I have a puppy that is about 3 months old. He took well to the housetraining and biting now he goes out side to potty and doesn't go inside at all. Also he was biting and we got him to soften his bites very well so he is a good learner...

The problem now is his jumping! He jumps all over us and we do not know how to get him to stop! The other day my 2 year old was eating apples on the couch and he jumped up and grabbed them! We constantly tell him no but he still does it...any advice is appreciated...

Also, he has his own toys and he insists on chewing on our shoes all my daughters toys...he even takes our socks in the backyard! What can we do to get him to stop this??

One more thing...how come our puppy acts like we don't feed him? The moment we let him out of his confinement he sniffs the floor eating crumbs and even trash! Why is this? We fill his bowl and he still goes on the hunt! Any help on this is greatly appreciated!!

Thank you in advance!!!

amricca

I think the best way to keep it from jumping up is to teach it to sit and stay. It probably is doing this when it is excited to see you most of all, so if you use that command when he wants to jump up, he can't if he is sitting and staying. As for the chewing and searching for food, keeping the floor clean of food and socks and your daughters toys will help as he will not have anything there to eat and chew but his own toys.

20anonymous08

Thank you but we have tried that and it hasn't worked. ALso, when he is confined all he has is his toys but when we let him out my daughter has toys in the front room and even if they are put away he will find one and grab it. I don't think we should have to punish my daughter by forcing her to keep her toys locked up. I need to find a way to break his habit.

amricca

Well, to be honest with you, when my dog did it I had knee jerk reaction and she ended up running into my knee which may have hurt a little because she stopped doing it after that. I'm not telling you to knee your dog and hurt it, but maybe something along that line would help. When I have company over I use the sit and stay thing. I'm sure more people will post here so let's hear what others have to say.

jcdill

If the "sit and stay" isn't working, then it isn't really taught. A dog can't both jump up and "sit and stay" at the same time.

Training is a long process, and the most important thing you have to train is not the dog, but yourself. Your dog's actions are a reflection of the actions you have (or have not) taken as part of the training process. When your actions are correct, the dog's behavior improves. When your actions are incorrect, the dog keeps doing the undesired behaviors, or even increases the undesired behaviors.

Here are some things you need to do:

1) Do not let the dog up on any furniture, at any time. Furniture is for 2-legged members of your dog's pack (humans) and 4-legged members (dogs) stay on the floor. This is the first step to teaching your dog to mind his place, and leave certain things to humans only. The problem with chewing other things (such as your daughter's toys) stems from your dog's lack of understanding about what things are for dogs and what things are not for dogs.

2) For now, your daughter needs to keep her toys out of the dog's reach. This isn't punishing your daughter, it's teaching her responsibility. Owning a dog requires a lot of responsibility, and one of those things is creating the right environment for the dog to learn how to be a good citizen in your household. Give your dog 2 weeks where the ONLY things he can chew on are his toys (all other things are kept out of reach) and then carefully and intentionally introduce a non-toy into his area, at a time when you can WATCH the puppy. When you see the puppy try to go after the other item. first correct the puppy by saying NO. Then offer one of the puppy's own toys to the puppy and PRAISE the puppy for chewing on the right toy. Keep a sharp eye for any movement toward the wrong item, and be ready with a sharp NO each time the dog makes a move, and follow it with PRAISE when the dog returns to chew on the approved item.

It is important to look for the things to praise - in this case praising the dog for chewing on the right thing. The dog learns faster when it is praised for doing the right thing. Your job is to WATCH for the right thing and PRAISE for it, not just correct for the wrong thing.

3) Jumping up is the same thing - you need to tell the dog to Sit and then praise the dog for sitting. If he starts to jump, you correct with a sharp NO, then tell the dog to Sit and PRAISE the dog for sitting. Spend 10 minutes practicing this 2 times a day, and in a week I can promise the dog will be planting the butt on the ground rather than jumping up to get attention. Again, you have to train yourself. If the dog comes up to you and sits, don't just ignore it, PRAISE it. Otherwise the dog will feel "this is futile - jumping up got a much better reaction" and start jumping up again.

If all of this is too hard for you to do consistently, then it may be that an untrained puppy simply is not a suitable pet for your household. If so, you would be happier adopting an adult and already trained dog from the animal shelter, and finding a new home (with someone who has more time to train a puppy) for your current dog.

isabelgopo

My dog used to do that all the time, when she was a puppy it was ok but now she is 75 pounds and jumping is not funny anymore. Everytime she jumps on somebody, she gets a slap on the butt and a loud "NO" and she has to go sit and stay in the corner for 10 minutes. Her behavior has totally improved since then.

starbuck8

Hitting an animal is NEVER an excuse for improper training!! The same as a child. You are teaching your dog to fear you, instead of respecting you! Her improvement has only gotten better because you've scared her! Please stop hitting your dog! She is only showing her excitement to see you! You don't have to intimidate her to have her obey your commands.

starbuck8

Do you take your pup out for long walks everyday to burn off all of that excess puppy energy? I know you have a 2 yr old, and you're probably very busy with her, but your pup needs to learn the order of the pack, and walks do wonders to teach them that.

When you take your baby out for walks (and I assume she is still in a stroller) tie the pups leash to the stroller up where you have control. Make sure it's a short leash. If the pup tries to jump up on your daughter, give the leash a quick, but sharp tug (not a pull) along with a sharp, but calm command. Repeat doing that everytime he gets distracted, or jumps.

Let him burn off his energy, and then when you get home, take him on his leash right to his toy and give him a treat, and lots of praise.

When he jumps on you, block him right away. I don't know how big he is because you didn't mention the breed, but you can use your knee or shin. NOT to kick him, but just as a light push/block, and again give a sharp "down" command, or whatever command you decide to use for bad behaviour. I find a quick Shhhttt, with eye contact while pointing my finger works for me, but whatever seems to work for you is fine too.

Same thing if you see him stealing your belongings. When you see him do this, give the sharp command, stay calm, block him with your body, and wait until he drops it. He will probably try and get away from you quite a few times. Don't chase him, just try and get him into a corner where he has no where to go. Don't try and fight with him to get whatever it is he has, block, point, and give your command until he drops it himself. Keep your cool so he understands who's the boss. Once he has dropped it, give him his own toy and praise him.

I've had a lot of jumpers and theives, lol, and they all seemed to pick up on this pretty quickly. The biggest key is burning off their energy first, and then going through the training rituals.

I hope I explained this well enough for you to understand my approach to it.

Good Luck!!

isabelgopo

OH PLEASE GIVE ME A BREAK, I have the sweetest dog in the world, she has the bad luck of being a pit bull and Im not willing to be sentenced to put her to sleep because she decided to SHOW HER EXCITEMENT jumping on my neighbor's 3 year old daughter.

starbuck8

Your dog does not have the "bad luck" of being a Pit Bull, and there is no reason for her to have a "death sentence" if you train her properly! Pit Bulls can be trained like any other dog if you put in the time and research to do it correctly.

Your untrained Pit Bull should NEVER be allowed to be around a 3 yr old child, until she completely understands and obeys your commands...NEVER!! That is dangerous, and you are putting that child at risk. If she even inadvertantly hurts that child, you are signing her death certificate. Pit Bulls can be very sweet and loving, and can be around children and others, but only with proper training.