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Old September 19th, 2008, 10:28 AM
cynlee cynlee is offline
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Jumping up and not coming when called

Our Border Collie is 6 months old and he is a great dog. However, we have consistently been working with him not to jump on people when they come through the door and to stay when told...not having much luck with both. He totally ignores you when he is called and the jumping hasn't improved much either. We have followed advice from self-help books, etc. but it doesn't seem to be helping. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what has worked for them. Thanks very much.
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Old September 19th, 2008, 11:06 AM
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jessi76 jessi76 is offline
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a 6mth old pup is a baby, I really wouldn't expect a 6mth old dog to have such good manners. Especially a high energy dog like a BC. If it were me, I'd keep the pup on a leash so I could gently correct and control the jumping. as for recall, well, practice makes perfect. Be sure to always use a happy upbeat tone of voice, and NEVER call the dog to you for anything that may be negative (bath, nail clipping, correction, etc...). Always reward the dog handsomely for coming when called - i.e. a favorite treat, a favorite toy, lots of affection and praise. practice recall a few times, daily, on a long training lead (20 ft lead). if the dog doesn't come, you GO to the dog and gently lead the dog back to the spot you called from. don't call the dog over and over.
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Old September 19th, 2008, 12:02 PM
Diamondsmum Diamondsmum is offline
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We had in the past taught duke when someone comes throu the door to bring a Toy with him (we are also teaching Diamond that now) I try & leave a lil basket of stuffies by the door for her to grab 1 when someone comes in.

When Duke did it it, he was all proud of his stuffie & made a deal out of holding it. Kept him from jumping up.

hth
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Old September 19th, 2008, 12:22 PM
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bendyfoot bendyfoot is offline
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I think you need to work on the fundamentals before you can expect a very young and probably exciteable pup to do something as hard as a sit/stay when someone comes to the door. From what you've described, your pup is not doing consistent/reliable sits/stays under calm training circumstances yet, so the expectation is a bit unreasonable.

You need LOTS of on-leash training here. The type of colar will be up to you and up to the pup, but for a little one a regular flat nylon collar would be fine. Get the long training lead as suggested. Twice a day, for 5-10 minutes at a time, practice his basic obedience commands while on-leash: sit, down, sit/stay, down/stay, come. Say the command ONCE in a firm tone and if the pup doesn't comply right away, use either your hand (ie on his butt or shoulders) or the leash (pulling down to the ground for a "down" or towards you for a "come") to put him in the position you want. Same for the "stay", use the leash to move him right back where you wanted him. Praise or reward when he manages to do the command. It will probably be a few months until you can move to off-leash training, and only then once he's totally reliable on-leash. (Again, check your expectations for him right now). Keep in mind that his attention span at his age is short, and he's not going to want to sit/stay for more than about a minute, max.

Two basic short-term solutions for the door issue: when someone comes to the door, put him in his crate. There's no need for him to be underfoot, you're in charge of greeting. If jumping is a regular problem, I usually will fold my arms on my chest, turn away and look away, no contact at all. They don't get the desired response, so they move off and/or sit. Praise when sitting. When people come to the door, instruct them not to look at, speak to, or acknowledge the dog at all until everyone is in the house and settled and the dog has calmed down. Then invite the dog over for some attention and reward him for the calm behaviour.
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Old October 16th, 2008, 11:31 PM
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danam314 danam314 is offline
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I also have a border collie (cross), and he used to jump up on people that came over all the time. I tried the leash training when someone came to the door but it was a bit too much for me because I was also trying to keep the cat from running outside!
The first thing we did was train him with "OFF" as opposed to down, since we use "down" as a command to lay down.
Next, when our dog jumped up we would gently put our knee up (90 degree angle almost) and say "OFF". Be careful to do this slowly enough and not knee him in the head. The motion of putting your knee up will force him to get down. Also, some dogs don't like their paws being held (like mine) so you can try this one too, if applicable. When your dog jumps up, grab his paws in your hands and give a firm squeeze. Not too hard, but enough that he can't pull away right away. Soon he will start wiggling to get down on all 4's. After a few seconds give the command you have chosen (ie: OFF) and release him down to the ground.
After about a week our dog learned that when he jumped up we would put our knee up and force him down, and/or he would have his paws held and be stuck squirming for 2-3 seconds, which he really didn't' like. He never jumps up anymore.
Also, make sure your guests aren't petting/patting him AT ALL when he jumps up, or he will learn to like it even more!

PS - As for the not coming when called thing, I carried treats in my pocket at all times, and my dog knew it. I would call him and if he came then sometimes he got a treat. Sometimes he got lots and lots of love and hugs and a belly rub, and sometimes he got a treat. He knew I had an "endless pocket of treats" and it was worth it to him to come over and see if he'd get one. Probably not the most conventional method of training, but it worked! Organic chicken jerky or lamb jerky treats worked well. They are pure meat, nothing added, and small enough that it was just a little nibble.

Last edited by danam314; October 16th, 2008 at 11:42 PM.
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Old October 17th, 2008, 01:22 PM
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usf5678 usf5678 is offline
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We have the same problem with our beagle/basset mix puppy. The only difference is that he jumps only jumps the family. Whenever I come home from work, he tries to jump on me, but whenever we are on walks and someone greets him, he sits and lets them pet him. Hmmm. . .

I have curved the jumping a bit by doing what someone suggested, crossing of the arms and turning around. When I ignore him, he sits and whines a little because I'm not showing affection. Sometimes I just go about my usual after work routine without even saying a word. That calms him down a bit and that is when I pet him.
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