Cocker Specific Discussion > Puppies

Dear god…. jumping up/counter surfing driving us insane. Help.

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Poppy123:
So after a couple of months of relative harmony and calm, our 7.5 month old bitch is again driving us round the twist!!! We thought we had turned a bit of a corner on the puppy exuberance and the jumping up at people had started to diminish. Now it’s back with a vengeance, coupled with mouthing and nipping at clothing. Are we starting the adolescent period now? Any advice?!  Plus the counter surfing and paws-up-to-table are beyond a joke now. We have never fed her from the table and she’s never managed to steal anything from the table or from kitchen counters. We’re always really careful about that. So what is her motivation? We feel like we’ve tried everything: telling no; gently moving off; ignoring altogether. Nothing works and my husband has had enough. If we can’t get a handle on it then he wants her gone  :'( Help.

bizzylizzy:
 :luv: Deeep Breath!!!   ;) Yes, it does indeed sound like adolescence but the good news is, like the puppy stage, it does pass (eventually... :005:) but you  need to be totally consistent and firm when laying down the boundaries.  I know its hard but do try and stay calm and patient, does she really understand what „No“ means? Look at it from her point of view, she wants you attention so she jumps up, counter surfs or whatever to make sure you haven’t forgotten she‘s there and in the hope that you might join in her game! You say No or something else, possibly in a different tone of voice that you normally use, and as far as she‘s concerned, she‘s got what she wants, i.e. your attention.
Try and offer her an alternative behaviour which you can then praise her for, a „sit“ or „down“ for example. You can try introducing a mat or blanket where you can send her to calm down for a short while. Start by putting it on the floor and stand or sit next to it, she‘ll probably come and have a sniff and as soon as she puts a paw on it or stands/sits on it, give her a treat, you can then gradually introduce a a command „mat“ or „blanket“ and continue treating her while she stays on it. Lengthen the gaps between the treats to encourage her stay on there in bit longer and after half a minute give the release signal. You can then lengthen the time on the mat before the release. The aim is for you to be able to send her to her mat to calm her down if she starts getting over excited, or when visitors arrive etc, - its also useful to take with you if you want her to lie quietly when you go somewhere.
Its really important not to forget the release signal though, so that she understands she should stay there until you tell her she can get off.
Remember its far easier for her to learn what you want her to do than what you don’t want her to do!  ;)
Best of luck!  :luv:

Pepsi Hawks:
Hi poppy we have just become puppy owners for the first to a 10week girl she has her moments but generally we'll behaved but we have to use treats all the time to bribe her. With regards jumping up at the table is it when you sit down to eat the evening meal ? We have given Pepsi a part of a  carrot to chomp on whilst we eat our meal and this seems to work 🤞keeps her busy for about 5mins or so but she's normally fairly chilled afterwards. Good luck and if you find a fix be sure to let us know.

bizzylizzy:
“,  ;)
--- Quote from: Pepsi Hawks on October 06, 2022, 09:30:32 PM ---Hi poppy we have just become puppy owners for the first to a 10week girl she has her moments but generally we'll behaved but we have to use treats all the time to bribe her. With regards jumping up at the table is it when you sit down to eat the evening meal ? We have given Pepsi a part of a  carrot to chomp on whilst we eat our meal and this seems to work 🤞keeps her busy for about 5mins or so but she's normally fairly chilled afterwards. Good luck and if you find a fix be sure to let us know.


--- End quote ---

- be a bit careful with „bribing“ with treats, - the dog can interpret the bribe as a reward for doing whatever it is you’re trying to stop her doing, so rather than discouraging the behaviour, you‘re actually encouraging it.. :shades:
 :luv:

Poppy123:
Thanks so much bizzylizzy - really appreciate the advice. We do have a bed in the kitchen that most of the time we can send her to and she does understand the ‘bed’ command but sometimes just chooses to ignore it….. Can I ask how we might train a release signal? We’ve worked quite hard on ‘bed’ and getting her to stay for varying lengths of time but in the end it’s always she who chooses when to get out and then we have to try to send her back.

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