By Peg Baron
Dogs are wonderful companions and they are so happy to see you when you come home that they can barely contain themselves. Some dogs get so excited that they jump up on you and anyone else that comes to visit. This might have been cute when she was a puppy, but now that she's full grown and weighing 50+ pounds, it's not cute at all.
Jumping dogs can cause people bruising and scratching from the claws, not to mention ruined stockings and clothes. A more serious issue would be if the dog knocks someone over, especially a small child, or knocks them down the stairs. A dog jumping up can be more than an annoyance, it could be downright harmful.
The biggest reason why dogs jump is that they are happy to see you and want your attention. They are greeting you in this way because they love you and want to be touched by you... and they've learned that jumping is the best way to do it. Jumping on people is mostly a learned attention-seeking behavior from puppyhood.
You may have given them attention by fussing over them and getting them so excited they jumped up. Then you gave them more attention by telling them to stop and pushing them back down. Again, they got your words and your touch, and this reinforced the jumping behavior.
Another theory behind jumping stems from an old inherent instinct in puppies to lick the muzzles of adult dogs. This is reinforced when you let your puppy jump up and lick your adult face.
The best thing to do, right from the start, is to ignore your puppy when you come home and she jumps. Put your coat away and start looking through your mail until your pup has calmed down. Then reward her calm behavior with your attention. Don't make too much of a fuss over her or she might get excited and start jumping all over again.
To stop an older dog from jumping will require a bit of consistent training. Have your command word ready; "huh uh" or "down" and put your hands behind your back so you won't be rewarding her with contact. When she goes to jump, step back and turn around while using the command word. Continue to do this until the dog stops jumping. Then give her all your attention and praise her for following the "down" command. She should understand you are not playing a game by your demeanor.
It's easiest to train a dog not to jump from the very start, but it is possible to retrain a dog to stop jumping after the fact. "Down" is an important command for your dog to learn so she does not hurt anyone or lose human friends who don't want to be around a jumper.
These are some tips on how to stop a dog jumping up. For more tricks and tips, visit http://dogintraining.info today. Sign up for you free dog obedience course!
No comments:
Post a Comment