# HELP - How to get rid of naughty traits at 9 mths



## Vickytick (Oct 4, 2012)

Hi,

Freddie is now 9 months old and on the most part he is a loving, well behaved dog with a lovely temperament *BUT* he still has a few naughty traits that I want to try to stop before he reaches the 1 year old milestone. I'm not sure if its simply 'puppy behaviour' (is he too old for that at 9 nearly 10 mths old???) or I have a problem.

The two main ones are

1) Jumping up or going 'loopy' as we call it when someone comes to the door. It might even be me or my husband who left minutes ago but you'd think we'd been away for years the way he carries on. Its lovely that he misses us but I want to stop him jumping up and I'm struggling even after following all the different techniques ie ignoring, turning my back on him. Does any think those air cans are a good idea or not? Any ideas?

2) Biting/Mouthing. The only time its really biting is when I dry his feet from the garden or brushing him then he does clamp down his teeth but he does like to mouth your fingers with his teeth as a gesture of play but this scares my 7 stepson a bit and its not behaviour I want to carry on. I say no biting naughty boy and he understands as he looks very sorry for himself but then carries on the next time?

I can't have my own children so he is my baby and I probably am quite sensitive to any criticism or failing of him as a parent would be of a child. None of us like to think we've got it wrong but I just want to know what to do. He has been castrated in Jan so he has calmed down.

Sorry for the long post but it just gets me down.

Thanks


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## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

Mine go loopy when someone comes to the door too (my own fault as I have been pretty lax over that) I put mine behind the stairgate when guests arrive, they calm down very quickly and when i let them out after a few minutes they ignore them.
As for the mouthing, Dexter is inclined to do it to me when I brush him. I can't get him out of it but a chew usually distracts him


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## eddie1 (May 31, 2012)

Eddie was one last week and he is exactly the same. When anyone comes to the house he calms down after a few minutes but I know how you feel,it is frustrating. When he wants to play he starts mouthing me,I keep saying NO BITING, I get fed up of hearing myself. XX


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

Try training him to sit on a particular spot, when you open the front door. I have an old carpet sample that I've used over the years (easy to take to dog training for the 'send your dog to bed' exercise).
I put it at the far end of the hall. Initially train the dog to go - 'on your spot' and rewardas soon as they are sitting, or lying down on it (whichever you want).
Then build up time between going on to the 'spot' and being rewarded. Build this up until you can go and open the front door and close it and return to reward. Once this is well established when the door is open, ring the bell, knock or put the key in the lock. Rewarding as long as your dog stays on the spot. If they move off, shut the door. take the dog back to the spot and repeat.
Once they are fine with this, then get a stooge to ring the bell - send dog to spot...
When you come in send dog to the spot, only greet them when they are on the spot. If they get too jumpy send them back to the spot. When visitors come the dog must stay on the spot until the visitor is in and settled before they may greet them. If you leave a lead attached to his collar if he starts leaping you can just take the lead and take them back to the spot...
Calm and consistent, it will get better.
Mouthing - use firm 'AHH'. Fold arms and turn away from dog...
Just call me Barbara Woodhouse!!!


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## JoJo (Mar 2, 2011)

Umm the jumping up with excitement, yep mine do this. You may like to train him to sit and stay when someone comes to the door, or teach him the off command for jumping up with the up command for jumping up, whatever works for you, it can be done with consistent training. I just love the warm excited welcome ... maybe naughty of me.

The biting is something that would be very good to stop, use a command or gesture you feel he responds to and be consistent, you are top dog here and he needs to know it using words and signs, growl at him and a firm no always works for me for any unwanted behaviour. 

I hope these issues settle down for you, it is all about feeling and being in control when you need to be. We all lapse on all forms of training, and have to get back on track   you are still a great mummy xxx


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## Very muddy (Jun 8, 2012)

Hi Victoria. Monty is almost 10 months and does all of the above.  I can't obviously give you any advice because we haven't managed to sort it out yet either but weve started to try to ignore him completely when we come home which we think might be calming him down a bit ... But maybe not. 

The other thing he does if he wants the children's attention is to pull their thumb gently. Obviously, this is quite appealing to my own kids but definitely something we're going to have to sort out. we can't have the kids' friends being taken from room to room by their thumbs. X


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

9 months is still young, all of the behaviour is puppy behaviour and will fizzle out in time. The mouthing thing is something you can work on. He needs desensitised to you cleaning, brushing him etc. he also needs to know that not all interaction is a game. Try every day, a couple of times a day to touch all of him and get him used to it, invaluable for grooming and nail clipping. Hold a treat in front of him using it as a distraction. Look in his ears, touch his paws, check his teeth, under his tail etc etc and if he lets you do this without mouthing then treat him. Repeat repeat repeat.


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## alvinsimon (Feb 22, 2012)

*Two Common Unwanted Behaviors*

My two dogs stopped jumping after several weeks of completely ignoring them when we walked through the front door. We were persistent and determined to stop the behavior. No relapses! If a friend comes in, instruct the friend to ignore the dog.

Simon arrived with a snapping/mouthing issue. Here's what I did to stop it, because if you don't, you'll have a grown dog who bites - not pleasant at all. Click this link:
Correcting puppy biting.


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## Vickytick (Oct 4, 2012)

Thanks all much appreciated. Its nice to know I'm not doing that bad a job with him. 

I'm going to be much stricter with him when I open the door and really start on letting the visitor come in and then let him greet them. As it seems to be that's the issue as he stays in his basket when I come home or down in the morning. As for biting he's starting to get 'time out' and being ignored much more which he hates bless him and it kills me with his little cute face but perserve I will.


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