Shouted at today!

[Rebecca]

Right near the end of our walk up the Sidlaw hills today Murphy decides to jump up a stranger and left a cracking muddy footprint on his jacket.  I got seriously shouted at with things like "you bl**dy dog owners with out of control dogs off the lead", etc etc.  We've been working very hard on his "off" (and resorted to training discs which have helped immensely) but sometimes he just forgets (and as it happened, I didn't have the discs with me and was distracted with the other dog when it happened).  Oh dear.  Well, I suppose it had to happen sometime, but why oh why didn't he jump up one of the nicer people we met on our walk today (6 in total), instead of this gentlemen who obviously doesn't like dogs.  Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to offer to pay for his jacket to be dry cleaned (if indeed that's what it needed) because he was too busy shouting at me :-( 

Just thought I'd share.  Not going to let it ruin my day, although it did shake me up a bit.  Looks like I could do with some less public walks though... since they put up Forestry Commission signs at this particular walk it has turned into Picadilly Circus.

[Ilona & Gina]

As Sue said, they all improve. Gina was a terrbible jumper, so terrible that I dreaded public spaces. She seems to twig it now that, instead of jumping all over people, she is supposed to sit. But you still see her little bum bouncing with excitement, and I warn people that Gina may jump up with excitement. And I still feel embarrassed when it happens. She's getting there, and yours will get there, too.

On the story with the b....dog owner - yes, it happens to all of us. Once on the dog beach, a guy who is well known for his hostility to dogs, screamed and yelled at us that we should put Anton on the lead. Anton - at that time still a tiny puppy - saw this as the cue to run up to the guy and jump up at him - with all paws in the air! You should have heard this guy, "I'll beat the crap out of your dog!". We were not as friendly as you, though. We told the guy to leave the dog beach. And if he ever touched our dog, we would get him by his dearest body part. That was almost 1 1/2 years ago. I still see this guy every day. He never says a word. And when he comes towards us, the now fully grown dogs walk nicely by our side - as it should be.

But the memory still shakes me. I feel with you.

[danielle rowles]

Thankfully I have not been shouted at yet (touch wood) but one or the other of the dogs sometimes jump up, though it has rare, they are having way to much fun chasing each other and playing with other dogs! I'm lucky though because my daily walk is through miles of open fields and we very rarely come across anyone out walking who hasn't got a dog or 2 with them, though we did come across a woman out running yesterday that didn't seem impressed with the dogs, though they didn't jump up.
I always find the biggest problem is the silly young girls who) a go out to places where dogs always are b) wear white and c) then scream when any dog comes towards them, they go all silly and the dogs think this means play, thankfully I have food and therefore I'm normally more interesting than other people. Though I wasn't more interesting the other week when we met someone out with a bitch in full season and off the lead, took ages for me to get the 8mth old back and the owner of the bitch wasn't having any luck either!!

[Rebecca]

Thank you everyone for your replies - it seems it really does happen a lot! Sue - I laughed for ages about your experience and the mud on her face! Oh dear me. IIona - what a dreadful encounter, and awful that you still see him every day. With any luck I won't see this chap again. Looking back, I don't think it would have happened in my case if he had just stopped to speak, but he charged on past. Murphy was just yearning to say hello. At least the man only had one paw on his jacket (and it wasn't white!!). Could have been so much worse. I remember he said something about how the dogs should be "on string" and I think it was a reference to them being strung up. Not very nice at all. Eva - Murphy does meet quite a few people on his walks and doesn't jump up, but I think it would do him good to see more so we're going to do what you suggest - thanks for the suggestion.

[Sue and Cash]

It is a muddy, rainy mess here and we use the dog park daily regardless of weather. Yesterday some man came in with his dog and went off on the trail. He had some friend with him who seemed to wait behind the fence because he must have noticed what a swamp it was in there. Eventually the friend came in and of course Cash ran to him (he is the welcoming comittee lately) and started to jump on him. The man actually forcefully pushed him off with his boot! Now Cash is only 17 weeks old and hardly big. And it is a dog park for pete's sake. I was furious. I was with a group of friends and one of the men there told this guy if he used his boot on another dog there he would be booted out of the park. I understand if your in a leashed only area of the forest and a dog is off leash and jumps getting upset....but in a dog park or beach?

[Ossian]

Come on guys....puppies, older dogs, muddy dogs, any kind of dog. the truth is you are going to have to think about this situation now VERY carefully. No more excuses!

Your dog should NOT be jumping up. There is No excuse for this behaviour and if the dog is inclined to jump then leash on ill your training is effective.!. I love my setters, I like them around but the consequences of "boiserous, playful or otherwise could be very grave indeed in the near future.

Make a conscious effort to get your dog under control at all times.

[Sue and Cash]

I have found that jumping up is one of the hardest things to stop a dog from doing. They are either jumpers or not. My last dog wasn't, this one is showing signs of it. Put your knee up, make them sit before greeting etc. What are you ideas to help this? Since their are no excuses, what do you do to stop it with your dogs? What training methods have you found to work? Years ago I had a setter Casey who always greeted me at the door by jumpiing up on my shoulders, he knocked me over and it wasn't a good outcome. Lots of blood and a trip to the ER. I am willing to get help with this please before it becomes engrained in my dog.

[Ossian]

Hi Susan
as a trainer I always tell people that jumping up is not a natural greeting among canines. It is one that we have taught (by accident sometimes) and by design.

Small people can find a view of a dog's tonsils quite intimidating

From the very beginning you should never address your dog unless its four feet are on the floor. Setters love to stretch up and "paw" you - which can be very sore, cause scratch marks, and leave you being accused of having a dog that "attacked" someone

In training turn your back, fold your arms or if the behavour is persistent put the dog out of the room (or outside - on its lead and back in the car)

Very very bad behaviour is when I might advise a knee in the dogs chest but you have to know what you are doing. Rather when tje dog comes up the front of you take the front paws in your hands and hold on to them. Even when the dog wants to break contact continue to hold the paws. Mildly pinch them and keep on holding them - only the most persistent ones come back after two or three "but you gave me your paws".

I cnt stress enough how important it is that we get these behaviours sorted. What to you is a harmless funloving setter may so easily be misconstrued as " a dog that attacked me" - dont defend your loopy setters teach it proper manners.

[Rebecca]

Some good training tips there. In our case we have inherited Murphy's jumping up problem as we only re-homed him in December, and he came with it! He's much better than he was (otherwise he would've jumped up ALL of the people we met that day). I mentioned training discs earlier, and I would add that as an option (not that I'm a big fan of such a negative method, but they do have their place I feel). We have had good success with using training discs for specific problem behaviours - mainly eating things in the garden and jumping up. Yes, we weren't a very good advert in this case, but I blame myself for being distracted. If the dog doesn't do the offending behaviour sometimes, you can't actually correct it, if you see what I mean. I would never defend it as acceptable behaviour but these things do happen with our "demonstratively affectionate" setters (thanks Sue!), and there is such thing as a gross over-reaction when the only result is a single paw print on a walking jacket!

[ursula wilby]

I totally agree with Ossian here.

It needs training and however friendly your dog is, just the sight of a large dog will scare some people. And I think dog-owners should be responsible enough to see that this never happens. If you are not certain your dog behaves amongst people...dont let him off the lead!

I love dogs, but the last thing I would want is to be walking somewhere in my "non-doggy"-clothes and be lept upon by somebodys muddy dog.
I do think owning dogs is also about being responsible...

[Marion Kroes]

Don't worry Rebecca, some people are not that lucky as we! We can enjoy all creatures big and small and some people cann't. I am so sorry for those people because they don't know the exact meaning of live.
You did all you can, girl, it is just only mud, you will always have those kind of people.
With very kind regards from Holand, Marion

[Rebecca]

Thanks Marion. When I told my mum the story over the phone last night she said philosophically "ah, he's one of those sorts of people"!

[Marion Kroes]

She's maybe my age?!?
Love Marion