A dog jumping on a neighbor, the mail carrier, newspaper boy or a child in the neighborhood can be alarming and even scary. It can be even scarier for the person your dog is jumping on. Thankfully, stopping your dog from jumping is not too difficult.
Dogs jump for three reasons – to show dominance, to greet people, and because they have been rewarded for this behavior in the past. Think back if you have ever called your dog to you, patted your chest for him or her to jump up, and then petted him/her on the head for doing so. That told your dog it was acceptable behavior and one they would get praised.
A dominate jumper is the hardest out of the three reasons a dog jumps to train. Here are five techniques that will help you train your dog not to jump up on you or others.
1. Delay greeting your dog when you arrive home. For dominate jumpers, you have to claim back your dominance. Delay greeting your dog for at least 15 minutes after your arrival. If your dog jumps around trying to get your attention during that time, squirt him/her with water pistol, or shake a can filled with pebbles. This will startle him, and if done on a regular basis, calm him whenever you get home. Follow similarly when company comes. Do not introduce your company to your dog until after 15 minutes or longer after arrival.
2. Meet your dog at eye level. When you do go to greet your dog after the 15 minute delay, stoop down so you are more on your dog’s level. Now if you have a tiny dog, this could be a bit more difficult. Get as low as physically possible without having to sit on the ground and pet your dog. This removes the temptation for your dog to jump up to meet you at your level. Make sure you acknowledge when your dog is not jumping up on you while greeting.
3. Avoid aggressive play. Aggressive activities with your dog only produces an aggressive nature. Things like wrestling and playing tug of war may be fun at the time, but not the type of nature you want your dog to display. This type of activity will lead to encouraging aggressive behaviors such as dominate jumping, biting, and unprompted attacks.
4. Use the "Sit" command. The first thing you should teach your pet is to respond to the command “sit”. If your dog is well trained, he will respond to the Sit command before even thinking to jump. Train your dog to respond to the sit command in everyday situations, such as greeting and going for walks. The better he understands the Sit command, the much less likely he is to jump.
5. Teach your dog the “off” command. It is best if you teach your dog both the off and sit command while they are still pups. These two commands can eliminate jumping from the get go. Plus, if it is not taught early, it will be much harder to teach an mature dog.
Make sure other member sin the household follow the same directives with your dog. Receiving mixed signals will confuse your dog and negative behaviors will continue.
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