Jumping puppy

by Sharon Liapis
(Goodyear, AZ)

Our little Chloe is 11 wks, and we have had her for almost 3 weeks. She is a Goldendoodle....very smart, and we have have already taught her to sit, shake, lay down, and high-five.

But.....she likes to jump on our guests, and small children and she likes to bite (not hard) but likes to have my hand in her mouth and like to hang on my youngest sons clothes (he is 9 yrs old). How can I get her to stop these bad habits?


Hi Sharon
Firstly, your puppys' behavior is perfectly normal! Biting, chewing and jumping come very naturally to dogs and are part of their instinctive behaviors. However, just because they're normal it doesn't mean you have to tolerate them, and little Chloe has to learn that in her new 'pack', this isn't tolerated.

We'll start with the jumping. It's accepted behavior in the canine world, for a puppy to jump all over it's friends or littermates in greeting. It's also natural for her to jump and lick at the older, adult dogs mouths as a show of respect, affection. This is why your puppy jumps all over you.

You need to show her that this isn't acceptable, and the best way to do this is in a non-confrontational way by rewarding her for sitting, rather than jumping.

Most problem puppy behaviors are attention-seeking, and when she jumps up she's looking for your attention and approval. You need to teach her that sitting gets your attention (and nets her a tasty treat), but jumping doesn't.

Next time she starts jumping up, tell her "No", firmly and then tell her to 'sit', (you're already ahead of the game here as your clever little girl has already mastered that command). As soon as she sits, give her a treat and say 'good sit', then walk on. If she starts jumping up again, turn your back on her until she stops (she'll stop because she'll be confused), as soon as there's a break in the jumping, tell her to sit and again reward her for complying.

Repeat this over and over, being sure to ignore her (turn your back, no eye contact etc) when she's jumping. She sounds like a smart puppy, so she'll 'get it' fairly quickly.

Now for the biting. Again this is attention seeking behavior on her part, and some breeds are more mouthy than others. Labs and shepherds are some of the worst I'm afraid. But, don't despair, it is curable!

Get some Bitter Apple spray from your local pet store and spray your hands/arms with it. This tastes very bitter to a puppy and she'll be much less inclined to use your hands as chew toys if they taste bad.

Secondly, use the same sort of treatment that you did for the jumping, just without the sit command. When she starts biting and nipping, say "OUCH, NO BITE" loudly. You don't need to shout or yell, but make it loud enough to startle her, at least the first few times.

Then, withdraw your attention from her and stop whatever interaction is going on (ie petting, playing etc.). Cross your arms, avoid eye-contact and ignore her for a few minutes. If she insists on biting and nipping, walk away, even leave the room if you have to.

Repeat this every time she starts nipping. She'll soon realize that biting and nipping means she loses your attention, maybe even your presence, and she'll start to play more 'nicely'. The biting on your sons clothing, is 'puppy play', she sees him as one of her siblings and is trying to play with him.

This isn't okay. She needs to know that he's higher up the 'totem pole' than she is. Later, when she's mature you don't want her to think that she's in charge of him, it's got to be the other way around. Correct her with a firm "NO BITE" when she does this, and redirect her attention to her own chew toys. I'd also suggest you let your son help feed, walk and train Chloe. If she sees that she's dependent on him for food, and that he can give him commands that she's expected to obey then she'll have more respect for him, and the biting will get less.

Be very patient and consistent with this. Puppies learn through association, and they're creatures of habit, so you need to give her time to build up the correct associations. That also means it's vital to be consistent, always react in the same way to the same behavior. Being erratic in your discipline only leads to trouble.

You can find out more about some of these puppy behaviors on my Puppy Biting Page and my Puppy Behavior page.

Best of luck!