I'm looking for suggestions! I have my 4th Airedale. My first 3 were 20 inches tall, Chuku is 25 at 9 months. We've been in puppy and obedience classes, and we have several commands pretty well, including Get Down and Off (which means Leave It). For me he sits when I fold my arms. Sit and Down are solid commands with hand or voice signals. Stay is up to 30 seconds. I use a clicker.
I have been unable to keep him from jumping on people and mouthing arms. He doesn't do that anymore with me or my family (whom we see only occasionally). And he's sometimes merciless with my 5-year-old Airedale. I interfere when the 'drive' builds. I have just the 2 now. Right now they are playing quietly, gently mouthing each other, with Chuku on the ground. To stop barking and more assertive stuff with the older dog I use a squirt gun. Plain water works.
He was tested by an Airedale expert as a puppy. She had 4 from the litter for 4 weeks, and she didn't find aggression and is quite surprised he hasn't calmed down. She calls this 'bratty Airedale behavior.' I don't see any other signs of aggression, and neither does our trainer. I believe he is being playful. AND I know it's my fault for not having stopped the jumping earlier.
To complicate matters, I live in a rural community and we rarely see other people. I could go into town and walk up and down Main Street, however, hopefully getting some of my friends to participate. Otherwise it would be people who haven't agreed to participate. When he jumps up, his head is almost at your face!
Can you help me with a plan of action?
Comments
plan for really tough jumping cases
Hi Barbara, I see you've ordered The Positive Petzine Collection (thanks!) There is a plan for ending unwanted jumping on visitors in there (which you may already be using) but if this is a tough case, there is a modification which can help.
It involves inviting a friend over to help. You have your dog leashed and tethered. Have your friend approach with arms crossed (this is your pre-trained cue to sit as mentioned). If your dog goes to jump, your friend turns around and walks off. Wait 30 seconds, try again. Only let your friend approach if pup is sitting.
Why does this work?
It's perfectly natural for a pup to want to jump up to our face level to greet us. Some ethologists would even call it a sign of respect. So much for being "bratty", eh?
For a dog, this is what would normally "work". Only, all of a sudden it doesn't work - can't work. The only thing that does work is to sit.
If you repeat this several times over the next couple of weeks with a few different people he might even start to remember it, or at least be easily reminded.
Just another thing - be careful using the water spray to cool off Chuku when he gets too assertive with your older boy. Right now he's about to reach sexual maturity and things could change, so while it seems harmless enough right now don't get suckered into thinking it's always going to be effective. That's the problem with stuff that works for us, we get reinforced for doing it and extinction takes a while. In the meantime Chuku might learn something we don't want him to.
Although it does sound like you have a playful pup, aggression is learned behavior and is easily learned in the right environment. You obviously realise the benefits of setting appropriate boundaries and being a good leader, so now all we have to do is make sure you have strategies which will work for you, Chuku and your older boy so that everyone can live in harmony.
I always like the idea of asking for a different behavior when we see something we don't like. It doesn't inflame the situation, it gives alternatives and it keeps things positive. If he's being a real so-and-so, a time out for a minute or two might be a better idea - it just breaks the state that he's in and gives him some time to settle down. The best time-outs are swiftly implemented and emotionless.
Regards,
Aidan
http://www.positivepetzine.com