Barneys being bad

Question
Hi Nicole ~ I rescued a Male Basset named Barney ( whom is neutered )that has some issues that I don't know how to control. He is 1 and 1/2 years old now , weighs over 50 lbs and has some bad habits. He likes to get behind you when you are walking and bite the back of your legs .He also tries to play with my daughters by jumping up on them , biting and pulling on their clothes .  He also jumps on you when he is excited.I have tried multiple times kneeling down and  grabbing  him by his collar ( with a quick jerk )and look him in the eyes ( which I was told is a sign of aggression )and I tell him no very loud and stern but it does not phase him. What am I to do to correct this problem ? Please help !

Answer
Hi Shelly,

Congrats on your new Barney :)  It sounds as though he wasn't properly trained as a puppy.  A pain in the butt for you but not too big of a deal.  Bassets do tend to be stubborn so training him may take some time but it CAN be done.  Try not to get frustrated.  

What you're doing wrong is giving him attention.  What you think is a correction, grabbing his collar and giving him a jerk, is attention.  Good or bad...that's what he's after.

I don't know how old your daughters are but hopefully old enough to understand your directions.  When Barney jumps, he should be ignored.  Cross your arms, turn your back and stand still.

When you're walking and he's nipping and chasing, stop, stand still and wait for him to calm down.

You need to be very, VERY consistent with this.  Correcting him because you're angry and not correcting him because THIS time it's kinda cute and funny won't work.  He needs these corrections each time he jumps or nips.  

These rules also go for when anyone comes home.  Barney shouldn't be greeted (this means no talking, no touching and no eye contact) until he is 100% calm.  Then he can be calmly greeted.

Google 'NILF'.  It's a great method of dog training that shows them who the leader is.  If you can start to practice this with him in conjunction with the corrections you'll see results.  :)

Beyond being annoying, jumping up and down isn't so hot for Bassets because of they're long backs (same for Dachsunds).  Once in a while is ok but repeated jumping can lead to disc problems later on.  It would be really good if you could get him over it.

If you have any more questions, feel free to email me and I ALWAYS love to see photos of hounds!

Nicole

Nicole@boxerdogplanet.com