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Articles / TULARC / Dogs / Behavior / |  |
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020. Jumping |
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This article is from the Dog Behavior FAQ, posted to rec.pets.dogs newsgroup. Maintained by Cindy Tittle Moore with numerous contributions by others.
Since most dogs are shorter than you, their natural tendency is to jump up to see you. It is also an expression of exuberance and happiness. However, you may be wearing your Sunday Best. The dog's paws may be muddy. The puppy may grow too large. Some people are afraid of dogs. Train your dog not to jump on people. If you don't mind your dog jumping on you, then train it to jump on you only when it's "OK".
In general, correct it immediately when it jumps on you, praise it when all four paws land back on ground. A helpful reinforcement is to give them a command and praise lavishly when they do it, e.g., "No! Brownie, sit! Good girl, what a good girl!"
Try to anticipate the jumping: look for their hindquarters beginning to crouch down, and correct them when you see them *about* to jump. With medium-sized dogs, you can discourage jumping with a well-timed knee in the chest (never kick). This does not work as well on small dogs and very large dogs. With small dogs, step back so they miss you; you can also splay your hand in front of you so their face bumps into it (don't hit them, let them bump into you). Correct, then praise when on ground. With larger dogs, the kind that don't really *jump*, but *place* their paws on your shoulders, grab some skin below their ears (be firm but not rough) and pull them down, saying "No!" Again, praise it when it is back on ground.
You should note that some dogs do not respond to the above physical corrections. They may view it as a form of rough play, or be so happy to get attention that they don't mind it being negative. In these cases, a much more effective approach is to ignore such a dog, stepping back slightly or turning your back when it jumps. Give lavish praise and attention when all paws are on the ground again.
Gradually expand this to include friends and visitors. Start first with people who understand what you want to do and will apply the physical correction in conjunction with your "No!" As the dog improves, expand with other people. In the interim, a reinforcing exercise is to put your dog on a leash, and stand on one end of the leash or otherwise secure it so your dog can stand but not jump. When it tries to greet someone by jumping up, praise it *when it lands* and don't correct it for attempting to jump.
For those of you who don't mind being jumped, you can gain control over it by teaching your dog that it can jump on you -- when you OK it. At random times (i.e., not *every* time you correct it), after your correction and praise for getting back down, wait thirty seconds or so, and then happily say "OK, jump" (or something similar, as long as you're consistent) and praise your dog when it jumps up then. At other times, when it is *not* trying to jump on you, encourage it to do so on your permission, using the same phrase. You must make it clear that it shouldn't jump on you unless you give it permission, so you must still correct unpermitted jumping.
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