I have a 15 wk old male Blue Heeler pup, he is very exuberant , and at times barks and gets agressive and has to be put in time out. He is crate trained, will sit and lay down on command and even go get in his crate if I offer him a treat, I can't seem to stop him from jumping on me and nipping when he is excited, how do I stop the aggressive behavior when it starts, pushing him away does no good, it just makes him more agressive. We will all begin training with a professional when he is 5 months old. But we need to stop this behavior now, any suggestions?
Have you tried turning away/walking away and ignoring him completely? This usually deters pups as they're not getting the attention they are seeking. Once he calms down - be sure to tell him he's a good boy and praise him.
You may find you actually have to block him from getting to you while you are ignoring him - baby gates work really well for most dogs.
Time outs/time in his crate are a good way of teaching a dog that jumping = no fun.
Its hard to train a dog to not jump until he actually jumps up, however. Maybe when he gets excited start telling him to calm down and focus his attention elsewhere (give him other commands like sit, down).
I hope that helps - please let us know how you're getting on!
