Post # 1
Member
3170 posts
Sugar bee
I need some help, ladies. I am fed up with my dog, Max, getting SO excited around new people. No, not even new people, any person he sees. The only person he doesn’t care about is me. My friend, Amanda, is the only one who can come over because she knows how to deal with him but every time she comes over Max flips shit. Jumps on her for a good 10 minutes because he is SO excited. He’s a pit and is very thick so it’s impossible to control him.
We can usually get him to sit down if we have treats held over his head but the second he eats the treat he is back to freaking out. I usually have to wrestle him down, which I know isn’t a great option, and make him be still. My husband and I can’t have guests to our house because we don’t trust Max. He is the sweetest boy in the world, I don’t think he would ever hurt any body but he wants so badly to be your best friend.
How can I stop this? I know training classes are the obvious choice but before I go down that road I was hoping for some other tips. My fear with training is I’ll take him and he will flip out on everyone at the training class. It would be impossible to get him to concentrate.
He’s lucky he is so freaking adorable.
Post # 4
Member
3941 posts
Honey bee
How big is your house/apartment? Is there somewhere you could lock him up when people are over?
I don’t have any training tips, but I have a real issue with bigger dogs jumping up on me. I looooooove dogs, but I can’t stand that.
Is the excitement coming from the guest walking through the door? Or is it just a new person in general?
And yes, he is freaking adorable!
Post # 5
Member
3336 posts
Sugar bee
#1 you need to be able to control your dog. Even if that means leashing him, and putting him on umbilical when someone comes around.
Stop his behaviour before he ever jumps on someone. And stay on top of him. If that means you have to correct him 10000000 times, then so be it. You have to win the battles.
You have allowed him to be the boss, and it’s time to change that dynamic. What is most important is consistency.
Post # 6
Member
3106 posts
Sugar bee
Does he like rawhide? My pittie mix is also a nutjob, but he has learned that company=rawhide and he seriously looks so desperate when I let someone in. He wants to jump but he also wants to RUN for his bone. He stays pretty distracted as long as he’s got a bone to chomp on.
Post # 7
Member
3170 posts
Sugar bee
@KateByDesign: We have a three story house and putting him in his kennel is a last resort, I would like to teach him to be calm with people around. He is in his kennel when we aren’t at home so he gets excited the second he sees someone.
@andielovesj: Thanks, I know this though. You can’t really ‘stop the behavior before it happens’ though, if you met Max you would know there is no stopping him before anything happens. The world is his playground. He’s too big to control right away. You open his kennel door and he goes flying through the house because he is so excited.
Post # 8
Member
6014 posts
Bee Keeper
My dog is a black lab who gets excited when people come over too. I found that if i put her in the back bedroom till the people are settled and let her out, she just goes around sniffing people and not jumping. I think it’s the doorbell and the hustling in of people and everyone all exicted makes her excited. We did just keep her back in the bedroom for the first few months I moved in cause she could just not calm down.
I also know if we are having people over she needs a few extra long walks, and a trip to the dog park to wear her out. You might want to try these ideas.
Post # 9
Member
3041 posts
Sugar bee
He needs more disipline, a consequence for his actions. Sounds like you give him treats when he jumps on people (to lure him off), but maybe he sees jumping = treats?
Maybe you can hire a private dog trainer, someone who comes over to your house for a private lesson.
You need to be able to control your dog, YOU know he’s a sweet boy but the breed is generally feared by the public & you never know what could happen. Someone could claim that he tried to attack them, even if he was just jumping. Or what if someone was holding their baby & he jumped on them?
Getting this controled now is key, don’t let him do what he wants, make him do what you want. You need to show yourself as the “alpha” in the pack. When you have dinner, you & your family eat before you feed him. Never play tug of war with your dog unless YOU win. If he jumps up, knee him.
Post # 10
Member
3170 posts
Sugar bee
@mamadingdong: I wish we could use something like that because he is totally controlled by treats but we have two other dogs and they will get into a fight if we have a bone in the house. If the others come near it Max will freak out. I can get him to lay down if I have a treat in front of him but he is laying there wagging his tail like crazy looking back and forth between the treat and the person.
Post # 11
Member
3170 posts
Sugar bee
@HisIrishPrincess: We have actually talked about the walking thing because he is always so worn out after a good walk. If we ever seriously consider having guests over and Max hasn’t calmed down yet I’ll make the hubby take him on a looonnnnnng walk/run.
Post # 12
Member
3941 posts
Honey bee
How do you react when you come home? Do you used a high pitched voice when you let him out of his kennel and give him a lot of attention and treats?
If so, nix that behavior asap. Let him out by making no noise and walking away from him initially. After a while, after he’s over you coming home and letting him out, you can pay attention to him. But he would need to disassociate you coming home with excitement on both of your parts.
Post # 13
Member
369 posts
Helper bee
@Birdee106: Do people fuss over him when they come in? I remember when we were in puppy training class we were taught to ignore the dog until it behaves the way you want (ie – stops jumping on you and calms down).
And yea, he’s freaking ADORABLE!!!
Post # 14
Member
182 posts
Blushing bee
We have three dogs, I work with local rescues and I have worked with Pit rescues in the past. Because you have a pitbull, you NEED to take this dog to training classes. Bully breeds get a bad rap because a lot of times owners do not know how to deal with their stubborn behavior, and the dog does not see you as Alpha.They learn that they can rule the roost and people don’t like being around them because they are a “bad” dog. They are NOT bad dogs. This breed in particular needs to know who is boss.
If you try to do the training on your own, you need to know his currency. What does he like most? Treats, playtime, toys, exercise? Training behaviors will need to be done over and over and over (and over and over, etc…) , and when he does what you want, PRAISE him like crazy.
Are you walking him frequently? I recommend at least two 15-20 minute walks a day. At least. If he isn’t getting enough exercise (not just running around in the yard), it will make him restless and he will take all that excitement and pent up energy out on everyone else (the jumping).
Pitbulls are some of the sweetest dogs, but never underestimate their strength and their strong will. If you have no experience with the breed, you really need to find someone who can help you with behavior training.
I tend to ramble when it comes to dogs, I’m one of those crazy dog advocates.
Good luck!
Post # 15
Member
3170 posts
Sugar bee
@canthugallcats: I totally agree with you. And we don’t reward him for jumping, we reward him for sitting or laying down. He never gets attention for jumping other than me throwing him down. It’s as if he has a switch that he can’t turn off in his head when there is someone around, he gets soo excited he just doesnt know how to settle down. He will do all other commands I tell him if there isn’t anyone around, sit, stay, lay down, shake. He is very well trained, this is really his only problem. Maybe a trainer at the house is the best idea.
Post # 16
Member
3170 posts
Sugar bee
@KateByDesign:
@KatyLovesJoey:
When I or my husband gets home we just open his kennel door and walk away. They run upstairs to the back door and we let them out. No attention at all but thats just because they really couldn’t care less about us when they see us. They want to go play outside. When I have someone over he knows right away, he can smell them. He runs straight to them and starts jumping. I have started just telling my friend to wait outside and then let the dogs out and then she comes in. But once Max wants to come inside he flips out.