[tykesmom]

Now that Tyke is 8 months old, most of her "bad" puppy behavior has run its course, I happy to say!
All but one, that is. Every time I leave Tyke, whether it be for a few minutes to walk outside the gate, or for an hour or so, when I come back, she jumps up on me and grabs at my hands and legs! She is not biting hard, but she can still give a pretty good pinch, and every now and then, she will snag me with one of those fangs of hers! Of course, I have tried ignoring it, but it's pretty hard to do that! She calms down in a few minutes, but I usually have to get her by the neck and then she will lie down in a submissive position. However, I'm beginning to think that even that bit of attention is positive reinforcement for the behavior. She also does this at obedience and agility training, usually after the trainer has been working one on one with her and then hands the leash back to me, or when we are walking and someone comes up to her and speaks and/or pets her.
I suspect this is some sort of anxiety/insecurity issue, but like I said, it's pretty hard to ignore her - those pinches HURT! Of course I don't want to spank her - that would cause problems in itself, but does anyone else have any suggestions!!!

 

[Guest]

Not sure if this will work:
"Step on the leash" training. You might need a helper. Leash her and leave, helper can stay. When you return, step on her leash to keep her from jumping up, say 'down' and reward her with a yummy treat. Do it over and over and then do it another zillion times :lol: She'll get it.


Bella still does this to her Daddy when he arrives home from work. I really need to try harder to get it to stop. I've been lazy with training lately....(and it's kinda funny to watch :lol: )

 

[Benny2k1]

Whats tyke like when u actually leave her, does she cause any problems, bark etc??

 

[tykesmom]

Thanks, Linda - I'll give that a try! Nice to know I'm not the only one who has to deal with this - it's great to be loved by a doodle, but sometimes love does hurt!!! :wink:

 

[Guest]

I'm not sure if this would work but....when Maya was little she jumped all the time. I would go out and greet her and stand perfectly still with my arms crossed and hy hands tucked in so she couldn't bite anything. If she jumped she would not get any pets. I would use my mean voice and tell her to sit. As soon as she sat I would pet her if she got up I stood up again and repeated. It has worked for her and she doesn't jump on guests as much either. Now I do let her get away with a almost sit. Most time her tail is going so fast it is hard for her to sit but as long as 4 paws are on the ground it's ok.

 

[tykesmom]

Thanks, Heather - the "four on the floor" rule definitely needs to be enforced with Tyke! She's not being aggressive when she is "chewing" on me, in fact she actually whines! That's why I think it is some kind of separation anxiety. Benny, to answer your question, when I do leave her at home, my mom is usually there to "babysit". She says that she will sit at the door and cry for a few minutes, and then go on and do something else. However, she won't eat until I get home!

 

[lmtoth2]

Is tyke left alone w/any regularity? could you try to have more of a routine (I'm not sure if you work outside the house, etc), where you leave Tyke (confined) at a certain time everyday? We have a very set Mon-Fri routine with ours and it seems to help. Kirby still does not like his crate, but he has accepted it. Oh yeah - we stuff a Kong with a treat and give it to both doodles everyday - Dexter actually goes down to the basement himself looking for his daily treat in the morning...

P.S. He is soooooooo happy when we get home he still jumps up a bit to give us hugs...we let him do it a bit because it's in a really loving way, but I wanted to let you know we still deal with it too.

 

[annieG]

Tanner still goes up on his hind legs to say hello to us also and then he weaves in and out of our legs as his way of greeting us. No bites or nibbles any more though.

 

[Guest]

hahaaha Maya weaves too! If I try to keep my legs together she will just keep pushing her muzzle into them until she gets through.

Kim I know what you are saying now. My friend's GR does the same thing when she (the GR) sees me. And even after she's been around me for a while....she will just run up and jump at me and whine and nip. It is annoying and so far we haven't been able to stop it. Sorry I have no advise.

 

[tykesmom]

Leslie, Tyke is rarely left alone, but there is some regularity as to when she is without me, which seems to be the problem. My boyfriend and I generally go out to dinner on Wednesday and Friday nights. He loves Tyke too, so most of our weekends include her. The funny thing is that she will do this when I leave her in the backyard and walk through the gate to my car - a distance of about 10 feet, and she can see me the whole time! She doesn't do it anyone else, and it's more of an "oh I missed you SO MUCH" kind of thing, rather than a show of aggression. She is immediately submissive if I hold her by the back of her neck - puzzling! :roll:

 

[lmtoth2]

My personal opinion is that she may benefit from spending some time alone to get used to it. If it happens rarely, there is more cause of her to be upset about it. I would consider crating her for 30-60 minutes a day and not being around...just my thought

Could also be an age thing - Dexter went through a phase where he barked/cried if one of us left the car when we were going for a ride...he did outgrow it after a few months.