PSA Control your dogs

[disneyseniors]

Goldens - OMG. I've never had a dog that wanted to be hugged so much. He's absolutely adorable, but also very smart and a real handful. He has absolutely no instinct to protect anything. That's good because he rarely barks and we can trust him not to hurt anyone, but it would be nice to have another set of eyes on the front door. He's finally taken to potty training (took 8 solid months - each of my previous labs got it in minutes). He's in a crate when we can't watch him full time because he has eaten socks and underwear, plus absolutely anything he can access - which is pretty much anything. My last lab would not go near a crate which was fine - he also never got into anything.

Had it to do over I would get another lab. They are so much easier to train and want to please a lot more than a golden, but we're figuring it out.

I agree! I love labs. They are so kind and loving, and ours was easy to train. He was huge but never barked at people. Except for one time when he a took a dislike to a couple of our guests. We had a resort with cabins. He never did anything to them but barked and watched them. They were the only people who stole anything from our cabins in all our years of running the resort. Somehow he just knew that they were not to be trusted. Labs are incredibly smart and faithful. He was "my" dog and watched out for me. One day I went swimming off our beach into deeper water and he came running and jumped into the water and gently took hold of my arm in his mouth and pulled me to shore! I found out that I needed to put him in his pen when I went swimming. I really miss that sweet dog.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I love dogs, but I don’t love dog behavior like this. I wouldn’t want to be around that dog, either.

Is this their first dog, by chance? I hope they don’t have to learn the hard way that that type of behavior is a liability for them. If the dog hurts someone by jumping up and knocking them down, they (and the dog) could be in trouble if there’s an injury.

Good luck trying to get them to change, though. They probably won’t. It’s people like this that make it hard for people who do teach their dogs how to behave.

My dogs are pretty mellow but if I have people over, they go outside. In extremes of weather they’ll come in and go in the sunroom with the door closed so as not to bother anyone. Often visitors tell me I can let the dogs in. Dogs say hi then they go lay down. Last week we had friends over to eat and a movie and during the movie the little one layed between them on the sofa and they patted him, saying let him stay, otherwise I would’ve put him away or put the gate up.

This doesn’t happen by chance, it takes a lot of direction and consistency to get them to understand the rules. But once they do, and they’re enforced all the time, they generally behave. On my 7th German Shepherd now and I also have a Cairn Terrier, who’s a great dog. I’ve known a lot of retrievers who are friendly but food mongers. One friend had a big Black Lab behaved like the one in the OP. When our kids were little they had us over once for a birthday or something. We were having cupcakes when the dog jumped up, grabbed one of the cupcakes, and practically swallowed it whole! The mom was running around the house chasing after the dog, lol.

Someone upthread mentioned it, too, but daily and hard exercise is really necessary for some of these dogs who were bred to work. They don’t know what to do with themselves when they’re just cooped up all day, and their energy comes out as chaos. With more directed energy, like a run, or playing ball, or playing with other dogs, life can be so much better. A tired dog is a happy dog.

 

[John VN]

Some actions when a Dog Jumps upon entering a house

1. Block the Jump:
   As the dog attempts to jump, bring your knee up forcefully to the dog's chest.
   
   
2. Deny Attention:
   Turn your back to the dog and cross your arms to show you will not engage with the behavior.
   
   
3. Do Not Make Eye Contact:
   Avoid looking at the dog, as this can reinforce the jumping behavior.
   
   
4. Wait for Calmness:
   Stay still and ignore the dog until they have settled down and are no longer jumping

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I love dogs, but I don’t love dog behavior like this. I wouldn’t want to be around that dog, either.

Is this their first dog, by chance? I hope they don’t have to learn the hard way that that type of behavior is a liability for them. If the dog hurts someone by jumping up and knocking them down, they (and the dog) could be in trouble if there’s an injury.

Good luck trying to get them to change, though. They probably won’t. It’s people like this that make it hard for people who do teach their dogs how to behave.

My dogs are pretty mellow but if I have people over, they go outside. In extremes of weather they’ll come in and go in the sunroom with the door closed so as not to bother anyone. Often visitors tell me I can let the dogs in. Dogs say hi then they go lay down. Last week we had friends over to eat and a movie and during the movie the little one layed between them on the sofa and they patted him, saying let him stay, otherwise I would’ve put him away or put the gate up.

This doesn’t happen by chance, it takes a lot of direction and consistency to get them to understand the rules. But once they do, and they’re enforced all the time, they generally behave. On my 7th German Shepherd now and I also have a Cairn Terrier, who’s a great dog. I’ve known a lot of retrievers who are friendly but food mongers. One friend had a big Black Lab behaved like the one in the OP. When our kids were little they had us over once for a birthday or something. We were having cupcakes when the dog jumped up, grabbed one of the cupcakes, and practically swallowed it whole! The mom was running around the house chasing after the dog, lol.

Someone upthread mentioned it, too, but daily and hard exercise is really necessary for some of these dogs who were bred to work. They don’t know what to do with themselves when they’re just cooped up all day, and their energy comes out as chaos. With more directed energy, like a run, or playing ball, or playing with other dogs, life can be so much better. A tired dog is a happy dog.

This is their first dog as a couple...but both of them have had dogs before separately. I know her mother had a boxer in the house with her, and we have this poodle mix here. I know the boxer was a very well behaved dog. So she definitely has been around dogs. Her husband grew up in the country and I know they had outside dogs. I just think that she doesn't know how to handle one, and her husband just never even tried w/his previous dogs.

She is a nurse and works long hours. He works out of town a lot, so the dog is left alone quite a bit. I remember they tried putting him in the basement, and he literally tore all the way through the drywall in one of the rooms down there. They came home to a "new window" into the laundry room one evening. I know my stepdaughter stays bruised up and scratched up all the time because she is constantly wrestling with that dog (but she seems to think that it's cute and affection). Her husband is a large guy and the dog just doesn't seem to intimidate him at all. I know they did try to enroll him in some kind of training class. I don't know the details, but I know that came to an abrupt end after about 2 sessions. I overheard a part of a phone conversation and I just know she was insulted about something and that was the end of charm school for the dog.

I am a cat person, but we have a dog here too. Ours is some kind of poodle mix... she can be a bit much at times, but her version of misbehavior is far less. She does NOT pounce, nor has she ever. She will climb on you if you are sitting down or something. She will whine, beg, lick, bark and ANNOY you, but has NEVER been physically intimidating.

I deal better with cats, and yes they can be a bit pushy and demanding at times. You can usually just shoo them away.

Supposing, the plan right now is to avoid going to her house, and that is a shame. I know it seems bad, but I literally just do not want to be around that dog. I just would think she would have the sense to put the dog in another room or something so that her guests wouldn't be mauled repeatedly.

 

[DodgerGirl]

My uncle and aunt used to have dogs and the habits they would always do was jump on tables and steal food but the most annoying thing they did was nibble on people's feet and every time my uncle and aunt had people visit them their dogs would always nibble at their feet. So my advice to you is to tell your daughter to make sure to give her dog training and she can go to either Petco or Petsmart and check out their pet training classes and find out the enrollment fee and the dog will be trained as easy as ABC in no time

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Since the owners don't seem to mind the behavior, it won't change. They seem to still think it's acceptable. The dog grabbed food off your plate but it's your fault, bouncing off the walls is normal... that's like parents of unruly children who blame the teachers when the kid is wild at school.

Good luck. They have no interest in making changes, since they're blind to the issues.

I hope they never have kids, it will be the exact same stupidity but with little humans who suffer for it. "Our dog/child is fine, it's you who has a problem" mentality.

 

[Magical2017]

I would explain why you do not want to come over. Can they get together at your home? It certainly is not your fault, but it is not the dog's fault either. You cannot control whether the owners see the dog's behavior as something that needs to change. You CAN control whether you go to their home while the dog is running loose.

 

[_19disnA]

I would also let them know you are uncomfortable around their unruly (and obviously untrained) dog. Maybe they will get the idea, but likely not. I would not visit them again at their house while they let the dog run wild. And probably need to be clear they are NOT welcome at your home if they bring the dog. We have relatives with a dog and think everyone just adores it...........we do NOT !!! Nothing wrong with letting them know your expectations.

I have never allowed any dog to lick my face or eat food from my plate, think that is both disgusting and unsanitary.

 

[anniemae]

We have a friend who has a dog that is kind of unruly as well. I think it's a lab mix. He rubs up against you and I hate that. Leaves dog hair and slobber all over my clothes. I try to back away and say "no" to show I don't like it but the owners just kind of chuckle like he is so cute. This dog also jumps up on people. When we are eating he goes under the table looking for food and he goes around putting his head in everyones lap snuffling and begging for food. It's very uncomfortable and we now either decline invites from them or we just stay for an hour or so.

The annoying part is that they have a big fenced in yard and can easily put him outside but they think everyone loves their dog and that everyone thinks his antics are cute.

 

[Niklnip]

This is their first dog as a couple...but both of them have had dogs before separately. I know her mother had a boxer in the house with her, and we have this poodle mix here. I know the boxer was a very well behaved dog. So she definitely has been around dogs. Her husband grew up in the country and I know they had outside dogs. I just think that she doesn't know how to handle one, and her husband just never even tried w/his previous dogs.

She is a nurse and works long hours. He works out of town a lot, so the dog is left alone quite a bit. I remember they tried putting him in the basement, and he literally tore all the way through the drywall in one of the rooms down there. They came home to a "new window" into the laundry room one evening. I know my stepdaughter stays bruised up and scratched up all the time because she is constantly wrestling with that dog (but she seems to think that it's cute and affection). Her husband is a large guy and the dog just doesn't seem to intimidate him at all. I know they did try to enroll him in some kind of training class. I don't know the details, but I know that came to an abrupt end after about 2 sessions. I overheard a part of a phone conversation and I just know she was insulted about something and that was the end of charm school for the dog.

I am a cat person, but we have a dog here too. Ours is some kind of poodle mix... she can be a bit much at times, but her version of misbehavior is far less. She does NOT pounce, nor has she ever. She will climb on you if you are sitting down or something. She will whine, beg, lick, bark and ANNOY you, but has NEVER been physically intimidating.

I deal better with cats, and yes they can be a bit pushy and demanding at times. You can usually just shoo them away.

Supposing, the plan right now is to avoid going to her house, and that is a shame. I know it seems bad, but I literally just do not want to be around that dog. I just would think she would have the sense to put the dog in another room or something so that her guests wouldn't be mauled repeatedly.

Ouch. It sounds like that dog would benefit from a vet visit for behavioral concerns, perhaps prescribed some anti-anxiety medication (fluoxetine, trazodone, gabapentin, etc). It’s not just a massive expense to the house. It’s dangerous to the dog too to be ripping walls apart.

High anxiety dogs are a huge trial, especially if they’re already working long hours and are having difficulty keeping up. If/when you do talk to her about it, it might help approaching from a “what if the dog jumps on grandma” standpoint. Overactive animals being surrendered for injuring grandma is a very, very common reason, alongside “we don’t have time to train” or “it eats the walls”.

Plus if something like a bite occurred, depending on where they live, it can incur a LOT of tickets, quarantine fees, and if it’s bad enough and the other person wants to pursue it, can lead to further court issues (like deeming the animal dangerous).

At the end of the day it’s about the safety of the people around the dog as much as it is the dog themselves.

 

[Niklnip]

Also, sorry to double post, but I thought it would be funny to mention that I received an ad for dog training on this page….