Hello all - this is my first post/query regarding my 6 month lively black Lab, Murphy.
The problem I have occurs mainly when he's off the lead on a walk. I take him to an open field area which means he can have a run and a good old sniff quite freely with few other dogs about. However, sometimes when I call him back he - and it's getting to be more often - races towards me and sort of leaps up and dives into me with nipping teeth. I have tried completely ignoring him and walking away but he continuously jumps up and grabs anything he can get hold of usually my arm and with his adult teeth it's starting to hurt. He sort of rebounds off me and sometimes ends up rolling onto his back from the fall. (He used to rebound off me in the house in a 'mad five minutes' but we conquererd this by ignoring and leaving the room.) He then goes mad as I desperately try to put the lead clip back on his collar but he's getting so strong I have trouble holding him - as I'm doing so he creases his nose and bites at my hands. Today he raced towards me and leaped up again and this time as I struggled to get him on the lead his claw caught me face. When I get him on the lead he wriggles pulling back trying to slip his collar. All I can do to stop him jumping up is to crouch down and pull down on the lead and he then stops - eventually. He then pants from all the excitement and looks at me as if to say 'God, wasn't that fun'. I then walk him back on a very short lead so he can't get at my hand - without saying a word and this is the only time he walks to heel without pulling at all. From day one we have been training him the Jan Fennel way - trying to think dog and be in charge as Alphas and he seems to like knowing where he stands 'in the pack' as it were. He definitely responds well to us being calm and kind but has these moments of what feels like aggression. He has always mouthed quite a bit and the 'ouch' method makes him more excited so if we're at home we just put him in another room to cool off - but when I'm out walking this obviously isn't an option. In the past, I would say 'gently' to him in a quiet tone and it has worked really well - having to listen more grabs his attention and this stops him mouthing but these last few months he become more boisterous although nothing we have done has changed. Ignoring him and not paying him too much attention generally works better with him as he seems to respect us more that way - until we're out on the walks!  He does tend to react off the lead more with me when I'm on my own rather than when my partner and I walk him together. He's soon starting gundog training classes so I am hoping this will help as well.
Any advice would be very much appreciated or even just confirmation that someday he'll grow out of it. I've not had a dog before so all the posts are very helpful and enlightening and often encouraging but I have yet to read of a lunging Lab?? I am worried that he might one day run up to a child or anyone else and bite them. Apart from this he's a lovely waggy tail happy puppy - I'm hoping it's just part of being a pup - fingers crossed - I can put up with it if that's the case - I'll wear thicker clothes - but at the moment I'm worried I'm doing something wrong and that it might get progressively worse.
Any advice would be very much appreciated. (sorry it's so long!)
Best regards

Hi. I read your post last night but was too busy to answer.

As I see it you have two problems. Sorting out his jumping MIGHT help with the biting.

I teach my dogs to jump up on command. This way it helps to keep them calmer if they 'get down' or rather get 'off' when told. I do this by patting my chest and saying 'up' at the same time. You will have to then 'catch' the dog as he comes up with his front feet. Praise him and then tell him 'off' at the same time as pushing him (gently) down off you. Again praise him. Once he figures out what you want he should wait until you command him to come up.

Do as you are doing when he bites. Ignore him, turn away and stand still. Don't make eye contact. Keep turning away from him until he's calmed down a bit ( I know it won't be easy)

It will take time, but he's still a baby so should learn. :D

Hope it works for you :)

Thanks very much for the reply - I have heard of encouraging them to jump up before but haven't tried it myself - I'll give it a go. Also, we took him to a country fair at the weekend and spoke to a nice lady who trains Gundogs with her husband. She said we had to go back to basics as he was not listening to us - as we were talking Murphy was pulling a bit on his lead - she took the lead from my hand and gave it a quick tug backwards to her side and he stopped immediately and looked up at her and us. He sat there for a few mins tried it once again and one more tug and he didn't to it again. She confrimed to us that he was now thinking and happy - he looked up at us very attentively wagging his tail. When we left her he started to pull again but we gave the lead a sharp tug back and he stopped straight away and looked up as before and didn't do it again for the rest of the day - amazing. I took him for a walk this morning and he was much better - he usually pulls most of the time but this time I tugged at the lead just 2 or 3 times and that was it - so much better.

Sounds to me as if he is inviting you to play.  Dogs are addicted to fun, especially labradors.  You say he is having a good run and a good sniff with other dogs about, in the field and racing back to you when you call him - :D brilliant :D  but are you playing with him?  Retrieving games with a ball or a favourite toy, getting him to sit or lie down with the toy as the reward.  I always keep my dogs wanting more by keeping the game brief, putting the toy in my pocket and sending them off to sniff or whatever and then when I produce the toy again they are keen to play.  That way you are instigating a more appropriate game than the one he is choosing.  With a game as a reward (providing your timing is good) you should get better and steadier sits and downs which in turn will make getting the lead back on easier.
Look at his diet too if you feel he is a bit OTT.  What do you feed him?
Sally

Thanks for the reply. Yes I know what you mean - it does seem as though he is playing - I just wasn't sure. We take his ball with us when we go out for a play with 2 or 3 retreives which he enjoys a lot. We use the whistle to call him back and sit which he's very good at - although this goes out the window when he's running back with jumping up in mind - it does seem as though he's just so excited he can't stop himself. We feed him on Hills Science Plan which seems to work well he looks well on it.
 

Fast recall - wonderful - now all you have to do is channel it :)

Teach him the "sit" right in front of you, then from a few feet away and try to get him to sit every time he comes to you - reward by throwing the ball away from you so he has to come back.  This is a very simplistic explanation but the aim would be for him to sit in front as he reaches you rather than throw himself at you.  If you think he is going to land on you step back on one foot so you are sideways on to him and hopefully he will just miss (alternate which foot you use or he will soon learn and change angle himself)

Sounds like the lady gundog trainer had the right idea! Behaviour like this can be cured really quickly (with a lab) if you are assertive enough, and the dog will remain happy & willing (the clicker/ dog listening brigade will hate me for this but its true!)

Were the husband & wife gundog trainers the Halsteads? Kelmarsh Hall Game Fair?

Hope your gundog training goes well!

Hi - yes they were the Halsteads - Drakeshead gundogs at the Kelmarsh fair - sounds as though you might have been there too? I was impressed with Mrs Halstead as she was firm and kind at the same time - in her hands Murphy was sitting looking right up at her and wagging his tail and smiling - never seen him do that so intently before - and since that day we have been firmer with the lead and he has been so much better. The first training class was very good - encouraging - I think one of the most valuable things is that you can see that your dog's behaviour is quite 'normal' - and has been seen before - many times. On the walks we've been advised to go back to basics and getting the 'come' on the whistle perfected first, and sits etc before throwing anything for him so that's what we have been doing. He seems much happier and secure when we are showing him that we are in charge - like Jan Fennel says I suppose. He has also been jumping up much less - (perhaps a coincidence) and if I have suspected he's going to run and jump up, I have crouched down and greeted him - not giving him a chance - not sure if that's the right thing to do but it seems to be working.
Caroline

Yes I went to that game fair on the monday. I only saw the end of their demonstration (the timings didnt agree with the schedule!), but had a quick chat afterwards.

The Halsteads have been VERY successful if the world of field trials, and I doubt whether there are very many (if any!) dogs competing in trials that do not have at least some Drakeshead blood in them.

Glad your getting some results with your dog. A firm hand, quiet consistant commands and well timed praise work very quickly with a labrador. My advice would be to leave the food treats, clickers, 'training discs', 'dog whispering' etc to the breeds that 'need' to be trained like a wild animal! (Just my opinion though!).  Not sure I'd react to a dog jumping up by crouching down, but if its working for you then carry on!

Incidently, I was quite sad to see the low turnout for their demonstration (along with the Openshaws with their spaniels). These two couples are arguably the most successful competitive gundog handlers, but much more people seemed interested in watching the 'dancing with dogs'! At a game fair! The worlds gone mad! (Maybe it was different at the other times?)

Right, I've 'stirred things up a bit', I'll go and walk the dogs now! ;-)

I'm all for stopping dogs jumping up by crouching down! It works a treat! They only jump up to reach the most psychologically important (to a dog) part of the body - the face. If that is within reach, then there's no need to jump. Problem solved.
:)

I'd have thought that crouching down is just a great way of getting a facefull of dog! You'll 'avoid' it this time, but he'll still make you filthy if your in your best clothes.

If he was mine i'd take a more confrontational approach! And win! ;-) (and still be friends with him afterwards!)

Funny - I've always found they're much calmer when you crouch down! And because the dog's not jumping up, you stay clean.
:)

Quiet, consistent commands and well timed praise work very quickly with my dogs too and they couldn't be further apart in learning ability if the 'Working/Obedience Intelligence test is anything to go by.  Border Collie at the top and Afghan Hound at the bottom. :D However I choose treats and clickers over a firm hand, don't do 'training discs' and I'm not sure what you mean by 'dog whispering'.   Hmm...  "breeds that 'need' to be trained like a wild animal!"  Interesting.  I certainly have seen some 'wild' dogs tamed with clicker training.  I've also seen a lot of tame dogs go wild, indeed livid with a more forceful approach. ;) :D :D
Sally

:D :D :D I deliberately refrained from posting a similar response and was hoping someone else would; Thanks :)

Quote from Cranefly "we took him to a country fair at the weekend and spoke to a nice lady who trains Gundogs with her husband. She said we had to go back to basics as he was not listening to us - as we were talking Murphy was pulling a bit on his lead - she took the lead from my hand and gave it a quick tug backwards to her side and he stopped immediately and looked up at her and us. He sat there for a few mins tried it once again and one more tug and he didn't to it again. She confrimed to us that he was now thinking and happy - he looked up at us very attentively wagging his tail. When we left her he started to pull again but we gave the lead a sharp tug back and he stopped straight away and looked up as before and didn't do it again for the rest of the day - amazing. I took him for a walk this morning and he was much better - he usually pulls most of the time but this time I tugged at the lead just 2 or 3 times and that was it - so much better. "

Thats what I mean by a firm hand! ;-)

You don't give treats.  I don't give lead jerks.  :) 

I would if i needed to! (and have done where I thought it would get the most effective result ;-) )

I have a 11 month old lab, and have had her for a couple days now. She snaps at me with her teeth showing. I have slapped her on her nose several times and she quits; however, when we go on walks, and we stop for whatever reason, she grabs her leash and starts to pull; like she wants to play tug a war. When she does this she growls and keeps trying to get as much of it as she can. I firmly say no, and pull the leash which is connected to a choke chain. I am only 5 foot tall, and female, how can I make this dog understand I don't want her to be violent and aggresive toward me?  Please help, I get scared at time and want to just run.

Casey

Well for a start you need to stop being violent and aggressive towards her. :(  Slapping her on the nose may be interupting her biting but it isn't going to prevent her from doing it again and it will more than likely cause her to bite you or someone else seriously in the long run.  If you got her from a rescue then you should ask them for some help, if not then I suggest you contact a member of the APBC, APDT or UKRCB for some help. 
Sally

As Sally says, her behaviour towards you is no worse than your behaviour towards her. :( What is her background? Did you get her from a shelter, or breed rescue, or her previous owners? Why was she being rehomed?  She sounds like a normal puppy who is relatively untrained and has been allowed to get out of hand. As far as she is concerned you are an alien in her mixed-up world - it will take some weeks before she feels that you are her friend, so it is vital that you don't give her the impression that you are a nsasty bully who doesn't want to play.

Put yourself in her position, and think dog.

Hi Casey - like others have said - aggression is no answer - she needs to respect you if she's going to listen to you and do what you tell her. Show her control by being firm but kind  - I'm still learning too but from very recent experience - when she does something bad say 'no' firmly (or whatever word you use) but stay in control and then immediatley she does the thing you want her to do - praise her well - she will want to please you even though it feels at the moment as though she's against you. Be patient and consistent and you'll see changes in her.
Caroline

I have cured all that rowdy, rough jumping play by ignoring it. With my dogs, I just turned  away if they jumped up on me and/or walked away...letting them know that that did not impress me. LOL. When they'd get back down on all fours, I'd then pay attention to them. Same with biting....playtime is over. When they'd stop, hand him a toy, praise, attention and back to playing with them. They soon got the picture. My Dobe stopped all that by the time I'd had him for a couple of weeks. He was 9 weeks old when I got him and I think he quit biting and jumping by the time he was about 3 months or soon thereafter. There just wasn't a payoff for that behavior. But there was for desireable behavior, chewing on a toy, staying off of me and not biting.

Carrie

Hi Casey,

I adopted a Lab at 9 and a half months old and she too jumped up at the lead when walking.. very frustrating! but as others have said, pleeeeease don't try to correct her bad behaviour (snapping) by any form of hitting her or even tapping her nose. You wont gain her trust or love in this way. There may be all kinds of hidden fears that she has from her previous home, so please have lots of patience and kindness for your dog who will repay you a thousand times over as she matures. My rescue dog is now 19 months old and doesn't do a thing wrong (not that she ever did much wrong, just the annoying lead tugging :-) I look back and smile now as I realise it was just her little game but enough to drive you mad I know.

It may help to just calm her down when she starts this 'game'! Try stroking her under her chin and talking to her, then try again  - perhaps reward her if she walks without jumping up.

Regarding the snapping, I think this is a sign of her insecurity at the moment and will stop quite soon. As it was such early days I'm sure it will sort itself out soon as she realises that you are taking good care of her and that you love her lots.

I couldnt be without my lovely Labrador - they are wonderful dogs and deserve so much kindness and love. I hope this little problem sorts itself out. I do know how difficult it is.

If it really gets too much please talk to the rescue place and ask their advice. I do hope she will be able to stay with you as I imagine the problems would become worse if she has to be rehomed yet again.

Lots of good luck,

Val :-)