Wondering if someone can help. I have an 18 month old Shiba Inu that most of the time is fantastic. However, he has a tendency to jump up when I arrive home from my work. I know he's excited to see me but he has a tendency of trying to grab my arm when he "bounces". Mostly he catches my jacket (I've 2 leather jackets with small teeth rips so far!) but occasionally he managed to nip my arm (and it hurts BIG time!).

I've tried saying "ouch", "no" and ignoring him (from when he was a puppy) and trying to get him to play with favourite special toy but it doesn't seem to do any good - if anything he gets even more excitable and jumps even higher (he can manage eye level from a standing start!).

By the time my husband returns from his work he has calmed down a bit and greets him "nicely" but I get thug on the rug. He also goes mad if we have visitors but at least I can put him on the lead and hold him till he calms down a bit. Once he's got it out of his system he's a real sweetheart.

The other problem is him pulling like an express train when out for a walk! I've tried a halti (he managed to work that one out in 10 seconds flat), a harness - growls if you try to put it on then dances out of the way - once on it's great for me but he isn't impressed (even though I've tried treats for being a good boy when wearing it and introduced it over several days). The other thing that doesn't help is my husband. He lets him wander all over the place (he's on an extendable lead). I've tried to be diplomatic about it saying I'm getting pulled all over the place but although he promises to get him to walk to heel (and tries if I'm out with them both), I know for a fact it doesn't occur when I'm not there!! So how can I train BOTH of them to walk to heel!! :)

Cheers

For the nipping - encourage him to bring you a toy when he greets you.  It's often easier to teach dogs what you DO want them to do than what you don't, and teaching a behaviour which won't allow the unwanted one to come forward cures two problems at once.

I've just been to see a Springer puppy with 'issues' about walking on a loose lead and having his lead and harness put on.  We spent the morning putting the lead on, taking it off, putting the harness on, taking it off (even trained him using a small food lure to put his head into the harness as this makes it even easier to get on).  He had linked having the lead or harness on with going for a walk. Once he discovered there wasn't a link, he was a lot calmer.

IMHO extendable leads don't help when teaching a dog to walk on a loose lead, as there is no demarkation line of where the dog should be in relation to the owner to keep the lead loose.  Use a plain lead, long enough to go across the front of your body and to the dog, with a bit of slack.  Hold the lead in the hand furthest from the dog, then, every time the lead goes tight - STOP, hold your hand in the same place (don't pull him back with your hand, or he will rely on you to do the work and won't learn for himself) encourage him back to you by patting your leg, then as soon as he's put some slack in the lead reward him by walking forward again......  When training do NOT let him make any progress at all when that lead is tight!

HTH