Stopping Your Dog From Jumping Up

Down Spot! Down Princess! Down Rover! Down Peaches! ... Down Comet! Down Cupid! Down Donder and Blitzen! I've heard that command many times, from many desperate dog owners, aimed at many determined dogs.

The jumping dog is a universal problem, but a more comprehensive understanding of what's motivating the behaviour can go a good distance toward addressing it.

The 2 reasons which explain why Dogs Jump Up On Folk

First, and potentially commonest, is the jumping dog who greets this way. This can just be from over-excitement - they "jump for joy." Dog behaviorists also mention that jumping behaviour is partially instinctive. Dogs lick each others faces when they need to give a brilliant nice greeting, a likely reflection of lower ranking members of a wolf pack licked the faces of the higher ranking wolves returning from the hunt.

Additionally, puppies in a den jump over each other for their mother's attention. More definitely, puppies target their mother's face, as a she generally regurgitates food for her litter, another reflection of the wolf pack. Also, this behaviour can be definitely fortified during greeting times, when a jumping dog is met by an excited owner who right away praises, feeds, walks and / or plays with their pet after getting "jumped," you might say. Jumping becomes part of this routine. It is rewarded and buttressed. A second reason for jumping, which is less frequently the case, is they might be making an attempt to build predomination. Dogs jump up on one another thru what's known as "teeing off." particularly, they rest their head or paw ( or both paws ) on the shoulder of a dog they need to control and exert a little bit of downward pressure. As we walk on 2 legs, we are trickier to tee off on, but the inducement is the same. The dog might be attempting to express dominant standing.

In cases like these, they frequently jump up once and kind of lean on you.

Identifying Dominant Behaviour

It is important to spot this behaviour by seeing it in the wider context of your relationship. First, understand that a unmanageable dog isn't inexorably a dumb one. If they do not hear you, and push and pull you around, they might have decided not to recognise you as their superior in the pack power structure ( while still thinking the sector of you as a companion ). Whether or not it is female or male, a dog that regularly jumps on you could be exhibiting one of the many behaviors of the indicators of Alpha dog. ( Alpha dog behaviour is a thing we tackle in the Systems to canine obedience training Bonus book, " Strategies to turning into the Alpha Dog," and there is a full DVD dedicated to the subject in our "dog obedience training DVD Series" ). If you think the jumping is in truth an expression of ascendancy, then it's likely that your coaching will have to involve heavier corrections. This just means you may must do more than simply disregard the dog while jumping and teach them to Sit and Settle before getting your attention.

For example, water squirting, pointed "growling," or causing the dog down and holding them down till they're still are all corrections which will short circuit this behavior.

Some dog owners do not mind when their dog jumps up to welcome them - it's a most a dramatic and flattering hi to say the least.

And the very last thing we wish to do is convince our pets that they haven't any reason to be excited to see us. We do not wish to take the spring out of their step, you might say. But when the same dog jumps up on others , for example other family members or mates, it can be clumsy and even deadly. A dog jumping up on strangers is always a bad look. The very good news is a well-trained dog can learn how to jump up just when "invited" to do so by its owner. This is fine for playtime for example. But let's learn the guidelines before we break them.

Laying Down The Guidelines

During greetings, always try and stop your dog from jumping up first of all. Put your hand ( or both hands ) out in front of you and hold still. A trained dog will be able to reply to this gesture moderately quickly with repetitions. As with any coaching strategy, don't introduce any oral commands Till the right behaviour has been shown. Only when your dog gets down on his very own bargain should you start to use the "down" command to go with the behaviour. This is how they learn the command, by having the right action to associate it with. For most, this kind of prevention doesn't work straight away, particularly for puppies that are lacking enough formal coaching. You must understand how to react when your dog starts jumping up. Generally , this involves understanding what NOT to do. For example, when you have a problem jumper, do not be over-enthusiastic during your greetings. This manifestly bolsters the behaviour. And don't briskly push the dog away from you. They translate this as a type of frolicsome engagement. The result : dogs always push back. It's instinctive. The same principle is the explanation for a lot of cases where dogs pull on leashes : they're inspired by the force exerted on them. Turn your back and pay no attention to the dog. And quietly ask him to sit. When he has calmed down, and ideally answered to the sit command, then you can turn and greet the dog. If he starts jumping again, repeat the method. Have patience, here's where you get to send a message generally thru your subconscious movements, and the dog will certainly take a couple of trials to get it.

Regularly it is advised that you stick your knee up and put the dog off balance, which is just about a reflex reaction. Turning your back and stonewalling is better if you can manage. One of the profound best ideas I give is to always greet a peaceful dog "at its level." Squat or kneel down, and open your palms open toward the dog. This is a non threatening posture that dogs very fast associate will approaching praise. We like when others try and meet us on our level. Dogs are little different in this respect. But ensure they earn it first! Avoidance is your best chance when introducing new folk into your place. If you have established your position as the dominant member of your pack, then your dog shouldn't be permitted to position himself in front of you when the front door opens. It is time for you to become the Alpha Dog if that is the case, which also implies more coaching for you. It's great practice to give a quiet and firm "stay Down" alert ahead just before you open the door for a visitor or let them into the house.

Your dog will be replying to your sense of composure and assertiveness, and begin to actually believe that there's no real reason to go crazy each time the door opens.

If you've tried everything to get your dog to stop jumping up on everybody, short of removing its legs, I only have another word for you. Exercise. I've claimed it before and I will say it again, dogs require more exercise than we believe they do, and if they don't have any other channel for their energy, they're going to find one, and that will include jumping up and back down on folk frantically.

So keep those legs and lungs pumping. If you cannot be prepared going for those walks, you better have a good arm for get.