Does anyone have any advise
Hi all, thought I would ask you're advise, Princess is doing wonderfully, enjoying agility etc but for some reason has started leaping at people when we're out in the fields. She was terrible for jumping up when we first got her ( in October ) but it soon stopped. She does'nt jump at a anyone at home even if she is excited but when we're out if she sees someone she likes the look of she literally uses them as a spring board !, most ' doggy ' people are understanding and ok about it, but I did end up having a few ' words ' with a rather snotty woman whose t-shirt ended up with some lovely paw marks on it. Any ideas ?, do you think she'll just grow out of it ?, shes about 16 months, flat coat retriever x spaniel / setter - we think. Thx

your girl is a mix of exuberant breeds and also breeds who can be quite excitable and highly-strung does she do it only when you pass close to someone? or does she spot someone in the distance and bolt over to them?

Hi, she spots someone in the distance ( with or without a dog but usually someone with a dog ) and bolts for them, sometimes I can stop her by giving the command LEAVE THEM but if shes in mid flow, no chance.

Hi again I started typing you a very long and involved reply and then I thought I'd stop and ask first: what area do you live in? if you are anywhere near me in kent, I'd happily meet up for a walk and offer practical advice :D presumably, if you do agilty your girl manages to stay focussed on you in a busy environment - so she's managing in the context of the class, which is a good start....

Hi, I'm in Surrey, yes, shes quite good in agility, I think its because she gets so excited when we go out for a walk, shes better on her second walk of the day as shes more worn out and does'nt tend to leap up so much.

Hi Helen You are a bit far from me, so I'll cut and paste the thoughts I wrote down the other night. I'm actually in a bit of a cleaning tizz tonight as I've got people coming to stay for the weekend and a typical house of mucky labs and dirt and dust everywhere :shock: Here are some ideas... please come back if you have any questions or thoughts on this. Firstly, ask yourself what is causing this behaviour? The answer is likely to be that she finds investigating a new person/dog fun and rewarding. There are a two ways to tackle that... i) physically prevent her from approaching them. Every time she does it, she rewards herself and the habit becomes more ingrained. So you need to break the habit by making it impossible for her. ii) Be incredibly fun and interesting yourself so that she is engrossed in what you have to offer on walks. ways you could do i) include: depending on the circumstances, just keeping an eye open for people in the distance and getting in first so that you can pop her on a long line or a lead until they are out of sight. Do this by practising a good recall in easy places in the house and garden and then increasing the level of distractions - and not moving to the next level until she is good at the previous one. Make sure you give big fuss and rewards (eg favourite games/tasty food) for coming to you at all times so you have practised this over and over until it becomes automatic for her. Do not only do it when you want her to come away from something interesting, otherwise she will learn that staying away from you is a better option. you basically need to teach her that coming to you is always worth her while, until she just does it without question. gradually you can work up to harder and harder situations eg it's easy for her to come without question in the kitchen when she knows she will get a fuss and a treat, but it takes more work for her to do the same thing in a field, and even more in a field with another dog in the distance. teach it little by little. if you are in a situation where you fear she is unlikely to succeed, don't even call her - try another option eg catch her and pop her on a lead. Use a long line to physically prevent the bolting. depending on your circumstances and how many people you encounter, this is often the best option and certainly a good one to start off with. Every time she bolts, she rewards herself and the behaviour becomes more ingrained. so if for any reason you can't be vigilant enough to prevent the bolting (eg you can't see ahead) then the long line will help you. ii) At the same time, be incredibly fun and interesting to be with. Your dog is running off because she perceives the encounter with a new dog and person to be more interesting than staying with you. this is normal - but you can beat the competition! What are her favourite things in life? Bits of human-grade food eg smelly cheese, ham, liver cake or frankfurter morsels? Chasing rabbits and pheasants? certain toys? Really think about what motivates your dog and how you can use it to your advantage. Your girl is a mix of possible breeds. Flat coat - a retriever. So is she very up for playing fetch? What with? A squeaky latex toy? A squeaky furry toy? A ball? A tuggy rope???? All are different and every dog has its favourites. if you know what they are, and put them in a cupboard and only take them out on walks then (so long as you start in more boring walk places and work up from there) you have a dog gagging for its fave thing. A spaniel... usually these dogs have been bred with an incredible desire to hunt/flush out wildlife. their job is to run into undergrowth and find game. it's in their blood and they need to do it. Soooo.... you can offer your dog a controlled version (if necessary using a long line eg washing line (wear gloves!) or a horse lunge line, to start off with if you need to). Play hunting type games in the house and garden intially with whatever motivates you dog most eg very tasty human-grade food or favourite toy. then work up to throwing it into the grass, and eventually undergrowth for your dog to root out and eat or bring to you. I have a lab x working cocker who is a horrendous huntress of wildlife and roamed loose outdoors as a young pup. If I take her to places where there are not too many pheasants and rabbits, she is gagging to find her rubber squeaky in the undergrowth - she'd even rather find that than a lump of sausage, although both have their uses and I often play the 'hunt the food game' too. A dog that is so utterly focussed on you and your game doesn't even notice someone in the distance with their dog. However, you do need to start off in quiet places and get your dog hooked - using a long line if needed so they don't just wander off. if you are the most fun thing on offer, your dog will begin to automatically assume that's the case. Have a think about your dog and what motivates her or what might work in your situation... Good luck!

Thanks !
Hi thanks for all your advice, shes now greatly improved and much calmer, I have also increased her exercise time which is helping ( and keeping me fit ! ), shes just won another first prize at a local fete ( best crossbreed ) and she managed not to leap all over the judge so I was very impressed : )