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How to Deal with a Jumping Dog Problem
Most dogs love to jump. And while a jumping dog may appear cute and harmless, he is definitely not harmless. A small dog is a nuisance, but a large dog can be intimidating and cause an injury.
Like many other dog behaviors , dog jumping starts in puppyhood. And just like other unwelcome behaviors, the earlier you try to put an end to it, the easier it will be to accomplish your goal.
This is not a difficult behavior to get rid of, if you understand what causes dog jumping in the first place.
So…
Why do Dogs Jump?
Most dogs jump up at us because they want to greet us at face level (that's how dogs greet each other). It's a natural and instinctive behavior. So, the next time you see a jumping dog, he may be trying to say ‘hello' to you!
Sometimes, we reinforce dog jumping with our own actions.
Have you ever slapped your thighs while encouraging your dog to run to you and saying something like "Here, boy(or girl)! Come to…" and then stretching your arms in anticipation of catching him?
With our encouragement and innate love of jumping, I would be surprised if our dogs did not jump as much as they do!
Controlling a Jumping Dog
To discourage a jumping dog, rule number one is to stop rewarding his jumping.
What do we usually do when our dog starts jumping up? We say something like "Stop it, enough already, down boy…". Sometimes, we may pet him. If he is lucky, he may even sneak in couple of quick licks while you are trying to get him down.
All this attention is very rewarding and encourages even more dog jumping in the future.
Frankly, if I were a dog and getting all this attention, I would be jumping at my owner every chance I had!
This may seem counter intuitive, but the best way to handle a jumping puppy is to… just ignore him.
Let me explain.
When your dog starts jumping up, withhold all attention. Fold your arms and turn away from him. Don't say anything and don't make any eye contact.
Once he settles down, you may pet him and offer him praise for being such a good dog. Eventually, he will learn that jumping up and down does not offer any rewards and the behavior will stop.
Encourage all family members to be consistent in how they handle a jumping dog. Like with any other dog behavior, consistency cuts down on training time.
More Tips
Here is a technique I find very useful.
I taught all my dogs to offer their paws when they greeted me. Once your dog is familiar with a "sit" command, this is very easy. Your dog will quickly learn that by offering his paw, he will get a lot more attention and praise than by jumping up at you.
If you really want to show your jumping dog that jumping up does not offer any rewards, try this…
Take his favorite treat and let him see and smell it. Now, slowly, raise your hand above your shoulders. Is your dog jumping up trying to get the treat? Good, let him jump as much as he wishes, but don't give him the treat.
Only when all his paws are on the floor and he is no longer jumping up, offer him the treat. Pet him. Tell him how good he is.
You can't imagine how quickly your puppy will learn from this exercise!
Finally, keep your greetings very low key.
When you return home and see a jumping dog, just ignore him. Greet your spouse or children. Only then turn your attention to your dog. By this time, he is not as excited as he was just a couple of minutes ago when you came in and is less likely to jump at you.
While jumping up is a normal dog behavior, it's our responsibility to teach our dogs that this behavior is not appropriate with humans.
The best way to accomplish this is to stop offering "rewards" to your jumping dog. Once your dog learns that jumping up does not offer any rewards, the behavior will lessen.
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