Jumping is one of the most common behavior issues in dogs. A dog that jumps can ruin a nice evening with friends and family. However, there's nothing like coming into a stranger's house without being harassed by a 70 pound Labrador, and its simple! Let me show you.
What causes jumping in dogs?
Jumping is mostly caused by reward history. Usually when a puppy comes into our new home, it's easy to treat him like a baby, right? We carry our little new friend around, thinking that he's very sensitive and that it's best to protect him. Most of the time, it's really cute when the puppy jumps on us to say hello and climbs up on our laps to get attention. Dogs learn through repetition, and it's very easy to reward your dog when he jumps on you, because he gets a reward when you touch him, say his name, or look at him.
How to get rid of jumping
1. Restore your pack structure
Dogs need a strong structure and a solid base to feel safe and to control their emotions well. In order to get rid of any behavior problem, we need to make sure that our dog has a strong leader he needs. Are we making sure our dog follows the house rules? Are we giving him love on demand? Are we leaving his food in his bowl throughout the day so he can eat when he wants (and not when it's his feeding time)? As pack leaders, we should control our dog's resources.
If the dog is a very dominant or possessive dog, make sure there is a place in the house where they are not allowed to go, such as your bed or on couches or chairs. Teach the dog that there are boundaries in his life by using training methods such as crate training or place training. If he is allowed on the furniture, do it on command and only if you want him to. Be consistent with any rules you set.
2. Reward the right behavior Treat or touch your puppy as soon as someone comes in the door, before he runs to the door or barks, so you catch him doing the right behavior while he is calm and relaxed. Then wait a little longer next time to pet or praise him. If he starts whining and getting anxious, ignore him.
If your dog jumps up when you greet him on the street, ask the person who is going to greet him to wait until he calms down before you touch him. People are very nice and will wait if you tell them you have a behavior problem you are working on.
Tell the person who comes to greet you to take a few steps back if your dog is already jumping when he sees the human getting closer. Reward your dog when he doesn't jump repeatedly by petting him or allowing him to come a little closer (as long as he continues to behave). It may be useful to plan this "training session" in advance and ask a friend to help you with it. Practice this consistently for a few weeks.
3. Incompatible behaviors Dogs usually can't do more than one thing at a time. You can usually replace a bad behavior with a command if you repeat that action long enough.
Start training "sit," "down," or "crate" in a quiet place.
Ideally, you should work in the same area where you are having problems with your dog's behavior. Then move the door, knock on the wall and create distractions. If he interrupts the action, put him back and don't reward him. Use a partner or friend to distract him and repeat the action that usually causes a problem. Do short training sessions and end them, on a positive note.
Once your dog is ready, present him with the stimuli or environment he is having difficulty with. At first, start at a distance and then move closer and closer. Remember, we want to train what we want our dog to do, so be consistent and don't give up! Some dogs take longer than others.
4. Ignoring the behavior
When you or your guests come to your house and see your dog, make no sound and ignore them. Keep doing this, you can also put up your knee or/ and turn your back to the dog. This is such a bad experience for some dogs that they do not repeat the action, or they begin to try jumping less. Once the dog calms down, or sits next to you. Pet them. IF they get too excited again, ignore. - Knee Up: Show negative stimuli by raising your knee up in the air so your dog can't reach you when he jumps on you. By raising your knee before the dog jumps, you create distance and a difficult/narrow spot for the dog to brace himself.
- Collar correction: Pull down on the collar, immediately release it, and repeat this process a few times.
It is important to know that we cannot immediately reward a dog with attention when we correct it, as we would be telling it two opposite things and confusing it. If the dog is calm, wait until he/ she sits for a while or stands calmly next to you.
Now, please don't think that you are doing psychological harm to your dog when you correct it. Dogs require rules and you need to tell them what to do and what not to do. They need communication which they can understand. When we make corrections, they should be as natural as possible without adding too much. Intensity of pressure depends on how much your dog can tolerate without shutting down. Use training collars that simulate the correction of the dam.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
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