it can also be because the dog believes that you have the right to take anything from him. Again, is he being a child or a teenager?*_

This began at 11 weeks old. We are now working through it again with a behaviorist who follows the Jean Donaldson book "Mine".

*If you think that this describes your dog, then I would suggest that you start with a prong collar. Get it fitted correctly and learn how to give the correction. Refusals to obey a known command receives a correction. Start using it during a walk. If he jumps - which he knows is not allowed - give a collar correction. The dog needs to know that you meant business. If he jumps a second or third time, step on the leash to pull the dog down to as close to a lay down as you can. Release the tension on the collar but do not give him enough leash to stand up. Then stand there for a good long time - until he gives up and accepts that you are going to stay there.*

We have a prong collar and I know how to use it. I have tried all of your suggestions. He will continue to jump and bite even with a prong collar correction. I really do not want to use it, and as I mentioned it is not working. He tends to respond negatively to any type of strong correction. He will bite at my ankles if I step on the lead. If he settles using this method, there is no guarantee he won't get up and start again once he is released.

*For a strong dog that is difficult on a leash, I use a piece of PVC (about 3 feet) and string the leash down the center. This gives me a lever that I can use to prevent the dog from jumping and to force him off of me if he does jump. It does not hurt the dog at all. It is a tool that gives me control of the dog.
*
I will try this.


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## 2tired (Oct 19, 2011)

Finn's Fan said:


> You might ask the behaviorist that you're working with if having a muzzle of some type on him while you're trying to stop the jumping/biting behavior would be helpful, if for no other reason than to stop you from getting marks and bruises. What's his reward for stopping the behavior? Treats, praise, playing with a toy? If your reward isn't working, perhaps it's time to switch that up and see if it makes a difference.


I have thought of a muzzle. I will discuss that with the behavorist.

I have tried treats, clicker, praise, default sit to have him stop, nothing seems to work.


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## Leslie B (Mar 17, 2011)

What do you do when he bites your ankles? What do you do when he jumps and bites after a collar correction? Do you follow thru and up the correction or give up and let the behavior go?

The most telling line I read was when you wrote that you don't want to use the collar and that it doesn't work anyway. He knows you feel this way and he is using it against you. 

All of the collars, clickers, and cookies are just tools. If your dog does not know you mean business then none of the tools will work.

I tolerated my first Golden ignoring my commands for some time. When my trainer informed me that the dog did not respect me enough to bother listening I realized that I needed to work on me - not the dog. My delivery of commands and my expectations of obedience had to change. I still remember the look on his face the first time I chased him down in the yard and made him come to me. I swear he was thinking "oh s***, she means business!!!" 

I love to give my dogs praise and cookies and hugs - whatever works. So if I need to give a correction with the prong or ecollar I am not afraid or sorry. I always make it proportional to the item at hand. But if any of my dogs want to up the ante then I will up the correction. I believe that it is in the dogs best interest to learn the rules he needs to be a good dog.


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## lloyddobler (Nov 30, 2014)

I was searching the forum for answers to this issue as I am having it right now with my 6 month old male golden. He jumps and bites at me at random times during walks. It could be a short walk or a long walk and tends to be at any time during the walk, beginning, middle or end. It's not predictable as no one thing sets him off, at least that I can tell.

I believe my pup gets enough exercise. We go for a 30 - 45 minute walk in the morning. He comes to work with me and I take him out to the dog park or for another 30 minute walk at lunch and then fetch at the park and a walk in the evening. 

I had him in dog obedience classes since I brought him home at 8 weeks, but those ended a bit over a month ago. I realize I've been a bit lax on his training and need to up his mental workouts too. So, I will start adding more of that back in our routine today to see if that helps.

Does anyone have any other suggestions? This morning on our walk his biting went up to a whole new level where he left huge marks all the way around both of my wrists because he kept biting (HARD!) and wouldn't not let go. My wrists are actually very sore as I type this. He has done this behavior on and off since he was a little pup, but never to the extent that he actually left a mark as he did today. 

I love my dog and try to bring him with me nearly everywhere I go. However, this behavior may force me to leave him home because I can't control him.

This morning after this happened, I had to sit down and cry because (a) he really hurt me and (b) it's really embarassing and (c) I feel I have tried to do EVERYTHING right from the minute I picked him up from socialization to training, getting exercise, etc. I just don't know what is causing this and how I can curb this behavior. 

After our morning walk, I went home and got ready for work. My pup and I then walk to work, which is only a few blocks when he started the behavior again. I almost turned around and took him home, but we were less than a 1/2 block from my office. I finally was able to lure him into a sit/lay and gave him some treats and got him calm enough to get him through the door to my office. Now he is laying behind me while I type this. The worst thing of all of this is I am now fearful of him. 

Any suggestions welcomed! Anyone have a pup with this issue and successfully worked through it? What worked for you?


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

I am just throwing ideas out.

(1) I would start over again with walking training. 
(2) I would see if there is any pattern (location, time, etc.).
(3) I would make sure there is nothing physical going on.
(4) I would bring a special toy along, maybe something like this: sheepskin/buffalo tug that would be used ONLY on walks
(5) I would teach "find it" so that it is rock solid . . ."find it" means you scatter some treats on the ground, and the dog finds them. You would teach this again and again (many times a day, different places) This becomes SO conditioned that he stops what he is doing to look for the food. This gives you a distraction-- an emergency rescue.

I feel for you, because my dog has done this to me a few times, and who is to say it won't get worse in the future?


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## prezofxms (Jun 22, 2014)

Is it possible that he's just looking for your attention? My golden, Jasmine, used to come up to me while I was sitting on the couch and bite my hand. I'd yell at her or yelp in pain, and that was her reward. Once I started letting my hand go limp and ignoring her, she completely stopped.

There might be triggers that you haven't noticed yet. Jasmine plays tug with the leash one our walks. I've identified the triggers (usually approaching fast moving cars), so I work on what I want her to do instead using positive reinforcement.

I feel your pain though. Up until Jasmine was about 10 months old, I really struggled with her.


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## quilter (Sep 12, 2011)

Casper used to jump on me in the backyard. What fixed is was extinction. That's where a dog goes so long without doing something that he forgets it. We went on a 4-week vacation. So for four weeks we never went in the backyard. When we got home, he never jumped on me again. Kind of an extreme solution. (But my payoff for my husband spending 10 days in the hospital on vacation.)


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## goldlover68 (Jun 17, 2013)

I have had 6 Goldens all of which we took through a 6 wks. obedience class at around 6 months of age. These classes typically had around 10-12 dogs in the classes, all breeds.
Our trainer recommends and uses pinch collars. I have seen some very difficult dogs in those classes, and I include one of mine in that group. These dogs were all brought under control and became receptive to the training, as soon as the pinch collar was put on and they had some basic initial training with it. I highly recommend using these collars with a trainer that is an experienced trainer using these collars. Usually, these trainers are 'field' trainers. 
One of the downsides on using a traditional pinch collar is that traditionally, the act of putting them on the dog and getting the latch to hold properly is a challenge. My field trainer recently put me on to a lady that makes a new style pinch collar, that eliminates the difficulty of putting them on and it has no latch...you can look at them at www.lolalimited.net (I have no ownership of financial interests in this provider, I just like their product). They call them "Secret Power" collars...but they are a well-engineered covered pinch style collar. 
Be advised that some people do not advocate using a pinch style collar on the dog, and to their credit if not properly used, they can injure the dog’s skin and also cause behavioral problems. But, if used properly by a trained user, they are magic in helping you train the dog to heal, sit, come, etc.
*But do not use these without a trainer teaching you how to train with these collars....good luck*


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## Homers Mom (Sep 22, 2014)

This is exactly the problem I am having with my 13 month old neutered male. Anyone who thinks this problem can be cured by exercise - you're probably right; however, how can you exercise a dog when all they want to do is jump and nip. It's as if Homer thinks I am a dog. If you've watched two Goldens (or two dogs in general) jump, nip, and play - that's what he thinks I should do. So ya. Same problem on walks, same problem with fetch in the yard. It wears a person's spirit down. So desperate for the right answer I am almost in tears. Hmm... I might actually try that one tomorrow. I'll just let myself break down in front of him.


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## KayBee (Oct 22, 2013)

I just wanted to mention a possibility -- Riley does the jumping, biting the leash, pulling the leash thing when he is bored. If we walk the same route (usually through our subdivision) over and over he gets bored with it. If we get in the car and go somewhere else to walk (our local college campus is a favorite place) he NEVER does that. So I try to mix it up -- sometimes all it takes is turning left out of the driveway instead of going right.


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## quilter (Sep 12, 2011)

Homers Mom said:


> This is exactly the problem I am having with my 13 month old neutered male. Anyone who thinks this problem can be cured by exercise - you're probably right; however, how can you exercise a dog when all they want to do is jump and nip. It's as if Homer thinks I am a dog. If you've watched two Goldens (or two dogs in general) jump, nip, and play - that's what he thinks I should do. So ya. Same problem on walks, same problem with fetch in the yard. It wears a person's spirit down. So desperate for the right answer I am almost in tears. Hmm... I might actually try that one tomorrow. I'll just let myself break down in front of him.


One time, Casper started jumping on me in the front yard. I got so fed up, I threw the leash to the ground and turned and stomped off into the garage and into the house. Probably muttered something about playing in the street. I knew he would not follow me, he was terrified of the car and would not go in the garage. He sat in the yard, stunned. A let him sit, then went and brought him in. 

So, I'm not saying you should break down in front of your dog.  but my dog got some sort of message that day.


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## HovawartMom (Aug 10, 2006)

Young dog, looking for his place .
If he likes retrieving, tire him out before walking up as it sounds like pinned up energy.


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## 2tired (Oct 19, 2011)

Kobey is now 3 years, 3 months. This behaviour has continued off and on, and just this past week has been back jumping/humping again. I think this behaviour is "extinct", and then he is at it again.

However...at about the time I wrote this initial post, we discovered he has hip dysplasia. I truly think this has something to do with it. When we are on a walk, he will stop dead in his tracks and won't go further. Then the jumping/humping starts.

He is well exercised, but now in shorter time spans. He receives cartrophen injections every 8 weeks. He shows no obvious signs of being sore, but maybe he is?? He has his PCD title and will trial for his CD in the next few months. He will not jump my husband, only me. I am the one that trains him. I consulted a behaviourist, who could not figure out why he did it, either can his obedience trainer. 

Sooo....no definitive solutions, but I manage the situation with a non reactive approach, and always keep the status of his hips in the back of my mind.


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## Susan: w/ Summit we climb (Jun 12, 2014)

quilter said:


> One time, Casper started jumping on me in the front yard. I got so fed up, I threw the leash to the ground and turned and stomped off into the garage and into the house. Probably muttered something about playing in the street. I knew he would not follow me, he was terrified of the car and would not go in the garage. He sat in the yard, stunned. A let him sit, then went and brought him in.
> 
> So, I'm not saying you should break down in front of your dog.  but my dog got some sort of message that day.


I've heard of this sort of thing working before. Some extreme behavior on your part that just stuns your dog. It gets his attention.


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## chewy10 (Jan 31, 2013)

I was really surprised by this post and intrigued as well. We bought a pure bred golden male puppy sight unseen two years ago from an AKC breeder of merit since were were interested in good temperament. The breeder picked him out from the litter for us after hearing about our family and lifestyle needs. This dog has been hell on wheels since we got him. He is not our first dog and we have never seen this kind of insanity from another dog. The desire to chomp on you is something I have never encountered in a Golden before and, like other people posting here, we tried everything - tons of exercise, treats, training, gentle leader, harness, etc. He is amazingly quick at learning commands and tricks with treats so it is not as if he doesn't know what you want. 
It was with much frustration that we finally turned to a shock collar and it stopped the behavior dead in its tracks. I know people think about these collars negatively but I have two young kids and when nothing was working with this dog for 2 years and the kids were getting nervous around him, we finally gave up. Even now, if the shock collar is not on him, he will suddenly go nuts even when all you are doing is petting him. 
My only conclusion is that there is something seriously wrong with how he is wired and he gets overstimulated and just loses it! If people can have psychological issues, why not dogs? It may be that I need to think that just to be at peace with the unpredictable behavior of this animal. A typical Golden, he is not! And he has turned us off from ever buying another sight unseen pure bred Golden puppy in the future. I've always had the opportunity to pick the puppy from the litter in the past and would like to think that I would never have picked this gnawing, frantic bundle had I had the choice.


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