Diane,

I don't have much to add to Alice's comments. Here are a couple suggestions for exercising your dog.

Get a springpole. You're going to need it. A springpole is basically a tug toy attached to a heavy spring that is attached to a tree branch or garage rafter. It makes the game of tug safe and is an incredible exercise for the dog.

Also seriously consider the sport of weight pulling. Your dog can't pull any significant amount of weight until it is full-grown, but training can begin now. I like weight pull because I can walk my 30lb pit mix all day long without tiring her at all. I can take her for a 2 mile walk with her pulling 200 pounds (me plus 50 lbs in a wagon). I don't have to walk, and she gets a good workout.

PM me and I'll send you info on weight pull training, how to make a SAFE springpole and other resources.

As far as body slams... my 7 mo old pit pup does it too. I use treats to bring her into a sit-in-front position because she does it out of puppy crazies, not dominance. With your dog, it could be a dominance issue, but it could be a breed issue like Alice was describing. Linking to a video of your dog's behavior might help us give you a little bit less general advice. Otherwise, find an experienced behaviorist and buy Ed's DVD on Dominant and Aggressive Dogs. It's one of my favorites and an EXCELLENT value.

Anne,
Tried to PM you but says you are over your limit.

Sorry bout that. I'll fix it in a jiffy.

A bit off topic here but about the body slam thing, it's amazing how I think Molosser type breeds exhibit this kind of behavior. My shar-pei loved to body slam and my English Bulldog too! You give them the come command and you get for more than you've asked for: a direct hit to your thigh from a drooling, panting cannonball! I noticed that behavior to be totally absent from my GSD (so far hehe).

Hi John,
You sure can't turn your back on them when they want to body slam you!

An update regarding my puppy Nickie: He is now 54 lbs and turned 7 months this week. Keeping the prong collar on him with the long lead has worked miracles with him. When he starts to get too crazy and wanting to leap up at me, a quick pop on the lead settles him down. Then I walk him around the yard for a couple of minutes and then into the house.

We have been teaching him to catch a rubber ball in mid-air when we bounce it in front of him. It took him a couple of days to get the hang of it, but last night, he caught it 8 times out of 10!

Also, he was so well mannered this weekend when we had a friend over, that I wasn't sure that he was the same dog!

I enjoyed reading this post. I'm glad you are making progress with him. Did you ever make a spring pole for him? I'm curious as to how that worked out. It seems like fun.

Hi Alex,
We have not yet made a spring pole for Nickie, however, it is my thought that he should have a little conditioning before attempting any work with a spring pole. I'm not even sure if jumping up and catching a ball in mid-air is too much at his age. I know that when I had previously posted that I was walking Nickie a mile each morning, some responses were that it was too much for a pup of his age (I believe at the time he had just turned 5 months old). He seems to have a lot of prey drive but since it is getting hotter here in Las Vegas, he is not as anxious to chase after the ball for any length of time! When we start getting into our swimming pool, we will have to see how he takes to the water! He definitely benefits from lots of exercise.

Diane, sounds like the thread name needs to change to "6 month old pup getting better!"

I totally agree, Sandy! As has been said here many times, patience pays off!