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my 1 year old german shorthair pointer (not fixed) will not stop playing rough and play biting when other people are at my home. he is fine when there is no stranger around, or when he isnt at home, but having company over is a real problem. he loses all discipline and just starts jumping on people. other than that he is awesome though. any advice??

>>my 1 year old german shorthair pointer (not fixed) will not stop playing rough and play biting when other people are at my home. he is fine when there is no stranger around, or when he isnt at home, but having company over is a real problem. he loses all discipline and just starts jumping on people. other than that he is awesome though. any advice??

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This is a training matter, and it may take several months of good practice with a good class or private instructor to work him through it. If he is not neutered, you may see more behavior complications by age three years. I like to neuter mine around 14 months.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

He's still quite young and you haven't trained him not to do those behaviors towars strangers. Yes, he knows not to do it with you, great, that is wonderful. Yet, dogs don't generalize well and they need to be shown with each new situation what is expected of them.

Put your puppy (mentally that's what he still is) back on a leash when guests come over and control his actions. When he's doig what you want, praise him and let others praise him. When he's jumping use the leash to control the behavior or prevent it in the first place and do not reward that behavior. Good manners allow him to meet the people he desires to see. Poor manners do not.

It won't take long to train this especially if you have somone willing ot come over frequently and help you out.
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PHReign
Email me: HReign@pethobbyist.com" target="_blank">PHReign@pethobbyist.com
Dear dog,
I can not buy anything larger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think that I will continue to sleep on the couch to ensure your comfort. Look at videos of dogs sleeping, they can actually curl up in a ball. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to your fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straigt out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space used is nothing more than doggy sarcasm.

Also keep in mind that *any* touch or talking to him is a reward. That means that if he's jumping and you tell him not to, or touch him to pull him off, or if the guest pushes him off, that's a reward and will re-inforce the behaviour. That's why the leash is so important. He won't associate a pull on the leash with a reward from you. I know a few people have had success with standing on the leash when guests arrive. That way he can't jump up - his neck is anchored to the ground. If you leave a little room for him to get his feet off the floor, that gives you a great opportunity to praise as soon as the feet hit the floor again. If the praise gets him excited and he jumps again, you turn away and again praise when his feet are on the floor.

This takes impeccable timing because you never want to accidentally praise him mid-jump. This is where a clicker comes in very handy.

I'm just starting this stuff with my dog myself..