# My Dog Is OBSESSED With My Boyfriend!



## teicisnow (Aug 5, 2015)

Nala goes absolutely insane for my boyfriend, and it's driving both of us nuts! When my boyfriend enters the house it's like nothing else exists for her anymore, she goes spastic, whines bloody murder, wiggles on the floor kicking anything and everything, and tries to pounce him any chance she gets (which might have actually been cute, if she weren't 65 pounds. It's just painful, and ruins his shirts lol). We do have her enrolled in training classes, and we've managed to wean her out of this response with everyone else... except him. We can't go out on walks with him because all she does is focus on him, looking for the right moment to pounce him again.

I've tried tiring her out. I took her on a 40 minute walk once before he came over to walk her with me again, and while she looked exhausted when we got home, she was brought back to life once he stepped foot inside. Even after our second walk with him (another 40 minutes) the moment we made it back home she went back to crazy like she'd never left in the first place.

How do I get her to understand that lunging at him is not appropriate? Her trainer just keeps telling me to give her corrections, as if that wasn't the first thing I tried when I learned how. Him ignoring her does absolutely nothing. This is really starting to worry me now more than ever, since Nala was recently diagnosed with hip dysplasia. I'm scared that all that jumping and flailing will end in serious damage one of these days. I also hate that I can't have one of them in a room without the other having to stay in another. :help:


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

My German Shepherd Mix was like this with me. Only with teeth and biting on top of pouncing and biting. 

Honestly, I don't think there is any training anyone else could have done to make it better. I am 99% sure corrections wouldn't have made a danged bit of difference, either, because he's a hard tempered dog with a high pain tolerance and if moving through the discomfort still got him what he wanted - which was attention of any sort- he was going to keep doing it. ME consistently training him that the proper way to get attention from me was to sit his butt on the ground worked.

Which was slow, somewhat physically painful, but worked. 

Any attention from him of a sort I didn't like, I LEFT or crated him. 

When I got even remotely appropriate behavior? Attention and, yeah, playing with him - games, tug, ball, little bit of personal play, training stuff. Then I told him to stop and he either stopped and got more love and play or he got put in the freaking crate or I went into another room. Ignoring wasn't enough since I WAS STILL THERE like a giant toy (not that... I could totally ignore him. Dog's 120lbs and there was enough pain for me to squeak, flinch, get angry/upset or whatever, all of which was a reaction and rewarding to him) Total access to me had to be removed.

These days we're at 'You jump on me/flail at me/maul me and access to me goes away no matter what' rather than giving attention to all the calm moments.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

I wouldn't correct a happy dog (or use a trainer that suggested it, but that's another post entirely). 

Have you tried working on her impulse control overall? It's Yer Choice is the basic impulse control exercise. I would consider also instituting Sit to Say Please, which basically encourages sitting as the greatest of all goods for a dog, which should, eventually, result in her sitting instead of flailing about.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

This blog post should help. It has some really good ideas: http://denisefenzipetdogs.com/2015/09/14/hyper-greeters-jumping-up-extreme/


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## Nissa M (Nov 3, 2014)

elrohwen said:


> This blog post should help. It has some really good ideas: http://denisefenzipetdogs.com/2015/09/14/hyper-greeters-jumping-up-extreme/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rFMRlfLmbk&feature=youtu.be

This dog greets very similarly to the way my dog does - he actually seems a little better but maybe that's because Denise Fenzi is working with him :/. And what you describe with Nala and your BF, this is how Pai behaves with my sisters (and sometimes other people too, but mostly them). It drives me nuts. I really like this approach and wish that I could have started it with everyone much earlier, as now our pup is full grown and a very physical greeter in general. I definitely think this method is worth a try, and since it's only your BF it's happening with it should make training it a bit easier. Good luck!


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## kdawnk (Mar 26, 2014)

Method that worked for me:
My dog used to come running and rebound off your stomach every time anyone entered the house. This is to a lesser degree than what you're experiencing, but I started testing the waters outdoors. I approached the gate to the backyard after she hadn't seen me for a few minutes and she'd get excited, but to a lesser degree because she had JUST seen me. Still a ways away from actually touching the gate I told her to sit. When she sat I threw a treat over the gate to her and told her to sit again (if that's too stimulating, like it was for mine, instead of using the treat, I took a step forward). I'd progress to getting closer and closer to the gate while she held her sit. If she broke the sit and jumped against the gate I'd dramatically back up 3-4 steps and say "Uh-Uh"
Her favourite reward in the world was to get me to enter the gated area with her. So with that in mind we progressed slowly and eventually I was able to open the gate *cue her excitement burst* and she broke the stay, so I said "Uh-uh, Sit" and closed it and backed away. Eventually she learned that to get me to come closer she must be sitting.
When I actually entered the gated area I'd start with least stimulating level of calmness and give her a couple of pets, then I'd redirect her to a toy and toss it out into the yard for her. Where she'd rip out after it and start zooming around ridiculously until she regained her brain.
I then used the same tactic for entering the house. Then I worked on it with my roommate and she already knew the concept so she generalized easily.

Other option:
Or what happens - if you want less of a training fix - what happens if you crate her when he comes over. She can be excited, but contained. After everyone has been seated and calm and you're relaxed, release her quietly from the cage and ignore any excitement she has. If she shoots out of the cage like a rocket, you didn't wait long enough for her to relax.


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## teicisnow (Aug 5, 2015)

elrohwen said:


> This blog post should help. It has some really good ideas: http://denisefenzipetdogs.com/2015/09/14/hyper-greeters-jumping-up-extreme/


Thanks so much! I appreciate everyone's responses, but yours is one I haven't tried quite yet, and while it requires patience, it does so a little less than the rest (something my boyfriend lacks terribly!) I'll try this out. Thank you!


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

I used to work with a dog who was crazy over the top like that. The best thing we did was teach him to get his toy. Once he got his toy he would just wiggle all around us in circles. If he brought the toy to us and dropped it to try to jump, we'd throw the toy far away and tell him to go get it lol.


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## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

My DH just got home and met Abhik for the first time.. She adores him !!!!!! at 123lbs yes very painful lol lol .. DH is a good sport letting Abhik have what she wants being so close to him , but helping her into positions that are close and fulfilling for her, but not hurting.. The two of them sitting on the futon with Abhik in a Bear hug across his lap... she loves it.. falls asleep totally satisfied.. Being still is a good thing.. They were out mending fencing with DH being engaging with her teaching her to be a helper.. she eventually had her fill and came back to the house on her own.. so it took about 7am Monday until today for Abhik to get all that she needed, learn some good bear hugging and loving and quiet time.. and be over the crazy puppy behavior.. If I want a pup to be calm I find calm things to do with them and just sitting still and hugging where they content and fall asleep are the best activities to do with them...


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