jumping when it is nervous?

Question
Hi Kathleen,
My golden retriever , 1.5 yrs old, sometimes jumps on me or even mouth me when he saw a barking dog during our walk. He doesn't behave like this all the time but if it happens, it takes couple mins for him to calm down. I usually keep walking or hold him down to quiet him. Please let me know what I should do !  Thanks! karen

Answer
Ideally, you'll want to keep him moving and teach him to go past the other dog(s) without getting overly excited. One way to assist him with this might be to "lure" him past with a tasty treat up near his nose so that is more interesting than the other dog.

Another option that would probably be very helpful would be going to a dog training class or having a private trainer come out and work with you to get him beyond this as quickly as possible.

When he starts jumping up, you can give a tug on the leash to the side which will make him off balance and might keep him from jumping up right away.

The big key is to teach him that the other dogs are no big deal and that walking past is what you are looking for from him. Make sure you aren't giving him nervous clues by forgetting to breathe or tightening up on the leash which can signal that you think something is wrong.

I've included a few links for you to look up more on training and would be happy to answer more for you once you try the treat and tug method.

http://www.OutlawChinooks.com
http://RileyTrainingCenter.blogspot.com

Good Luck!