You come home from work, you meet a friend in the street, you invite friends, and each time, your dog jumps on humans to greet them?
This relatively normal behavior is not mean or dangerous; your dog is happy, greets his guests as he should, wants to show he's there, or impose dominance over strangers.
It's even cuter when it's a puppy, or a small dog; everyone is touched, finds it funny.
On the other hand, once grown, a dog can become dangerous and frightening if it jumps on children, seniors, guests who may not like dogs as much as you do. That's why we invite you to teach your dog not to jump, and this from a very young age.
Here is a list of some tips to teach your dog that jumping is not interesting for humans:
-
Ignore the action and go in the opposite direction
If you want to try this, all your friends, family and other guests should play along as much as you do. As soon as the dog starts jumping, ignore it and leave. By being ignored, the dog will seek attention, and can only be rewarded when its behavior is correct.
-
Be calm and quiet
As hard as it is, we shouldn't focus our attention on our dogs when we get home from work or an outside errand. Too many owners (including us) celebrate their dogs when they get home. High-pitched screams, excitement, big gestures, petting, you name it. Of course, this behavior excites the dog in turn, and will cause him to want to jump on you.
-
Don't look at your dog
Some dogs will think that just being looked at is a sign of a reward and that they should continue to do their circus!
Also, avoid pushing your dog away with your knees or hands, put them in your pockets or cross your arms so that you don't have a reflex
-
Reward when the 4 legs touch the ground
With a treat, petting, praise, never reward when your dog jumps up but rather as soon as he comes down.
-
Do not hurt him
Never try to step on his hind legs or squeeze his front legs when your dog jumps on you. Not only will you hurt your dog, but you will encourage him to hurt you back.
-
Favor "sit" or "stay"
A sitting dog cannot stand on you, so emphasize this relatively simple command and reward your dog as soon as the command is maintained.
More difficult, but even better, teach your dog to stay still when you walk through the door. Again, be sure to reward appropriately if your dog has not moved an eyelash!
-
Use a decoy
Divert your dog's attention to his favorite toy or treat, so he'll forget all about jumping on your guests and come over to greet them when he's done having fun.
If your dog can't stop jumping at all, try agility or outdoor exercises and teach him the jump command. This will be a time for play and exercise rather than a bad habit at the front door.
See you next time on The Pets Ark!
The Pets Ark family
