Help!

Can springers be trained to stop jumping at people?

Jasper's started again (now 13 months) when out walking & folk coming into the house.

Stressful when out especially if people doesn't have a dog. Also starting to scare people especially children when they come around. It's starting to curtailing our social life somewhat - avoidance of Claire's dog! I'm getting tired of people telling me 'oh I see he's not calmed down then'.
I have to keep my 10 year old son's friends & Jasper apart as he goes wild, jumps up to their face, scares them. Even if a child doesn't mind he will want to join in with them and get too boisterous. I see other springers out and they don't behave like this.

I've tried pet corrector (worked for a while), water spray & also diversions ie food. He's been neutered and he's on a low protein food.

It's one of the reasons I feel unbonded to him and I am considering re-homing so any advice gratefully received.

Thanks
Claire

Have you tried getting a behaviourist/trainer to do some sessions with you both. I would try this first before making any other decisions.
What do you do when he jumps/ what do friends do when he jumps?

Keep going, im rooting for you

Used pet corrector - the spray that sounds like geese & that did stop him briefly but excitement then took over.

Recently my eldest has had to hold him back as nothing has stopped him and not all guests can handle the min of constant jumping till he settles down. Even after that he'll keep doing it now & again. People then just push him down.

Have worked with someone before so yes it's a good suggestion.

Thanks

He's looking for attention, and by the sounds of it - getting it! I'm by no means an expert, but this is what we did with Murphy when he had a jumping up problem. First of all, get everyone in the house to turn their back on him when ever he jumps up, and step away if necessary so that he has nothing to jump up onto! Completely ignore him until he comes and asks for attention nice and sensibly. Literally the second he calms down, give him lots of (calm) fuss. He should learn quite quickly that to get attention, he needs to be calm. Ask people visiting the house if you can, to do the same thing. If there are people who can't/won't do this then get a house line on him (a light weight lead), as he rushes to the door to greet people, stand on the end of the house line. He should look back to see what stopped him, then you can distract him with a treat, and put him into a sit while someone else gets the door, and your guests can come in a greet him calmly.

I hope that makes sense - I'm in a bit of a rush!

You have to ask everyone that comes to the house to completely ignore Jasper, and I mean no eye contact no nothing, you have to put him into a sit and only when he is sat with all four paws on the ground can people be allowed to say hello to him, ie reward him with fuss when he is being calm and good.

You can also train him if he has a bed or crate that when you come home, don't give eye contact or speak to him even if he is frantically jumping up, just take him calmly to his bed, get him to sit and then reward with a small treat or biscuit, he'll learn that when you come home if he goes to his safe place that he will get a treat for waiting calmly then you can call him to you when you're ready to give him the fuss he's craving.

Springers eh, who'd have em?

Sounds like you've got another Rufus

I have a very calm springer who doesn't even bark when the postman comes in the driveway, so who am I to give you advice?
Well from day one we have done just as Selina is recommending. Moxie has to go and sit in her crate and wait for the cue for attention.
It sounds like your dog is confused about who is the leader of your pack.
He will get better, remember he is only a teenager at the moment, but what you do now will make the next 15 years much better!

It's the bank holiday weekend, so why not practise making him go to his bed when the doorbell rings (you can get the family all pretending to visit. Then do as Selina suggests, get them in, greet them and if he comes off his bed make him go back. As soon as he is calm and given your "visitor" the space, he can have affection, but only when he is being calm.
Good luck!
This is not an issue for re-homing, just for you to assert your leadership.
It may take some time. When Moxie decided that she was not going to give me her ball, it took about 30 repeats for her to learn that I owned the ball!
When they are secure in their understanding of their place in your family they are much happier dogs. It doesn't make them any less of a spaniel!
Do keep us posted as to how you get on.

I won't add to what others have said so far regarding Jaspers training, it's all great advice, no less then you would expect from ST

What I would say though, I understand your frustrations and feeling you aren't giving Jasper what he needs, but I can assure you hand on heart, any thing you do today will in the future pay dividends, given time and effort Jasper will become as much part of your family as your children and just as precious to you.

IMO your biggest problem is bringing your family on board and uniting them as a team so you all work as one to train Jasper, everything you do with him must be consistent and every one must stick to the same rules, but always keep in mind that training is fun, every one has to enjoy it, not just Jasper.

I do think you will benefit from a one to one session with some one, just to start you off and show you how to train effectively, ideally with the whole family present, you need to be given confidence in your self to change Jasper and you need to be given confidence in Jasper that he is in fact a bright dog who wants to learn from you, generations of breeding have made him a a dog that is bright, willing and ready to do what you ask, it's inside him, he doesn't know that yet, you just have to coax it out of him

I would also suggest you keep a training diary, just write down each day or every few days how Jasper behaves, reacts and responds, it's boring and tedious doing it, but when you look back to the start and compare him to the present you will see clear progress, there will be days when you feel you've gone backwards, but on the whole you will see steady progress.

Most importantly, every one here is behind and waiting to help

I definately agree with this. We really struggled with Murphy, and a diary really helped show us how far he had come on those days where we just felt completely hopeless.

after three years I kind of gave up...

Flippy Fippy loves visitors











no help...sorry

Thanks to everyone for their great advice. I've been away for a day or so (hence the silence) and a little distance helps. I am calmer now and can see I could enjoy him again.

Lets see who we progress. We're already ignoring him when he starts. We'll try visitors soon!

I realised that my son had started to hold his collar to restrain him with his friends which isn't ideal so we do need to be consistant.

I love the photos - made me laugh!

x