# Behavior Issues with 10 month old male



## Go 4 It (Nov 1, 2014)

I have a 10 month old intact male. In general he is a very good boy, affectionate, bright, loves to be with us.

Here is the problem -- once or twice each day he gets hyped up, usually when we are on a walk, and starts to jump up at me and bite at the leash or my pant leg or jacket. It seems like it often happens when I have a poop bag in one hand so have a harder time responding to him.

We have been through 2 obedience courses -- all based on positive reinforcement at an excellent school. He has always been pretty mouthy with us and is actually way better now than when he was younger.

I have a daughter who is almost 10 years old and he is almost always gentle with her. Very rarely bites at her or jumps on her. When he does jump on her, maybe 1-2 times/week, we give him a stern no and put him in his crate for about 2 minutes and that he has helped quite a lot.

When he jumps on me and bites at me I sometimes put him on a sit stay for a minute or so to calm him down. If I don't have treats he generally won't even sit at that point, and most of the time he resumes his bad behavior as soon as I resume the walk.

Out of frustration I sometimes grab his mouth and hold it tightly shut and give him a firm no. Sometimes I have even held him down to the ground out of a feeling of being overwhelmed and frustrated by what he is doing. Seems like this usually happens on a road with plenty of traffic and so the embarrassment of how this must appear also adds to my frustration. 

In addition to the 2 courses we have had 2 sessions with a private trainer, and she urged us to never hold his mouth closed or anything like that, saying it only reinforces the bad behavior.

We have a few playdates each month with other dogs which he really loves, thought he does sometimes wear out the patience of the other dog by how "bitey" he is.

Is he looking for more attention from me? Is he getting a pay-off from the physical way I sometimes react? (he very rarely behaves this way with my wife or daughter) His behavior triggers something in me which I don't like and it's hard to be calm and intentional about my response when he is jumping up and biting me. I have had moments where, if not for our daughter, I would give up on him and find another home for him. I would really like to not give up.

Any recommendations and insights? Thanks.


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## Go 4 It (Nov 1, 2014)

*One more thing*

When we were in the puppy class and he would jump up at us or bite at us, the instructor would take over and step on his leash to keep him from jumping. It was somewhat successful then.

When I do that now he simply focuses his energy on that part of me that is within his reach -- my ankle. So it is completely ineffective in teaching him anything or modifying this behavior.


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## quilter (Sep 12, 2011)

There are lots of threads about this if you search the forum. I'm sure someone will post links, but I only have a minute right now.

And here's a good website: Jumpy Mouthy


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## Lise123 (Jan 1, 2014)

My dog used to do jump and attack the leash on walks at that age because he didn't like walks. He wanted more active play, like tug, so he decided to provide it for himself. It was really tough when we would be in the middle of crossing a busy street and he would decide to leap all over me, growling and attacking the leash. My dog sounds awful when he plays -- very fierce growling -- so it looked like he was attacking me and trying to kill me. Not nice.

At the advice of a trainer, I started walking with a thing of bitter apple. When Bailey went after the leash, I sprayed the leash. Instant success! My dog just hates bitter apple, and he would stop instantly.

If your dog doesn't mind that spray, you could try Pet Corrector. We used that with great success on the countersurfing. It's just a can of air, but when you press it, it releases air and makes a loud sound. My dog would be startled enough to stop and regroup.

It sounds to me like your dog thinks he can play with you like he plays with another dog. My dog plays with my husband like this, but I don't like that at ALL. When he would hit me with his open mouth to get me to react, I folded my arms and looked up at the sky, ignoring him. If he was on a leash, I would stand on the leash and ignore him until he sat. (This would take a while.) Then I would praise him and move on.

You can definitely stop your dog from mouthing you, so don't give up. 10 months is still a bratty age, but you're really close to the end of that phase, and if you're consistent with the rules, he will stop mouthing you. My dog was a super bratty teenager with excessive mouthing problems, and at two, I honestly can't remember the last time he mouthed me. They *can* get over it.

You've already done a ton of the hard work, so hang in there. I bet you'll be less frustrated by summer -- one is a huge turning point!


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## Lise123 (Jan 1, 2014)

Sorry, one last thing. My dog was so difficult at that age that my husband wanted to rehome him. Now my husband sends me golden puppy pictures and talks about adding a second dog. It's amazing how different they are when they mature (dogs, not husbands!)


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

Sounds just like Murphy at that age. At times I didn't even like him because of his behavior. NOW I just love him to death.
This too shall pass.....you'll see.


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

We had this problem and if you do a search on the forum with my name you will find a lot of threads by me! It was so hard to deal with. People here helped me a lot!

We finally found something that has helped tremendously. We taught our dog to jump on us on cue. I suspected it might help but for some reason took awhile to try it!

The first time he did it, he immediately started to mouth me, which I was very happy to discover. It meant that he had a pattern of jump and mouth. 

The second time, I gave him treats immediately when he jumped. This instantly broke the pattern of jump and mouth. He was so shocked, too, to be rewarded for jumping! Repeat, repeat! 

So, now when we see he is getting aroused, we cue him to jump on us. He will only jump, not mouth. We have used this successfully on walks, the pet store, and in training class. We usually don't even reward him for jumping on us because the behavior itself is rewarding. He will only jump once, too-- very controlled. So, on walks, I suggest you immediately do a series of commands that includes the jumping (after you have practiced at home) and this will usually break the spell.

Like Lise123 I seriously considered rehoming him but he has become the most amazing and wonderful dog. 10 months is such a tough age but just get through it and you will be so happy you stuck it out.


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## Go 4 It (Nov 1, 2014)

So based on some of the suggestions I received here, and from others, today when on a walk and our puppy jumped up at me and grabbed the leash in his mouth, I sternly said No, and just stood there. I did not over-react or give him the attention he was probably trying to receive from me. In less than 30 seconds he stopped jumping, let go of the leash, and just quietly stood there beside me. I told him he was being a good boy, and We then continued on our walk with him walking fairly calmly by my side. It happened 2 or 3 times on a 2 mile walk.

A good step! Thanks for all the encouragement.


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## LittleRedDawg (Oct 5, 2011)

It's still normal puppy nonsense... my 8 month old still forgets and gets mouthy when she gets really excited. Doesn't mean you have to put up with it. It's a training issue, not a behavioral problem.

I don't do positive reinforcement only and I do occasionally hold a muzzle closed or swat a pup for getting too rough. A swat and then withholding attention/ending the fun game tends to get the best response - they realize that there's a strong correlation between their actions and the undesired result. 

Improve your obedience and you'll find most things you don't like about his actions.... will go away. Ironically, the more time you spend working with him, the better you'll like him too. Don't give up - the puppy stage passes and you'll have a dog you enjoy for the next 10 years.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Go 4 It said:


> So based on some of the suggestions I received here, and from others, today when on a walk and our puppy jumped up at me and grabbed the leash in his mouth, I sternly said No, and just stood there. I did not over-react or give him the attention he was probably trying to receive from me. In less than 30 seconds he stopped jumping, let go of the leash, and just quietly stood there beside me. I told him he was being a good boy, and We then continued on our walk with him walking fairly calmly by my side. It happened 2 or 3 times on a 2 mile walk.
> 
> A good step! Thanks for all the encouragement.


Sounds like you're doing great  I noticed you mentioned that your walk is a good long one. Don't forget that a key component to good behavior is aerobic exercise, every day for a good 20 minutes. Your puppy play dates are excellent ways of doing this and I didn't catch if you're still in training class with him (I really encourage you to continue for a good year, it is such a good reminder to practice at home and he will regress if you don't keep practicing) that is a great way to network with other owners of young dogs who may be more tolerant of rough housing. It's such a good way to get tire them out. If you can find a place to take him swimming or anywhere you can get him out on a long line to run or retrieve (a church yard, school yard, soccer fields etc) you will find that it makes more of a difference for getting his energy out, he's at the age where leash walking really isn't enough physically although it's good mentally especially if you work on obedience commands during the walk. A tired dog is a good dog 

As he responds to your correction (it's important to tell him what he's doing wrong) and he quits, you can give him a command that he knows like "sit" or "wait" and that allows you to reward him for good behavior right away, you've told him what behavior you DO want from him. Keep up the good work, you will get through this stage


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