Prevent your dog from jumping on you and your friends by changing the house rules.
Start teaching him the right way to behave inside.
The first topic to tackle is the house rules. When it comes to exuberant greetings, people have different opinions about what behavior can be permitted. The good news is that you get to decide and you can be inconsistent as long as you are consistently inconsistent. To do that, you just have to set simple yes/no rules and stick to them.
Yes you can jump on me. No you can't jump on Aunt Ellen.
Once you have decided what the rules will be it's time to break the news to your dog. Training tools are an easy way to make fast changed. Static electricity mats can be placed on furniture that you want to protect (they have the advantage of working when you are gone so you won't end up with a napping dog when you are gone). Dog gates and crates can be used to restrict his free access to the door.
To break him of the habit of jumping on you at the door you have to be consistent and not respond with laughs, pats on the head, or scolding. Simply enter and, when he begins to jump up, tuck your arms in and turn in the other direction. Do not touch the dog to greet him or to push him off. Do not talk to the dog to greet him. Do say Down or Get Off in a calm, firm voice. Turn away and avoid rewarding the behavior.
When your dog tries to jump on you while you're sitting, simply tuck your arms in and lean forward.
For dogs that have been jumping for a long time you will encounter an "extinction burst." This means that he will try jumping more when you begin ignoring him because he is trying to get a response. This increase in the behavior will die out when it doesn't get him what he wants.
If you will be allowing your dog to jump on you, but not on guests, then it is important to a) Give him a visual clue that says it's okay to jump and b) Practice the Down or Get Off command so that he knows to put four on the floor when you tell him to. If possible, have a dog loving friend role-play as the visitor.
Additional steps to take include selecting a place for your dog to wait for guests to greet him and training him to sit on command no matter what the excitement level. If he's sitting, he can't be jumping.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment