Good Dog Article
originally authored by our Trainer
"
If
this sounds like your dog, whether they’re the
friendliest 95-pound lab, or a very happy 4-pound Yorkie,
this can be a very annoying problem. Not to mention ruined
pantyhose for the ladies or anyone's scratched up bare
legs!
One method that has been around for many years is the
knee in the chest. The one problem I have found with
this method is that the average person can't quite
seem to get the timing right, and wind up smacking
the poor dog in the chin or hitting them below the
chest where there is no impact on the jumping dog.
Let's face it, they are down there and we are up here. They are mimicking us on their hind legs to greet us. Eight out of 10 times this is a friendly gesture, although some ways the dogs jump is actually showing aggression or dominance, like the jumpers who not only jump but also throw themselves into you. That is a sign that they are throwing their weight around, literally. But those issues can be dealt with better in consultation with a trainer. For our purposes here, we are going to try and give you an exercise that will help curb or end the friendly, overly excited jumping.
Size does matter, only in the case of how far you're going to have to bend down when working this exercise. I like to call this exercise "Having a Jumping Party." What you will need is about 20 minutes and, if at all possible, every member of your family and two or three friends. If you have a front and back door, great. If not, you'll make do with just one entrance. Hopefully, your dog will have some obedience training or can at least sit on command. If not, I strongly recommend a basic obedience course, or work with a trainer one-on-one.
Begin by lining up outside the
front door. Pick one person to go first through the
door without ringing or knocking on the door (like
the people who live there, who would enter the house
with a key), walk in and say nothing to the dog. If
it jumps up on you, ignore, and turn away from the
dog or puppy. The owner should possibly have the dog/puppy
on leash so they can control where the dog goes. What
we are looking for here is to show the dog/puppy, that
jumping on people will get it now where and gets no
attention, even negative attention. Once they learn
that, you can ask for a Sit so that the dog/puppy quickly
learns the only way they will get, attention, affection,
rewards, etc. comes from a Sit, instead of a jump!
Once the dog/puppy is sitting or even in a Down, praise
and some tasty treat, preferably a soft treat will
seal the new behavior. In most cases this only takes
one good "Jumping Party" session
with the duration of learning this new set of behaviors
about an hour. And every time you come in the house,
you will practice this as well. Do not let well meaning
friends and family tell you it is Ok with them if your
dog/puppy jumps on them. Your pet will not distinguish
between who it's safe to jump on and Grandma coming over.
It is best to be safe and show your dogs polite manners
with a greeting of a Sit or even a Down.
If these steps do not work as fast as you might want
them to, and you must give this a few good sessions feel
free to call on us or another training professional in
your area for more assistance and other methods.
If done right, this should take about an hour and about
three times apiece from five or six people. By then,
your dog should be well on its way to never jumping on
anyone again.
Remember you too can have a Good Dog,
let us show you how!
Good Dog's Vet
of the Month
Cottonwood Animal Clinic
891-2800
Mention you saw them on our site!