How To Stop Dog Jumping In Two Simple Steps
It’s so embarrassing… Your friend stops by for a visit and, before you know it, your dog has jumped up on him to say hello. This type of behavior isn’t just annoying - sometimes it can be scary too. Especially if your dog is large, or your guest is afraid of dogs.
Teaching your pooch to keep all four paws on the floor is part of being a responsible dog owner. It’s also relatively easy to do. This is a good thing, because while some dogs are simply jumping up in excitement — others are using it as a way to show you who’s the boss. Here’s what I mean…
Most dogs jump because they are excited. They’s just plain happy to see you - or you’ve gotten them worked up about something so their adrenaline is pumping. Maybe you just got home from a day at work - or someone has come over to visit.
There is another reason dogs jump, which is less common but more serious.
As you know, dogs are pack animals. They live in groups, or packs, and each dog has a ranking. The highest ranked dog is the leader, or the alpha dog. You will know who this is because he will always eat first - go through doors first - and he will also put on or both of his paws over the shoulders of the other dogs… just to remind them that he’s the boss. Some dogs think they are ranked higher than their owners. If your dog think’s he’s the alpha dog over you, he will often demonstrate this by jumping up on you.
Remember, you are a part of your dog’s pack whether you like it or not. So if you find that he’s jumping up on you a lot - not just when he’s excited - there’s a good chance he thinks he’s the boss.
If you find that this is happening, you need to realize that you’re dealing with more than a simple jumping issue. Your dog thinks he’s your pack leader. It’s time to brush up on your alpha-dog techniques. Better yet, get some outside help. Since this is a more complex issue, you are going to need to make some serious adjustments to your overall relationship with your dog.
That said, most jumping problems are simply a case of excitement. Solving this type of jumping is relatively easy. The key is consistency. You can’t expect your dog to understand that it’s okay to jump up on you when you’re in your grubby weekend clothes - but not when you’re dressed up to go to work. If you want this habit to stop, he needs to be taught that it is never acceptable to jump up on you.
Here is a 2-step technique that most trainers use to stop dogs from jumping.
The first step is very simple. You just ignore him whenever he jumps up on you. This means you withdraw all attention - even negative attention - so no yelling, shoving, or corrections whatsoever. The idea is to give him the cold shoulder.
To do this effectively, whenever your dog jumps up on you, immediately turn your back to him. Use your posture to convey the message that this behavior isn’t acceptable: fold your arms, turn your back to him, turn your face away and avert your eyes. Because dogs understand body language (it’s a big part of how they communicate to each other) he will understand this message very clearly.
This isn’t a matter of ignoring the jumping. You need to completely ignore your dog. Don’t look at him, yell at him, or acknowledge him in any way. Trust me, without the encouragement of your attention, he will calm down very quickly.
The next step is very important. Even though you are “ignoring” your dog, you will need to pay close attention to what he is doing. This step is a matter of timing.
As soon as your dog stops jumping and has all four paws on the floor, you are going to praise him… a lot. Be wildly enthusiastic. He will see that by staying on the ground, he will get your attention. Don’t worry that he was jumping just a few seconds ago. He will associate your praise with NOT jumping.
You’ll be amazed at how quickly this simple technique works. All your dog wants is your love and attention. By withholding it when he’s behaving poorly - and praising him when he’s being good - he’ll soon be the well behaved dog you always wanted.
Tags: dog behavior problems, dog jumping, dog obedience, dog training, Dogs, obedience training