Jumping up help.

[BlueMoonFarms]

Ok! So quick background, we have two 2 year old LGD's Mara and Trinity. Mara has always been my lovable problem child and Trinity has always been perfect.
Well, today I am looking for some more advice on my escaping, squeaking, goose stealing problem child, the squishy girl Mara...*she stole our neighbors goose and brought it home to better keep an eye on it. I had to return a very VERY upset buff goose to a very very...very, upset owner...*
SO! My husband and I are going to have a baby. Yay!
However one of Maras new found habits is to leap up and clobber you in the face, trip you, or slam her head into your side for the chance of a forced snuggle.
She is very loved and we pet and love her all the time, but she is to exuberant and demanding that nowif I go outside I must carry a stick or the trashcan lid to use to intimidate her or else she will launch and dive at my stomach.
I feel awful. I hate it, and I don't want her to end up fearing me.
Any tips? Tricks? Ideas? I'm desperate here...

 

[Southern by choice]

Did she just start this?
Dogs do get crazy happy when the cold weather starts coming in.

First thought is she is BORED BORED BORED. This is usually when you see this. Add the fact that she escapes and brings back "items" not belonging to her.

You can focus on the jumping up but it really won't solve much until you get to the root of the problem. Deal with the root and the problem is fixed, deal with the problem and it will only be temporary because the root is not dealt with.

What does she guard? Is she still separate from Trinity?

 

[BlueMoonFarms]

Did she just start this?
Dogs do get crazy happy when the cold weather starts coming in.

First thought is she is BORED BORED BORED. This is usually when you see this. Add the fact that she escapes and brings back "items" not belonging to her.

You can focus on the jumping up but it really won't solve much until you get to the root of the problem. Deal with the root and the problem is fixed, deal with the problem and it will only be temporary because the root is not dealt with.

What does she guard? Is she still separate from Trinity?

I would say this started early this summer. We actually have toys, hunks of wood *she prefers it*, and we toss her fat back hunks daily to try and keep her occupied. Her and her sister have access to the goat and sheep pen now so they are together.
Yeah she loves the neighbors sheep, goat and goose. Now that the owner knows she is not going to kill them he just brings her back. She has always escaped and gone on little adventures around the neighborhood/house since she was 7-8 months old. we are constantly barricading and fixing the fences. The other neighbor nearly ran her over with his tractor this summer and brought her back over. Now when people come to the door my first question is "Oh no, is she out again???"
I really don't know how to fix the board issue if that's the case. She has plenty to do, play with, chew on, and we even built a step system for the both of them to walk over to the goat side.
She has two potbelly pigs, three alpacas, six sheep, four goats, 2 geese, 5 ducks and the chickens.
She sees us and she goes nuts. Squeaking bouncing and trying to force us to pay attention to her even though we say hello. Especially me lately since i've been avoiding going out there. She sees me and BAM. She tackled me and I thought I was going to have a heart attack.
Now I use the stick or trashcan lid to fend her off until she is calm *kinda like a shield. I do not strike her.* then I pet her.

 

[BlueMoonFarms]

So, I think I know why Mara is escaping at the moment. She hears a predator and instead of just chasing them away from the fence she goes over the fence and takes off after them to prove her point. 5 am this morning she was deep in the woods. The only reason I woke up and went to find her was because the neighbors beagle is a tattle tail and woke me up. She was chasing something and barking like fool deep in the woods. No clue what it was, but the brat was after it. How can I teach her to STAY in the fence when she chases stuff off?

 

[BlueMoonFarms]

Oh! And she didn't jump on me this morning She was more groveling for forgiveness but still!
All I did was yell her name until she came back, opened the gate, half asleep, growled at her not to do it again, fixed the part where she escaped, and went back to bed. Such a silly dog...

 

[n8ivetxn]

LGD's roam by nature, but especially if they're bored or *not bonded to their flock* - And, I think, there lies the crux of your problem with Mara. She simply is not bonded to the flock. It sounds like she's bonded to you.

For the safety of your dog, I would suggest putting a hot wire on your fence, about 1/4 up. That should keep her from digging out or crawling over (I had to do it).

To help her bond with the flock, it might help if you distance yourself from her (for a long while) and try to resist a lot of petting. At my place, everything good happens out in the pasture, where the sheep are at- treats and attention. Attention (petting) is limited to encourage the dog to find solace with the flock. My pup came from a household with children and she was bonded to people more than the original flock when I brought her home. It's been tough for her.

Good luck and be careful (and congrats too! )

 

[goats&moregoats]

Congrats on the baby ! . n8ivetxn X2 on the hot wire. Also on distancing yourself from Mara.

Some of my friends & family think I am absolutely bonkers because I don't go all nuts over my pups. A quick pet & body check and we are done, unless I am praising them for good behavior. That I absolutely make a big deal over.

I am in love with these two new guys, but I know it's better for them & myself if I want them to bond with the herd.

Good luck with everything.

 

[n8ivetxn]

Exactly! - I get the same thing from my fiance, he says he understands why I do what I do, but he still thinks it's "cruel"....no, cruel is not letting her learn the job and then having to re-home her because I messed her up! That's cruel.... I do care about her very much, but I didn't buy her to be a family pet, I bought her to be a sheep pet ;-)

Totally agree, a quick pet and some friendly words, make her sit for food and attention and then leave her with the rams (they're better teachers than the ewes and more patient!).

It's "tough love!"

 

[Beekissed]

Most people think it's cruel if you aren't constantly pawing at your dogs simply because they want it. Dogs like to work for things and do much better if they get a job to do...even if that job is calming down, sitting down, waiting for something.

Cesar has it right when he says no touch, no talk, no eye contact when going into their territory at first. It just encourages that enthusiastic greeting when they get the reward of your immediate attention,even if it's negative attention like yelling at them, pushing them down, etc. Dogs really watch your face for any signs of attention also, so if you even smile at them the tail wags...that's how tuned in a smart dog can be. Sometimes just stopping your progress, standing still and gazing forward, maintaining a calm but strong stance, will help the dog settle down on its own. Don't move until the dog has stopped moving and has backed away from your space. When it does, then you can make eye contact and give a positive response and that doesn't even have to be "good boy!" or any physical petting. Just a smile and eye contact works most of the time.

Sounds like this dog also needs work on respectful distance. You'll see alpha dogs in a pack demand this distance at times and we should too. Intentional touching of our bodies or invading our personal space without being invited is a lack of respect, IMO. Early training on it yields much but it's never too late to start.