Jumping and nipping on walks.

Hi everyone! I was hoping you could help, Cali my 4 month old staffy has started jumping up and nipping me on walks, he never does it at home just when we are out, I find it difficult to calm him most times, I usually start by turning my back to ignore him, then if he continues (which he usually does) i do a light touch puff out my chest and stand my ground sometimes advancing on him all the time saying no! then if it continues (which it usually does) finally I try distracting him with treats. If all else fails my end result is holding his muzzle saying no bite... this is also becoming difficult as he is getting stronger each day. I don't know if i'm doing any of this right or all of it wrong, i would appreciate some advice on how to calm Cali and save my poor bruised legs and ripped jeans and all the scratches i am enduring.
Thanks in advance for any help.

Hi Rebecca, Keep saying a firm NO In a firm voice, When he Jumps push him down, And egnore him, Use treats, If you need any more help, Just give us a shout! Good luck, Remember persistance!

Thanks M, It is just a little frustrating as i have a lot of time to walk him at the moment (lots of time for teaching and bonding) and i can't even make it down to the end of the road.
My boyfriend has complete control, no problems on the walk, when we walk together perfect, its just when Cali is alone with me he acts up!
And new development...... he has tried humping my leg now.....

do you walk him on or off lead? I had this problem with Jett and nothing worked,as soon as I started letting him off lead he stopped.the only time he does it now is after he gets all giddy running through long grass.

Rebecca wrote:Thanks M, It is just a little frustrating as i have a lot of time to walk him at the moment (lots of time for teaching and bonding) and i can't even make it down to the end of the road.
My boyfriend has complete control, no problems on the walk, when we walk together perfect, its just when Cali is alone with me he acts up!
And new development...... he has tried humping my leg now.....

Sounds like he has little respect for you then if thats the case and you should work on that.

Do you feed him? Do you and your family eat first before the dog/s
Do you allow him to go through doors before you or do you expect him to sit and wait in a spot giving you plenty of room before he gets to go through?
Do you allow him to walk infront of you when walking?
Do you do much obidiance training with him?
Do you shout at him and lose your cool when he is not doing what you want him to?

Many more questions like these need to be addressed, but sounds like you need to show him when you ask him to do something you mean business. This should be done with you being calm though losing your cool wont help at all just shows them you dont know what to do.

i do a light touch puff out my chest and stand my ground sometimes advancing on him all the time saying no!

This is somewhat aggressive behaviour and will only get him going even more. If he dont listen when you tell him something and starts getting to big for his boots put him in a timeout to calm down.

Show him that doing what you say gets him rewards (Treats, toys, fun, praise, attention), not doing as you say means you ignore him or if need be he gets a timeout.

Have him ‘sit’ or ‘down’ before you give him anything he wants, from petting to tossing a toy. When he responds to you before you respond to him, he will start to look to you to set the rules, while at the same time getting in daily training practice.

Use tone of voice to communicate. A higher than normal pitch is exciting and playful and perfect for praise. A normal tone - direct and confident – is your command tone. A lowered voice your dog hears as a warning, like a growl. With practice, your puppy can learn to understand your mood through your tone of voice.

Hes testing the boundaries, and seeing what he can get aeway with. All of these behaviours (humping, nipping and jumping up) are excitement fuelled slightly dominant behaviours. You need to be firm and consitent with him, some pups learn quickly to behave, some test your patience for longer (I like to think they have more spirit!).

Put him on a lead to work through these behaviours, have the lead in your left hand with your elbow relaxed and youir hand by your left thigh. start walking, slowly forward (fast movement will only excite him!). Have some treats in a bum-bag or your pocket and a couple in your hand to keep his attention.

When he tries to jump up at you or nip you (which he can only really do if you move your hand from the above position) say 'leave' tighten the lead slightly to keep him by your side and turn 90 degrees to the right. Keep walking forward and dont look at him (eye contact will encourage him to jump up). When he is walking nicely by your side without messing about give him a treat! Keep repeating this every time he goes to jump or nip, the turn surprises them and keeps them on their toes, you can increase the speed gradually to keep his attention until your marching. Incorporate some sits and stays with breaks every ten minutes or so. (have two ten minute sessions after one another with a 5 minute break in between).

If you are consistent and do 4 or 5 of these training seesions each week he will soon realise who the boss is. The leave command is so useful, you can also use it if he tries to hump you!!! Its all about teaching them you are a kind fun person, but you wont be pushed around by their puppy bounciness!

Thanks so much for all of your suggestions, he is defiantly testing his boundaries with me!
John in answer to all of your questions I have been practicing everything with him He follows all of the rules quite well in the house with little or no protest, he sits and waits for his food, we eat before him, we enter doors/rooms first, we do obedience training, twice a day for 15 min, we control the play he leaves the ball when told, and he is wonderful.
I suppose (well i know) I get a little embarrassed with his behavior in the street and when i put him in time out in the street (which i make him lie down to relax) he protests loudly struggling and people think im killing my dog when all im trying to do is get him to chill. So i think he senses my weakness there. Gotta work on that!
And A-J we live in Barcelona so i am a little scared of walking him off leash, but the fortunate thing is we go to the forest every weekend so I let you know how it goes.

Lc i think as well it is my eye contact that sets him off I'm going to work on all of your suggestions, and thanks so much to everyone, its great to find some support on this forum.

All very excellent advise. Just be patient and consistant and you will be rewarded. Just try not to show any frustration or let him get away with misbehaving.