Puppy wants to jump out of my arms

[coopervane]

Whenever we hold our 6 month old puppy she is very happy an cuddles into our neck. When we start to put her down she spazzes out and tries to wriggle and jump from our arms. To counteract this we have always held her MORE firmly and set her down gently.

This is becoming a bigger problem as she gets older. When other people hold her, they are sometimes not prepared and she leaps from 5 feet to the floor.

To avoid hurting herself we need to train her not to squirm/jump.

Any suggestions?

 

[2dogmom]

Why are you holding her, and why are you letting other people hold her? Dogs hate it and it is not normal.
If they have to be held for an examination at the vet they should be on a table.

 

[Brandyb]

Well, first off, I would discontinue letting others hold your dog - especially if they are unprepared for how she will act.
That being said, not all dogs hate being held, some like it, some don't, but it is a great way to get them used to handling for the "what ifs" situations. Whe you are holding her, make sure that she is comfortable, and secure. Many puppies squiggle when you go to put them down, a lot of times its because they are excited and just want to go go go. Other times it's because they are nervous that you are going to drop them. Instead of bending at the waist to release the pup, try bending your knees, and go all the way to the ground, so that you can let your pup go for a low stable position, instead of a high position that looks scary. ALWAYS make sure that you have a secure hold on her. You can also reward her with treats when she doesn't squiggle in your arms.
If you see signs that you dog doesn't like being held, or is nervous, than I would stop. However, as I said, it is a good thing to have a dog that will allow you to hold him or her ... it can all be part of the conditioning to touch routine that all puppies should be exposed to when young so that they are prepared for this type of handling when older.

 

[girlbuffalo1]

I made Wrigley let me hug him all the time when he was a puppy and now I often walk around the house with him on my hip (like a toddler) and hug him at least 10 times a day--he doesn't care as I conditioned him when he was young that it was a good thing and to not freak out.

You do want to make sure that your pup is not jumping from such a tall height though as they can hurt themselves. I would let them jump from about waist high or lower (like from a sitting position) but not any higher than that--it's going to always be her instinct to jump so I would not let other people hold her--because how bad would they, and you feel if she hurt something in the jump? When putting her down yourself I would do so firmly but gently. With Wrigley and Honey I usually have them chest to chest (their chest to my chest--I lower down and then put them on the ground because if you are holding them like a baby or any other way the power of them wanting to jump can be too much..

 

[Doberluv]

There are times when you must hold your dog so I would condition her to liking it more and teach her that when she holds still, that's when she'll be put down, not when she's wriggling and squirming. You can feed her tiny treats.....really, really good ones, (fresh meat or cheese) frequently, almost constantly while you hold her. (in practice) If she wriggles, do not feed. Wait till she's still. You can put your hand over the back of her neck and hold her scruff gently. There is a reflex response in pups to stop moving when you do this. However, I'm pretty sure it may be past that now that she's 6 months. (not sure on that) So, only set her down when she stops moving. Show her it won't work to wriggle. But holding still will get her treats and will get her down all in due course. LOL. Little monkey!