Hi all i am back again for some more of your excellent advice..... i hope !!
Anyone who has read my posts will know that a while back we rescued a 9 month old lab who it appears had had no training what so ever.
she is fantastic....but heres the thing.
From day one she decided i was her "mummy" and she would love me eternally (which is great)
But... i only have to go to the toilet and she thinks i have left her for a month !! upon my return she jumps wildly around yapping and mouthing.. i figured once she realised that she was here to stay and that i wasnt going anywhere this would settle a little,
unfortunatly a month down the line she is as bad as ever, i have ignored upon entrance when she does this and have praised as soon as she sits/stops etc but as soon as i speak to her she starts again so i go back to ignoring but we repeat this cycle and i cannot seem to break it with her,
i have tried treats also but she is so not food orientated and as of yet has to learn to play so has no interest in toys what so ever.........
How do i get her to stop jumping every time i take the rubbish out, go to toilet, etc etc
please help
thanks
Donna

LOL

You are experiencing an enthusiastic 'coming together' of the pack :D :D   My two do this with all the family, we are greeted like long lost relatives every time we go to the toilet, go up stairs and come down again, go in the garden, also when they go out and come back in again.  They also do it to each other if one has been out without the other :D :D

It does get better as they get older and calm down, honestly :) but at 9 months you have a pup who is very enthusiastic ;) don't forget she has already had one change of owner and hasn't been with you long, she may feel compelled to make this fuss of you ;)

For what its worth ignoring the dog until calm and sitting does eventually work but like everything it takes time, the fact that she is learning to stop is proof of this.  You just need to be more patient, don't forget that at 9 months despite the fact that she looks very grown up, mentally she is still just a baby. If you were showing her perhaps you'd be more conscious of this as they stay in puppy class until a year old and everyone is more forgiving of silly behaviour in the puppies ;)

For the jumping try standing still, arms folded and looking up and away until she is sitting, then say good girl and get down to her level, that way she won't have to jump ;)

Hope this helps
Dill

I dont mind the enthusiasim (sp) in fact its a nice change to my GSD who is quite aloof and will only accept fuss on his terms and never in the form of "big" shows of affection, it is just that i will look away and ignore until she calms which she will do (after removing 5 layers of skin) but as soon as i go to speak or move down to her she is jumping straight up again...on one occasion today i had got as far as saying "good" and had just bent my knees when she jump up that fast and hard she head butted me and split my lip !!
just wondering if their was any other way of approaching this before someome accuses my other half of g.b.h
I dont want to moan about her as i feel that in a month she has come on in leaps and bounds and with time is going to be a amazing dog and a wonderful part of our family.
thanks
donna

Hi

We have a 7 year old pug, Gambi,  who does this to, every time I come through the front door you would think i had been gone years!!!!! he goes round round in circles, paws me, it's quite nice, to have a warm welcome, the only trouble is in the morning when he sees me he is the same, he sleeps on my daughters bed, so he is the same then round and round in circles, up and down stairs, which i have to be really careful, one day he's gonna have me down them he tries to come up and i am going down, they are just showing affection.  Bless Him.........

I would ignore her completely.  By praising her when she sits you are responding to her. 

Just walk into the room and get on with something else, or walk straight past her to another room.

No greetings when you have left her and come home, completely ignore her, same in the morning when you get up.

I know it is hard, but it will work.

I don't think you even need to praise when she sits - simply responding to her briefly, in a low key way, will be reward enough for her to continue to do it.......  By ignoring her, she won't understand this is what you *do* want her to do, and will be even more confused :(

[it is just that i will look away and ignore until she calms which she will do (after removing 5 layers of skin) but as soon as i go to speak or move down to her she is jumping straight up again...on one occasion today i had got as far as saying "good" and had just bent my knees when she jump up that fast and hard she head butted me and split my lip !!]

I have to say I smiled at this...in an understanding way!! And thank God I'm not alone!!! I've the same problem with a collie x that we got from a shelter about 4 weeks ago.  We're trying to be very understanding as he was returned to the shelter a couple of times so I think we are his 3rd home and there's probably some insecurity going on there....He hasn't quite head butted me or split my lip yet but getting down the stairs in the morning can be an ordeal, along with coming in from the shop, getting something out of the car anything in fact that takes me out of his sight for oh a second?!? And I wouldn't mind but he's not even alone...we've a cocker spaniel as well and they're both great playmates!!!....When I ignore him and he does sit...like you, I've barely praised him and given him a treat and he's back up again...he does settle eventually tho' and a firm NO has helped as well!  I had this written when I read Sandrah's post...We've done the ignoring altogether and getting on with something else but maybe we gave up on that too early?  It sounds like very good advice..I'm just hoping he'll soon realise that he really does have a permanent home with us!

Hi I have a smilar problem with my labrador puppy Alfie. It's not so much with me or my partner but with guests who come round or people he recognises on walks. He lves people and whilst he i only 8 months old I am worried he is getting in to bad habbits. He jumps up at guests and is so over excited I'm worried he could hurt someone. I've tried restraining him on a lead or withhis collar but he just strains and pulls. The second I let go he lunges at the guests and tries to lick their faces. I've told everyone not to fuss him until he sits, Ive even told people to ignore him completely but it's as if he's in a frenzy and all my training goes out the window. I take him to training classes to socialise him with people and other dogs but so far they have had no effect. What can I do? Is this something he will grow out of as in every other respect he is perfect. He never chews or does anything disruptive other than leaping at people. Help!! 

I have found 2 things that work, I think both have already been noted here, but ignoring will sometimes work or put the dog in a sit-stay command before you enter the room, I have even done that through a closed door, once the dog is in a sit-stay command enter the room as calmly and normal as possible and once you get past the pup release him from the sit stay, it takes consistancy but does work.

Thank u. I have tried this but the second the guest enters the room he flies towards them and even after they are seated he often tries to get on their knees for a cuddle (and he's a big lad now!). It's so frustrating cos he's so perfect when it's just me and my partner at home and would never dream of leaping up on to the furniture. I am trying but nothing seems to work, he just loves people!! Even at training classes, if he does something particularlly well the trainer will say "well done Alfie" and the slightest hint of attention or affection from strangers or visitors he leaps!!! I won't give up though as he is adorable in every other way and he is very young, I just don't want him to be doing this as an adult dog. 

You need to train the response you *do* want - this may mean setting up the opportunity to repeat it over and over again in short but intensive sessions for the best effect as by only doing it when you have pukka 'visitors' you won't give him the opportunity to make connections in the most effective way.

Decide where you want him to be when your 'stooge' is allowed into the house - his dog bed?  At the top of the stairs (although be wary of the potential for a fully grown lab to knock somebody off their feet when tumbling downstairs - this position usually works well for smaller dogs who consider themselves on 'look out').  Then get your friend to ring the bell/knock on the door.  They will have to wait while you send the dog to the desired position (you may need somebody to ensure this happens and to reinforce the comman initially, maybe even closing doors to ensure he doesn't get to your visitor), then let the visitor in, with strict instructions to ignore the dog unless he's sitting on the floor.  Repeat this again and again until he gets the idea.

I see you've had experience with clicker training - you might struggle to get through his initial excitment with a clicker, so try training the inital instruction first with a clicker - with the doorbell, but nobody coming in...

Thanks for the advice. I feel I've had a successful day today as I had a visitor and although Alfie did attempt to jump up he immediately stopped once I told him to. I also asked my guest not to fuss him even after he had sat (as this just excites him all over again!). Instead I asked Alfie to sit and wait in the kitchen before the guest entered, I clicked him and gave him a large treat which distracted him from the initial excitement of having a visitor. Once he realised my guest wasn't interested he seemed to get the hint. I think the problem was that he would get stroked by visitors once he had sat down. He knew that when visitors came he would get affection from them in the end and the anticipation of this was sending him crazy!! I think the best thing from now on is for him to get used to guests not being interesting and hopefully he'll get bored of bothering them. I will definitely keep practicing this by getting my friends and my sister to enter over and over again until we get it perfect. Thanks  

Think I could have cracked it. He didn't jump up at all today. Again I got him to sit as the guest entered and clicked him for sitting and waiting. He still got a bit giddy but we just ignored him completely. Once he had totally calmed down and sat again I praised him but not by making a big fuss (didn't want to excite him). I just calmly said 'good boy' and gave him a treat. Thanks for the advice, for some reason I had never thought to use the clicker training for this problem. It seems really obvious now though! Thank u so much. x  

Hi Donna,

I dog gate by the kitchen will help tremendously and let her know that she cannot greet you every time she sees you. She will eventually become more habituated to your presence. Also, even looking at the dog or responding in any way gives the dog feedback, by having her physically separated, she cannot cause any reaction in you.

Let her out in the house again, when she is calm.

It is important that she learns to cope on her own and not follow you around all the time, or you could get some separation anxiety problems.

all the best,
Patty

Hi patty,
I am desperatly trying to avoid her becoming too attached to me for fear of seperation anxiety, i work from home so she gets lots of attention from me but she does sleep downstairs with the GSD and isnt allowed upstairs at all. I do make sure that i am in and out frequently, letting her know that i will always come back !!
She is sleeping downstairs fine now (as long as she has my jumper) and when i am out of her sight she isnt crying she will wait for me patiently,
it is when she sees me she gets so excited, i would love to give her the sit/stay command as suggested but she has no idea what they mean !!
any more tips will be gratefully recieved, i am currently completley ignoring as suggested but ill give her credit she is persistant (sp) and can now manage the length of my hall dancing on her back legs using me as a buffer !!
cheers
Donna

Hi

Read the book "The Practical Dog Listener" by Jan Fennell

That'll solve all your problems

I don't think so - this little girl is already jumping through hoops to please her owner, to be ignored will simply get her more confused - the owner needs to train the dog to do something which is incompatible with weeing - such as sitting correctly, reducing eye contact and intimidating behaviour, which may well be unintentional - in other words Think Dog!

I have 10 dogs, so as you can imagine coming through mr front door used to be a bit of a zoo, I read somewhere to ignore, and after a little while it worked, know when I make the entrance it is no bog deal, I just go about my buisness as if I were never gone, and start to interact with the doags after a couple of minutes.
Lucy

Just wanted to give you all an update.
i have continued with the ignoring when we first encounter her and then when she starts to calm asking her to come to me and quietly and gently fussing her.
Our darling girl has today shown first signs of grasping the concept !! yippeeee (maybe now my back and sides can start to heal !!
I was pegging washing out (line is outside of the garden) and on return through the gate she just sat and looked at me, so i came throught the gate managed to get into the house and put the basket down, all the time she was closely following and hopping but not jumping.
I am so proud of her.
I know this is her first step and we have a long way to go with more than a few mishaps at a guess but we seem to be heading in the right direction.
thanks all for your advice.
Another bonus is is that she is also grasping the "come" command as she associates it with cuddles !!
Donna

Glad to hear of your success. She will learn in time, it shouldn't take too long really. My 8 month old lab is still very easily excited with people but on the whole he's getting the hang of not jumping up at me and guests. It's sweet that they love us that much really!! They're still very young though and will hopefully calm down as they mature (that's what I'm hoping for mine anyway!). Sounds like you're heading in the right direction though x