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Jumping Up And Playing Tug


Guest Beaandbucks2mom

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Guest Beaandbucks2mom

I am new to the forum and am just desperate for some ideas/help. I have 2 beautiful greys...Bea (age 4) and Little Buck (age 5 1/2). I have had Little Buck for 4 months and he was adopted by me from a rescue group (GRA canada) right off the track (i.e. wasn't in a home before I adopted him). I love him to pieces except he has a very bad habit. When we walk (3-4 times/day), he will occasionally try to jump up on me and grab me. i want to believe that he is just playing but he does actually try to grab a hold of me and then he starts to tug. Now, he has to wear his muzzle. I've tried to figure out when he is most likjely to do this and I have narrowed it down to when we are in open fields or when he gets quite excited when he sees another dog. He rarely tries it when we are just walking on the sidewalk but there are really no guarantees. He is also more likely to do it when we are walking when i gedt home from work. I have tried crossing my arms, putting my knee up, but nothing seems to deter him. bea sometimes goes after him (jumps on him, growls at him) when he is doing this....then I look and feel like I have absolutely no control. I would LOVE to adopt another grey but don't feel that I can handle 3 while Buck is behaving like this. I just want to add that we can walk for an hour and he might not even try it. Any suggestions??

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Guest IrskasMom

From all that you are saying , that Boy is super excited to be with you. Now I think you could stop that by having some treats , that he likes with you and detere him with a Treat.More then likely he wants to play.

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HI - welcome to GreyTalk!!

 

I don't really have any advice to cure the jumping up thing, but there'll be someone on here who can help out.

 

A thought though - apparently greys are not discouraged from jumping up on people at the track kennels so he's just never learned he's not supposed to do this!

Jeannine with Merlin, the crazed tabby cat and his sister, Jasmine, the brat-cat

With GTsiggieFromJenn.jpgAngel Cody(Roving Gemini), and Weenie the tortie waiting at the Bridge

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I'm not sure how good the search function is on this forum, but you can try searching for "jumping". There have been occasional posts about this in the past, and some of the kennel people have told us that sometimes the kennel trainers/workers teach dogs to jump on command or by a hand signal. I forget the exact details, but somebody once said that she discovered after the fact (a black eye or something) she was inadvertently giving her new dog "the signal" that the kennel people had trained him for. I don't want to tick off the kennel people, because I truly appreciate what they do for us adoptees,but... I think this is kind of irresponsible.

 

Anyway, my girl is a jumper too, although she doesn't hug like your dog does. A common method to discourage jumping is to turn your back to your dog and stand quietly ignoring him. Dogs are very social and understand shunning to be a negative response to something they did. It still does take some time and repetition, but it eventually will break the jumping habit. Also, if you can predict when he's about to jump, stand on the leash giving him just enough slack to stand on four legs. People with more training experience can also give advice.

Sharon, Loki, Freyja, Capri (bridge angel and most beloved heart dog), Ajax (bridge angel) and Sweetie Pie (cat)

Visit Hound-Safe.com by Something Special Pet Supplies for muzzles and other dog safety products

:gh_bow

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Guest FastDogsOwnMe

If he likes toys, I would teach him to tug a toy on command and release on command. Having a Grey that playful makes for a fun training buddy to be sure.

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Welcome to you, Bea, and Little Buck! Have we seen pictures of your beauties?

 

Some people think Little Buck's jump-and-tug would be endearing, but I'm with you -- not good!

 

Other ideas to try come from Kathleen Gilley, a wonderful greyhound trainer. (Link below.) Gilley says discipline methods should be easy, not hurt the dog, inexpensive, and work within 6 tries. If 6 attempts don't do it, it's not working for that dog and you should try another.

 

squirt bottle -- small plastic squeeze bottle (like sample-size containers) or plant mister set to "stream." Carry with you and squirt water on body part that dog finds most offensive when dog tries offensive behavior

 

shake can -- for dogs sensitive to sound, carry a small can filled with noisy objects such as pennies or screws and bolts. Shake when dog tries offensive behavior.

 

neck scruff -- this suggestion will horrify some people, but it does not hurt the dog (it's what mother dogs use to discipline puppies). You gently grab the loose skin on top of the dog's neck (NOT the neck or head itself) and pull it gently back and forth a few times. Extra points for saying "no" in a loud voice or growling while you do this. My first grey, Eve, hated having her feet touched. She'd scream, buck, and run. You can imagine what trying to trim her nails was like. After six months of bribes, begging, and tears (all mine), I neck scruffed her. Only had to do it twice. And for the rest of our years together, nail trimming was a calm, routine chore. I've never had to do it with another dog. Disclaimer -- I am NOT an expert dog trainer.

 

Kathleen Gilley's No Fear, No Pain Methods of Discipline

 

Let us know what you try and what works best for you and your pups.

Edited by EllenEveBaz

siggy_z1ybzn.jpg

Ellen, with brindle Milo and the blonde ballerina, Gelsey

remembering Eve, Baz, Scout, Romie, Nutmeg, and Jeter

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Guest Beaandbucks2mom

Thank you all for the suggestions. I will try them. I am also glad to read that the trainers sometimes allow the dogs to jump.....I couldn't figure out why he is such a avid jumper!!

I know I don't need to say this....but other than this bad habit, he is absolutely perfect....so gentle (in the house) and funny...and very submissive to Bea. I used to have a blind cocker spaniel who just recently passed away and Little Buck was soooo good to her. She could bump right in to him and he wouldn't even flinch.

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Guest Swifthounds

It sounds like he's excited about something and this is his way to express it. While that may have been fine in the kennel, there are probably more than a few reasons to discourage it now. What do you do now when he does this? Changing your reaction is key to discouraging an unwanted behavior.

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my first greyhound had the habit of jumping up on me and once gave me a fat lip. I cured him by simply grabbing him by his collar under his neck and pulling him down till his feet were on the ground and saying NO JUMPING! I think I did this maybe twice and he never jumped on me again.

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Guest FastDogsOwnMe

I like that idea of Sheila's. I'd be wary of scruffing a Greyhound. It's a fantastic way to get bitten by a startled or pushy dog, and it can totally freak out a sensitive one. It is a handy tool in some cases, though. I myself did use it to cat correct one of mine, and it worked. Just be sure you know your dog and use it very carefully. I'd be inclined to train him alternative behaviors and use lots of positive training. That said, there are cases (like with my dog I scruffed for chasing the cats) where that won't work.

 

BTW I am not attacking you EllenEveBaz. You have some very good advice :)

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Think through what you want him TO do. Then, in neutral circumstances, work on associating a word with that behavior. Then ready to start trying it in less neutral circumstances. For example, you might want him to lie down when you first get home ......

 

Be aware of two things:

 

- If the dogs are jockeying for position when you get home, you may want them to be muzzled (gotta muzzle all, not just one) at that time, until you can teach some calmer behaviors. That's a high emotion situation, and bites can happen.

 

- Turning your back on an unattractive behavior can work really well, but it takes time. Don't give up too soon :) .

 

 

Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in Illinois
We miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10.

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  • 3 months later...
Guest Drumhellergrey

I had this problem when out for on-leash walks with mine when I first got him. I should mention that he was young at this time, only 6 months old. He would be fine for most of the walk, but when he saw that he was in or near an area that looked promising for a good romp, he would act out by jumping at me, pushing and vocalizing, and sometimes grabbing his leash.

 

The way I solved this behavior was to buy a 4 foot metal chain leash,(Small links. No heavy industrial strength chain here) as it wasn't comfortable to him to grab onto this leash in his mouth. When ever he tried to act out, I would just shorten the leash,tell him sharply "NO" and keep moving forward. He soon learned that this was not acceptable behavior. I still use the same leash when walking him, and he is great now.

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It sounds to me like he is super happy to be with you. This may be what you are doing, but I have a jumper too. I have to wait at least 15 minutes after I have come home to take them outside. If I don't, I am setting this activity up to happen. Maybe if you play with him with a stuffie before you go for a walk he will not try this either. Personally, I don't mind that he does this to me. He is very playful and was thrown off the track for wanting to play instead of run.

 

I guess what I am trying to say is that I really think you can stop this behavior. Good Luck!

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I have one that jumps up on me to give me a hug. He air snaps, though, instead of tugging. It is hard to turn your back on him when you are walking 4, but I have been able to read his cues before he does it. Then, I am easily able to distract him before he begins his crazy dance. I have even had a passing car stop because it looked like he was trying to attack! Anyway, when his tail starts wagging like mad, then he is usually planning his acrobatics. I will promptly call him and start rubbing his ears. He isn't the brightest and this easily distracts him.

 

I also have his littermate. He doesn't jump like that on a leash, but when he is getting ready to be fed. I haven't been able to break that habit. He is usually 3 feet in front of me, but it is still unacceptable. Still working on that one.

 

Good luck!

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Cindy with Miss Fancypants, Paris Bueller, Zeke, and Angus 
Dante (Dg's Boyd), Zoe (In a While), Brady (Devilish Effect), Goose (BG Shotgun), Maverick (BG ShoMe), Maggie (All Trades Jax), Sherman (LNB Herman Bad) and Indy (BYB whippet) forever in my heart
The flame that burns the brightest, burns the fastest and leaves the biggest shadow

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Guest 4dogscrazy

Glad you brought this up, I have one that does this when I get home for lunch. She jumps on me in the house, sometimes gooses me in the butt (if I try to turn around and ignore her, arms folded) and she grabs my clothes and does a little pull/pinch. Drives me crazy, and not so good on the work clothes. She does it in the yard too, and has gotten me hard enough and in the right spot on the arm where it hurts. Little bugger! Definately does it when she is excited, that's obvious. She has also jumped up on my back and the other day jumped on the back of my 12 year old daughter. She rarely does any damage, so I'm not at my wits end, and doesn't do it when we walk. I have gotten much better at predicting the butt nips, and I just use defensive measures. I grab her collar for instance. I have used the neck scruff, which really is not to be used on just any dog, my sensitive girl did scream when I tried that with her, but it really didn't work with her either. The squirt bottle is fine, but only when it's in your hand! I do use the hand signal for down, hand out, palm flat, downward motion, while saying down, that works on most days. I also don't let all four of them out at the same time, she is definately trying to get my attention, and I sometimes stop, get her collar and just pet her to calm her down. That works too. But it's been hit and miss and if I don't take any preventative action, she gets me every time. Good thing she's pretty! :colgate

 

I wonder if you dog would do this if he was being walked by himself? Mine is definately seeking attention and is very excited when this happens!

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