Help needed for my 7 month border collie jumping up on her last walk of the day

[holly1]

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Help needed for my 7 month border collie jumping up on her last walk of the day.

Every evening around 8 pm she goes on her last walk and constantly jumps up biting and pulling on my clothes and hands. The rest of the day she doesn’t do its only when 8pm comes around she starts doing it constantly. I have mobility issues and on crutches which is fine apart from when it turns 8pm. Does anyone know why she’s doing it?
I’ve tried getting her to sit every time it happens which she does and then automatically starts again. This is then repeated so many times I give up in the end and go back in. I saw online I’m suppose to completely ignore her and only give attention when she has all four feet on the floor but again she jumps straight back up after. Because I have the crutches it isn’t so easy to get treats out of my pocket but she waits for the treat even though I take longer. I also saw to distract her with a ball or stick which I gave ago but after one night she was over it and it would no longer work.

What do I do?

I wonder if she’s actually tired and just becoming naughty from tiredness because she never lays down unless she has a treat. I have the crate for her to sleep in which works well and always has access to it if she wants to go in.

Apart from this 8pm jumping she is perfect and quite well behaved. I don’t know what to do but determined to not fail at this and we will both overcome it. But any advice would be appreciated please.
Thank you

 

[JoanneF]

It's very likely a variation of the mad half hour zoomies that puppies get, and you are right that tiredness contributes. It's a bit like toddlers acting out when they are overtired.

I'd suggest a two pronged approach.

First, help prevent the behaviour by making sure she gets plenty of opportunity to nap or rest in the day. Some dogs, especially working breeds, don't realise they have an off switch so training her to relax is important. Another, separate reason for doing this is that some people will try to tire out their dogs with plenty of exercise, only to find they have developed a super-fit athlete that they can never tire out. So a combination of relaxation protocols and brain work will be far more effective in tiring her, in a good way. Anyway, how to train it is explained well in these videos.

Another good exercise that will help is the discipline of impulse control. That's explained well here.

The second thing I'd do, is when she starts this behaviour, give her something else to do. Thats because teaching her to not jump is hard. Teaching anyone or any thing to not do is very difficult - if I were to say to you, do not think of an elephant, what's the first thing that comes to mind?

So instead, train an alternative behaviour that is incompatible with jumping. A sit, for example. She can't jump while she is in a sit. But, the sit has to be well rewarded, so it becomes a far better choice for her. It her energy level is too high for a sit, try asking for a spin, or a rollover, or anything else that works. Find what works for you.

 

[JudyN]

I would also consider whether she needs the 8pm walk. Would it be possible to take her out in the garden instead, or have some fun games in the house? Or could you make the 8pm walk much shorter so there's less time for her brain to fry?

My dog did this on all walks when younger. What worked - eventually - for me was turning away from him, acting like a statue and ignoring him till he stopped (and yes, he often did start up again immediately). I would walk alongside fences and in treed areas to make this easier, and it gave me something to hang on to for support - which could be a useful strategy for you too. As far as I can remember, I didn't give a reward when he stopped jumping up - that can just bring a new level of excitement into the walk, which you don't need.