Need some help from more experienced people than myself

Hi guys, I have a 5 and a half month old staffy girl and I love her to bits. She is picking everything up so well and is learning a lot. She sleeps through the night, she’s fully toilet trained and we have got her nipping/biting under control for the most part.

But I say for the most part. She knows what to bite and what not to in general - she plays with her toys and mouths them and for the most part she knows skin is a no go. But one of the lasting problems we are having that we just can’t nip in the bud is jumping up and ripping clothing. This is most problematic when out on a walk. If someone walks by she will do her best to jump up at them and go for their clothes. She has a particular interest in jackets and things that hang on sleeves or below your waist in general. She has ripped a lot of our jackets which is fine because I understand but it’s a problem when she jumps up at strangers. I do my best to keep her on as short a leash as possible but sometimes she just reaches up for people and sometimes people go down to stroke her even after I have warned them that she will go for their jacket they still go and stroke her and low and behold they walk away with a cut in their jacket.

In the back garden she is also quite naughty and this is a problem that sometimes comes in to the house but it’s predominately outside. But in the back garden she will jump up at our clothes and at bite our shoes when we are cleaning up after her. Nothing will encourage her to let go - we have tried ignoring her, saying no in a firm voice, distracting her with treats etc. and once she has latched on to one of our feet or clothes she won’t let go until someone else comes out to try and distract her then she will run away because she thinks we are playing a game. Sometimes this behaviour spills in to the house but it’s easier to distract her inside than it is outside as she has more toys and it’s a much more confined space so most things are within quite a short reach. So it usually doesn’t last long in the house.

I’m convinced that both these behaviours are linked and that fixing one will fix both. And the most important one is that she shouldn’t jump up at other people and bite their clothes etc. This is the most problematic behaviour as it could end up getting her or us in trouble. But I don’t know what else we can do to change this. I have read a lot online about ignoring her when she behaves like this but they are hard to ignore when they are jumping up at people in public. The person they are jumping up at certainly won’t be ignoring her and if I ignore her when she is doing then I would just come across as uncaring to the person they are jumping at. Telling her a firm no is the least effective method as she just doesn’t listen when she is in that mood and distracting her with a treat sometimes works but likewise when she is in that mood she just simply doesn’t care about treats.

I’m not sure if this is something she will grow out of but it’s not showing any signs of stopping. I feel like we have tried everything. Me and my girlfriend are having a bit of a disagreement at the moment. I feel like by not saying no to her she will think it’s ok to do it, so that is the method I think is most effective. My girlfriend is of the view that by saying no we are giving her attention so it’s best to ignore her and not give her attention when she is being like this. My problem with that is that there is no way of her knowing that is wrong firstly but the main issue is that it’s just not something which can be applied in the outside world where this behaviour is most problematic. I either look like a negligent owner with a dog that jumps up at people and I don’t react to them or it doesn’t work anyway because the person she jumps up at will react. If she grabs hold of someone’s jacket the natural reaction is for that person to pull away, but then she thinks it’s a game of tug and that actually makes it worse.

Just looking for some advice really because not sure what to do…

Just additional information. We take her for two walks a day usually, or 1 longer one. 2 x 30 mins or 1x 45-60 mins, conscious of joint problems so don’t want to overwalk her. She also has lots of socialization in the form of play dates because we have a few family friends who have dogs and she usually has one or two play dates a week where she is largely well behaved. I don’t think it’s a lack of exercise problem because there are the odd days where she has been on walks for a couple of hours and had lots of mental stimulation too and she still behaves the same no matter how much exercise or mental stimulation she has had.

Hello & welcome.

Firstly, I'm at work so I can't respond in detail atm, but would just like to say that I think you're right - "No" won't cut it! She will already have jumped by the time you say it.

I would firstly get something to put on her harness (if she wears one) or to wrap around her lead to say "In Training". Make sure it's really bright & easily read. That way, if you do an about turn or the other people won't be offended. Then when you're coming towards someone, make her sit and wait until they have passed. For the time being, restrict actual greetings until she's more under control. If she starts to get over excited, do an about turn & walk the other way.

I doubt that it's lack of exercise, it's more a habit that rewards her. So the action itself is a reward, if that makes sense?  When you're at home & she jumps, do an sharp about turn & stand totally still, arms folded & don't make eye contact. Do that EVERY time she jumps. You might need to wear clothes indoors that are expendable for the time being, though.

You could also get some Bitter Cherry spray and spray your clothes which will leave a really nasty taste in her mouth if she grabs - but make sure it won't stain your clothes first.

I'll try and have a think about more things you can do, and come back to you later on.