Hi,
My 15 week old lab puppy is coming along with her training. I am at home with her all day myself,and she knows not to bite now,although she still grabs my ankles,and gets a bit hyper when she is tired or hungry. However,every time I have a visitor,and sit on the settee to talk to them,she goes ballistic.She keeps jumping up and biting me and if I tell her off she barks and growls,and I have to end up putting her out of the room. She then sits in the hall and whines,and when I let her back in,she starts attacking me again. Do you think she is jealous because i am talking to someone else?She plays fine with my grandchildren in the garden,but as soon as we go in the living room,she starts jumping up at me,and trying to bite anyone who is sitting on the settee beside me.(Mostly it's me who gets it).I don't want the children to get bitten,she has already given me a very deep slash on my hand when I was talking to my daughter,and not concentrating on her.She generally does what she is told,as I am quite firm with her,but I can't seem to control her at these times. Apart from putting her out,is there anything else i should be doing?

At 15 weeks old she is just responding to stimulus. Look at every occasion as a training occasion. When you are on your own she has learned exactly what to expect. When you have visitors it is suddenly strange and exciting! She does like a child would and goes a little over the top so she gets put out of the room. When let back in she is so pleased that she goes over the top yet again! It appears that now she is relating the living room with excitement and possibly separation! Not a good combination!!

What you need to do is to invite some dog people around for ten minutes at a time, as often as you can. Sit and chat and ignore the puppy completely no matter what she does to you. (Obviously toilet requirements should not be ignored) The whole point of this to make visitors "Normal" not some exciting occasion.

Regards, John

I have tried ignoring her John,but when she is sinking her teeth hard into my knee,it's not so easy. I have given her a toy to distract her,but she brings it over to where I am sitting,and proceeds to bite me instead of the toy!.When I respond by telling her NO,she starts racing round the room,coming back barking and trying to bite me,and i always end up putting her out.Today she weed in the kitchen when she was put out,even though she never does that now,and the back door was open for her to go in the garden.She is obviously trying to get all my attention away from the visitors(and succeeding).I will tuck my feet and hands out of the w
ay,and try ignoring her.

PS she jumps up at the visitors too,then turns her attention to me when she gets told off.

Jeanb, ditto, exactly the same happening to me and minstrel, she can be so naughty when i have visitors, will nto listen when I say no, but if I am on my own!!

hi there i have a 7 month staff and he is exactly the same,except he is fine all the time with me and my 3 children but as soon as we get visitors he goes wild. He keeps nipping at their arms, jumping up them and biting at their shoes. People keep telling me he will grow out of it ( fingers crossed ) but by then we will probably not be having anybody visiting us.