Ahh, look at the cute baby puppy jumping up…ya its cute now, but its going to get old real fast. Especially when that puppy becomes a 65 lbs adult dog.
Jumping up can make an otherwise great dog an obnoxious nuisance- A dog that some visitors and family member begin to avoid.
First, look at the situation from your dog’s point of view. He is simply excited to see you. Dogs enjoy greeting face to face and its not his fault we are 6 feet tall! Dogs are opportunistic and they simply want your attention. He quickly has figured out that jumping up is a great way to get it. You tell him to stop and push him off, saying his name a few times with a big “No”. Your dog thinks: Ya for me! This works great! I jump up and you stop everything you are doing and put the focus on me! Dogs don’t care if the only attention they get is negative one, if that is all they are going to get, they’ll take it just fine.
Dogs only do what works (hmmm, sounds familiar doesn’t it) As long as he continues to get attention (yes, even bad attention) for the behavior he will continue to do it.
Dogs need to learn that a calm and relaxed dog gets far more attention than one who is jumping up (or barking or whining or generally being pushy)
Next time your dog jumps up on you, say nothing, fold your arms across your chest and turn your back to your dog. Don’t look at him, don’t talk to him, and don’t acknowledge him in any way. He may move and come to your front, simply turn again- your back to the dog. At first he may think he needs to jump MORE to get you attention (remember it has work VERY well for him up till now) Just be diligent, stay quiet and keep turning your back to him. As soon as he shows any sings of calm, such as keeping all four feet on the ground, quickly give him a treat and praise him. If your dog is trained to sit, have him do this before giving the treat and praising. You are simply teaching your dog what you NOW want him to do to get the reward HE wants.
Remember the Doggie Golden Rule: Dogs would rather be praised than punished but they would rather be punished than ignored!
Breaking bad habits takes time to overcome. Expect to repeat this exercise for some time… and expect it to possible get worse before it gets better. Be patient, be consistent and make sure everyone in the family is on the same page- doing the exact same thing.
Jumping up can make an otherwise great dog an obnoxious nuisance- A dog that some visitors and family member begin to avoid.
First, look at the situation from your dog’s point of view. He is simply excited to see you. Dogs enjoy greeting face to face and its not his fault we are 6 feet tall! Dogs are opportunistic and they simply want your attention. He quickly has figured out that jumping up is a great way to get it. You tell him to stop and push him off, saying his name a few times with a big “No”. Your dog thinks: Ya for me! This works great! I jump up and you stop everything you are doing and put the focus on me! Dogs don’t care if the only attention they get is negative one, if that is all they are going to get, they’ll take it just fine.
Dogs only do what works (hmmm, sounds familiar doesn’t it) As long as he continues to get attention (yes, even bad attention) for the behavior he will continue to do it.
Dogs need to learn that a calm and relaxed dog gets far more attention than one who is jumping up (or barking or whining or generally being pushy)
Next time your dog jumps up on you, say nothing, fold your arms across your chest and turn your back to your dog. Don’t look at him, don’t talk to him, and don’t acknowledge him in any way. He may move and come to your front, simply turn again- your back to the dog. At first he may think he needs to jump MORE to get you attention (remember it has work VERY well for him up till now) Just be diligent, stay quiet and keep turning your back to him. As soon as he shows any sings of calm, such as keeping all four feet on the ground, quickly give him a treat and praise him. If your dog is trained to sit, have him do this before giving the treat and praising. You are simply teaching your dog what you NOW want him to do to get the reward HE wants.
Remember the Doggie Golden Rule: Dogs would rather be praised than punished but they would rather be punished than ignored!
Breaking bad habits takes time to overcome. Expect to repeat this exercise for some time… and expect it to possible get worse before it gets better. Be patient, be consistent and make sure everyone in the family is on the same page- doing the exact same thing.
