Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all. You've all been so helpful in young Sebastian's maturing. He is now 15 months old.
He did go to regular and advanced obedience (though people raise their eyebrows at this).
The two remaining nasty habits he has:
1. Jumping up onto the counters when mommy leaves the room even though he is WELL AWARE not to do it.
2. When people come to visit, he is so EXCITED and jumps up and down. When I know people are coming I put on his 'necklace' aka prong collar, which controls to an extent, also make him sit with a treat, but he is absolutely wild for about 10 minutes. It's very embarrassing.

As I mentioned...any advise is helpful

Well, the bouncy and happy when people arrive is very much a Golden trait. Nicolas does it, and almost every other Golden I have met has done it too. They are happy go lucky dogs who simply love people.

Personally, we don't care if he is bouncy and happy. We have a framed piece of artwork near our front door that talks about how this is our pets home and we wont change it for a guest... if they dont like our pets and aren't ok getting covered in pet hair and stepping over dog and cat toys then they shouldn't come inside. It's quite a cute little thing, but honestly it very much describes the way we feel.

Our pets are our children, and we are not going to lock them in the back of the house or something just because company comes over. This is their house as much as it is ours.

So.. anyways... all of our friends who come over are big dog lovers as well so it's not a problem. We've found Nicolas calms down best when guests sit down and give him some attention for a few minutes, then once he has gotten some attention from them he is fine.

So though my advice is probably different than everyone else's.. I say let them bounce and show your guests how excited they are to welcome your guest into the home and after a few minutes of getting some attention they will calm down.

With the jumping up on counters - the following exercise might help (you say he has obedience so I assume he can do a down stay..)

Put your dog on a down stay near whichever counter he jumps up on. Move away (perhaps to doorway only at first). If he stays put, give him a super yummy reward or lots of praise, or a favourite toy (whichever he prefers). If he jumps on counter go uhoh.. and leave him alone for a while - then try again. After he seems to get the hang of it, gradually decrease the distance until you can leave the room. Then increase the time... he should soon learn that he only gets rewarded when he doesn't jump up on the counter!

With regard to the jumping up on people - yes, this is a common problem with happy young dogs - it can, however, be a problem if someone frail visits - an over exuberant dog can accidentally knock someone small or frail to the floor!

The following might help.

When YOU come home, ask him to sit before he gets ANY attention. Some people suggest ignoring the dog for the first five minutes (I personally can't do this as I am dying to say hello myself!). However, I never say hello if my dog jumps up - he can wag his tail and be excited, but all four legs must stay on the ground (this also helps you keep muddy paws off work clothes before you get the chance to get changed into dog friendly clothes!!). I started this by making him sit first. It does work - eventually.

Do the same with visitors. I find it helpful to go to the door with the dog on leash at first. Ask him to sit, and reward ANY calm behaviour. I found this one took time... it helps if you get your visitor to ignore the dog until he's calm. My dog is now much better - although he almost always asks for a treat at the door!!

good luck with your beautiful dog - he looks loads of fun!