How to Stop a Dog From Jumping.
24 Feb 2010
Do you have to put your dog away when visitors come to your house in the fear of your dog jumping on someone? Do you get greeted at the door with sharp paws and a slobbery wet kiss everyday after a long day at work? No matter how ofter you scold or punish your dog, does he keep jumping up on you and others when you walk though the door? A dog jumping up on you and your visitors is a very common problem and one that can be eliminated rather quickly if you know what to do.
Unintentionally you may have encourage this behavior for the start. You see when a new puppy comes into our lives they are cute and cuddly, they meet us with excitement and come running. And what is our natural reaction to this? Well, we bend down and pet them or pick them up.
You have just taught your puppy a very important lesson, “when I jump up on my owners leg he/she gives me love!” Fast foreword a few months and now that once small little puppy is 3, 4, maybe 5 times the size he once was. He doesn’t understand the difference, he just wants the love that he knows how to get by jumping on you.
Before we move on to how to stop dogs jumping on you, let me make it clear that there are two main reasons why a dog may jump on you.
Most often dogs jump out of extreme excitement. Such as, seeing you after a long absents (coming home from work) or during high energy playtime.
The second and much more serious reason why some dogs jump on people is to show dominance. Dominance issues are a more complicated problem of communication and attitude. Dominance, If let unchecked for too long could really be difficult to over come. If you feel that you may be dealing with a dog that is jumping on people to display dominance, I suggest that you brush up on your alpha dog skills.
Your success in stop dog jumping will depend greatly on how you react to this problem. You must make a committed effort as with any dog training to be consistent. You have to make it clear to your dog that jumping on people is no longer allowed what so ever.
What this means is you are going to fallow though with the same training all the time every day until he masters this new behavior. You can’t expect your dog to know the difference between nice cloths and play cloths, muddy paws and clean paws or play time and greeting time. If you let him jump in one situation he will think it’s ok to jump when ever he feels like it.
Most professional trainers agree that the most effective way is also the easiest way to stop unwanted behavior (such as jumping) in your dog is to ignore him whenever he jumps. No need to yell or correct, although that is usually the first thing that comes to mind when your dog just ruined another pair of nylons or scratch one of your children. You must ignore the bad behavior.
When your dog goes to jump on you, turn your back on him right away. Dogs understand body language much more than the spoken word. So, what you need to do here is use your posture to get your message though loud and clear. As soon as he gets his paws are back on the ground, reward him with praise. If he gets excited again and goes to jump, turn your back, head and eyes away from him (the cold shoulder). You can repeat this cycle several times in a matter of seconds. Don’t concern yourself with confusing your dog because they can only comprehend your reaction to their given behavior at that moment. Continue this training technique for the next several days and soon your dog will stop jumping on you.
Like people, dogs have personalities and every dog has a different personality. Training a dog can be a challenging and frustrating experience. It doesn’t have to be. If your having trouble with potty training, chewing, digging, leash training or any number of problems. I can help! The animal control facilities are full of misunderstood pets. Before you give up please use every resource possible. Most likely I have a tip or method to help you. If I haven’t covered your problem in one of my articles than I know some how has. Take a look at correcting dog behavior problems over at Ez Dog Training At Home to get started.
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