Dogs have a natural proclivity to jump on people. How often they do this will vary with breed and personality. It’s been suggested that dogs jump up on people to get a better look at someone’s face — not to attack that person, but to interact with him or her. Dogs interact with each other this way, too. Especially if they’re of similar breeds, their faces are close to each other and they use their senses of smell and vision to explore.
Therefore, one way to get your dog to stop jumping is to remove his or her need to reach out to you. Instead, kneel down and “get on the dog’s level.” Let your dog explore your face safely, at the same time watching for too much assertiveness on the dog’s part. Most dogs won’t bite their owners this way, especially if the owner has assumed the “alpha” position, or leader of the pack position.
If you’ve just gotten an older dog and aren’t quite sure how it’s going to respond to you yet, take some precautions as you try this technique. Put a collar on your dog and then insert your thumb underneath the collar behind your dog’s neck; this will give you the ability to jerk the dog’s neck sideways if you need to.
If at all possible, jerk sideways, not backwards. A dog’s neck muscles are strong, but you can easily bruise your dog’s throat if you use a sharp backwards motion. Remember that you’re trying to teach your dog not to do this particular action and at the same time protect yourself, but you are not punishing your dog.
You can also practice off leash training to teach your dog not to jump. Wear some sturdy pants that will protect you and have your dog stand in front of you. You can, of course, train your dog to “sit” as a method to get him or her to stop jumping, but it’s not possible to get your dog to sit all the time. Most often, a dog jumps when he or she has been standing or running. Therefore, you need to start this exercise with your dog in a standing position.
Keep an eye out for your dog’s body tension to change, whereby he or she is about to jump. When you see this, order the dog to “sit.” If the dog still jumps, lift your leg slightly and gently nudge your dog’s chest with your knee or your thigh. While you do this, simultaneously, thrust your hand palm outward near the dog’s face, saying, “Off!” as you do so. (Don’t say “down,” since this is a separate behavior and requires a different word.)
Again, gentleness is important. Don’t push hard into the dog’s chest, and don’t push your hand into his or her face. Your knee action simply keeps the dog off you and puts it ever so slightly off-balance, while your “palm out” hand near his or her face obscures vision and discourages him or her from jumping again.
If you’re working with a partner, you can try leash training, especially if the dog still doesn’t get the idea that he or she shouldn’t jump. When the dog begins to jump, have your partner hold the leash and jerk sideways as you say, “Off!” Again, you, as the alpha leader, should be the one who’s saying, “Off!” and not your partner. The dog should obey and focus on you.
If you don’t have a partner, you can do this outside sometimes by wrapping a very long leash around a post or tree. However, this is less than ideal since the jerk will be from the back instead of to the side.
You can use positive reinforcement to teach your dog, too. In that case, take a favorite toy or treat in one hand, and when your dog begins to jump, hold the treat/toy above and slightly behind your dog’s head. This will distract your dog and slightly unbalance him or her. It also encourages the dog to sit, just when he or she wanted to jump.
Using repetition and being consistent are key when you want to train your dog not to jump, and as is true of any training. Be firm but patient, and most dogs will learn to suppress their natural urge to jump until you give them permission to do so.
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