humping the air

[Wolfram]

We are in level two obedience with Bear and he is doing great. There are two things that he does that I do not understand and was hoping to get some advice from the gallery.

1) When we have free time and he plays around with the other two dogs in his class, he starts "humping" the air. He has never done this around any other dog or around people. It is this one dog. A mix, male GSD/Chow. This dog is somewhat aggressive in its playing style and Bear seems to enjoy playing with him. He also likes playing with the Great Dane but does not seem interested in humping the air around her. Any ideas as to why? Bear has been altered since he was 4 mo and he is now 8 mo (95lbs).

2) Bear can jum over a couch if he sets his mind to it. We have had to train him out of that trait. He has strong hind legs, yet refuses to jump into the truck (SUV) when we go places. He straightens out his back legs and tries to pull himself up. I end up helping him so that he does not hurt himself. How can I train him so he simply hops up in the back?


Thanks in advance,

Wolfram

[Mojave's Mom]

When in class, your dog should be 100% focused on you, not other dogs. I would not allow my dog to interact with other dogs, even when the teacher is just talking and we're standing around waiting our turn (or whatever the case might be.) Instead, work your dog on focus exercises during "down time" in class. If the teacher is demonstrating or explaining something and you're not just standing around waiting your turn, have your dog in heel position in a sit/stay. If your dog can't hold that positition too long and keeps breaking, then you know you have a little extra homework to work on

As far as not jumping into the car- make it fun and use a favorite toy or treat. Have your dog in a sit and toss treats or toys into the back and then tell him excitedly "hup" or "in" or whatever word you want to use to get him into the car. Keep in mind, if the car you expect your dog to jump into is reasonably high off the ground, you should'nt encourage ANY jumping- in or out- and rather stick to your helping him in and out.
Hope this helps.

[lecuyer]

Originally Posted by Wolfram

We are in level two obedience with Bear and he is doing great. There are two things that he does that I do not understand and was hoping to get some advice from the gallery.

1) When we have free time and he plays around with the other two dogs in his class, he starts "humping" the air. He has never done this around any other dog or around people. It is this one dog. A mix, male GSD/Chow. This dog is somewhat aggressive in its playing style and Bear seems to enjoy playing with him. He also likes playing with the Great Dane but does not seem interested in humping the air around her. Any ideas as to why? Bear has been altered since he was 4 mo and he is now 8 mo (95lbs).

2) Bear can jum over a couch if he sets his mind to it. We have had to train him out of that trait. He has strong hind legs, yet refuses to jump into the truck (SUV) when we go places. He straightens out his back legs and tries to pull himself up. I end up helping him so that he does not hurt himself. How can I train him so he simply hops up in the back?


Thanks in advance,

Wolfram

Hope this might help ...

(1) Your boy may be doing this as a pecking order type thing to the other dog. This is just me when I am teaching an OB class (puppy socialization class is different story): I do not let dogs smell, touch, or play with the other dogs. Their rewards, treats, and PLAY come from the handler, NOT the other dogs. I also do not allow stare downs. If this other dog is staring at your dog, move your dog and don't let him stare back; play with your dog more at your free time to keep his mind off the other dog. When I check in with the judge at a BH trial, my dog is looking at me, not the other dog; there is no reason to look at the other dog, I am the play partner, the treat, and the reward. JMHO.

(2) My boy Rex could jump over regulation jump, to retrieve the dumbbell flat footed (yep that’s right, no run at the jump) but when it came to jumping in the back of the truck ... not a chance. So what I did (for a long time) is carried a milk crate that he could step onto to get into my truck. Of course after a time I eliminated the crate and he would fly into truck. I have a two year old female who is just now getting over her FEAR of jumping into the back of my truck. One thing you should always do is make sure you help your dog out of your truck. All of my dogs (one at a time) wait at the edge of the back of the truck waiting for me to give the ok, then they jump down with me hanging on to them so their legs do not get the full force of the jump.

lecuyer.

[Wolfram]

Originally Posted by Mojave's Mom

When in class, your dog should be 100% focused on you, not other dogs. I would not allow my dog to interact with other dogs, even when the teacher is just talking and we're standing around waiting our turn (or whatever the case might be.) Instead, work your dog on focus exercises during "down time" in class. If the teacher is demonstrating or explaining something and you're not just standing around waiting your turn, have your dog in heel position in a sit/stay. If your dog can't hold that positition too long and keeps breaking, then you know you have a little extra homework to work on

As far as not jumping into the car- make it fun and use a favorite toy or treat. Have your dog in a sit and toss treats or toys into the back and then tell him excitedly "hup" or "in" or whatever word you want to use to get him into the car. Keep in mind, if the car you expect your dog to jump into is reasonably high off the ground, you should'nt encourage ANY jumping- in or out- and rather stick to your helping him in and out.
Hope this helps.

Thanks,

He actually was on a trainer scheduled time out. If we are in "work" mode, he stays with me and we are focused. This happened during the allowed play time. I am sorry that I did not mention that.. :)

[Wolfram]

Thank you so much!!!


I will focus Bear's attention more in our free time... I thought I was socializing. My mistake. I can see what you are saying... Thanks to both of you.

W