15 month old lunging and nipping

I need help please! I have a 15 month old boy, he seems to have a problem with being told “no” or being ignored for bad behaviour. He on occasion nips at times (mostly when he’s really excited) and when I tell him “no” firmly he immediately starts growling and lunging at me, mostly pretending he’s going to nip me but sometimes actually does nip. He does the same thing if I ignore him or if I make a squeal as if I’m hurt when he does it. He’s not aggressive any other time and is a pretty well behaved dog (apart from getting too excited and jumping up at people). I don’t know what else to do! He gets put in a time out in another room currently when he’s doing this. Sorry for the long post!

Never apologise for a long post!

I doubt that he's being aggressive. But he's at an age where he knows best - a teenage know-it-all, if you like.

Instead of putting him in another room, walk out yourself & shut the door. Leave it for a minute or two & then go back in (have a treat in your pocket). If he reacts when you go back in, walk out again. Keep it up until he's calm on your re-entry, give him a command (sit will do) & then treat.

Don't 'react' to his jumping up as that will be seen as you interacting with him. Stay calm, ignore him if you have to when you walk back in & he'll soon get the idea.

Does anything in particular spark him off? Is there a specific time of day, or a specific thing that starts him jumping etc?

Thanks for the reply. I will definitely try leaving the room rather than taking him out. No particular time, just gets in a playful mood and gets too excited if we’re playing with his toys. Or if he wants to play and I haven’t started playing right away. Don’t get me wrong it’s not all the time, every now and then but it’s something I really want to stop! As for jumping at people again it’s when he’s in a playful mood or when a visitor comes over. He literally holds onto my leg sometimes if I’m trying to leave the room and he wants attention. I don’t let him off the lead on walks because he likes to jump and say hello to everyone!

You're doing the right things, but it may take a while for him to settle into his hormones! Has he been castrated? I'm not advising it, but it may be testosterone galloping about in his system!

Does the behaviour happen shortly after a meal?

Hasn’t been castrated yet but I am planning on doing so when he’s 18 months. I’ve heard it’s best to wait until he’s finished growing. Nothing around food, he’s very good when it comes to food. I will carry on then and try leaving the room as opposed to taking him out. Thank you!

I didn't mean food aggression or anything like that, but some dogs get really hyper active after certain brands of food.

I totally agree with Gilly, we had the same problem when Katy was a youngster. It was like living with a Tasmanian Devil I used to just leave the room without even looking at her for a few minutes then return, if she nipped again I would get up & leave. After a few days she got the idea Playing would over excite her into nipping so we taught her Enough so she knew when play time was over. He will get there

Ahh sorry thought you meant food aggression! He has an incredibly sensitive stomach and so far we’ve only found one brand that works for him so he has that but it doesn’t seem to correlate with after eating or anything. Thank you both, I feel reassured!

What food did you settle for?

AVA sensitive skin and stomach from pets at home. We tried raw for a while but he ended up with blood in his stools the poor baby. This one seems to be perfect!

Is this the one?
https://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/ava-veterinary-approved-adult-sensitive-dog-food-15kg?weight=15kg%3futm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google_shopping&cm_mmc=Google-_-CPC-_-%2520google_shopping-_-google_shopping&ita=1976&ito=google_shopping&istCompanyId=7255ccad-a1fc-4729-af31-478f79e5071c&istFeedId=385e6b9a-8b03-4076-a8bb-e4737df8549c&istItemId=itiwmtmwr&istBid=t&&cm_mmc=&ito=GAG80810759673&itc=GAC388411720710&itkw=nil&itaexid=&itawnw=search&itawmt=&itadvc=c&gclid=Cj0KCQiAiNnuBRD3ARIsAM8KmlsyePG5tf8Ck2jnC_e5TmRM_BzobrXYyheztqeBFmY_Maq9Gy4Tg08aAlhiEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I wonder why it says to consult a vet before feeding?

Goodness me, that's a long link!

Super long link!! But yes that’s the one. We did get it recommended by our vets, he was having such trouble that he was on rice and chicken for quite a while because all the foods we tried just upset him and made his skin terrible. We had to have his stools tested to make sure it was nothing serious which thankfully it wasn’t! It’s been a good few months now and so far so good!

Gilly gave perfect advice re you leaving rather than making him leave. As for castration...there are two ways i feel about this. If your dog is well behaved and causing no issues...don't do anything. If your dog is having issues..whack them off! I do get the wanting to keep them until they finish growing but frankly it doesnt make THAT much difference in the grand scheme of things.