Guard Dog Training

If you have been a dog owner for any length of time you know that a dog jumping on you or others can be be frustrating and embarrassing. I know the situation all to well, you come home from a long day at work, you walk into the front door and boom, your greeted with a big wet kiss sharp paws running down your arms or torso, ouch! Or even worse your smaller child get caught in the excitement and gets knocked over and scratched as well.

Well guess what? Its all your fault.

You see, when your dog was just a little pup, you would be so excited to see that little guy that he would come to you in his cute puppy way and jump on your ankle (or barely reach your knee cap at this point) and you of course would bend over and pet him or even pick him up.

Your puppy has just learned a great lesson, jumping up is a good thing, it’s a great way to get positive affection. Your dog doesn’t understand the difference between a small, cute little puppy and in a matter of a few months he is now a larger adult dog with the mass and power to be able to take down a small adult human. All he knows is “jumping gets me love.”

Is it bad manners to have a dog jump on you?

You have to make it perfectly clear that jumping is unacceptable. Although owners of small breed dogs or “toy” dog breeds may expect their dog to jump, (this is totally up to you) but jumping on an unsuspecting guest could get things off on the wrong foot. That is why, if you do allow your dog to jump, you should at least work the command “off” into it’s training.

For larger dog breeds, there really is no debate on this matter. You should either never allow him to jump or at the very least work the “off” or “no jump” command in to their regular training. After all it is one thing to have to deal with scrapes or soiled cloths due to your own dog, it is quite another to have to deal with him jumping on a guest or stranger.

Why does dog jumping happen?

The number one reason dogs jump is most likely out of pure excitement after a long separation (returning home from work) or during playtime when adrenaline is running high.

A much more serious problem is when a dog jumps to display his dominance over you or whatever he is jumping on (another dog, a child or guest). Hailing from a pack mentality, dogs live by a hierarchy of social ranking and order. One of the behaviors a dog will use to exert his dominance over a lesser animal is to show his physical superiority by jumping up on or placing his paw or paws over the other dog’s shoulders.

You can identify the reason for your dogs jumping by taking note of the circumstances surrounding the event. If he only jumps when extremely excited, such as playtime or upon your return home from work, then he is only showing how much he missed you.

Stop your dog from jumping on you.

Your actions are key to eliminating this annoying and possibly dangerous habit of your dogs. As with most all dog training consistency in your training will speed up his learning curve and prove to be more reliable. To stop dog jumping you have to make it clear to your dog that jumping is no longer tolerated.

This means sticking to your training plan every day until there is not longer a problem. Your dog will not stop jumping on you if you allow it one day and not the next or allow him to jump on you but not your children. If you send this message to your dog he will jump when ever he feels like it.

Dog trainers world wide agree that the most effective way to curb unwanted behavior (jumping) in your dog is also the the easiest, and that is to simply ignore the bad or unwanted behavior and reward the wanted or good behavior. There is no need to yell or over correct. Negative attention is still attention and that is what your dog seeks when jumps on you.

Here is the best way to stop dog jumping.

When your dog jumps on you or is about to jump on you, turn your back to him and ignore this behavior. As soon as he has all four paws on the ground praise him. If he goes to jump again turn your back, cross your arms and face away.

When your dog goes to jump on you, turn your back on him right away. Dogs understand body language much more than the spoken word. So, what you need to do here is use your posture to get your message though loud and clear.

Again, as soon as he has all four paws back on the ground praise him lavishly. Don’t worry that you may be confusing him, dogs have a very short “training memory” and they can only comprehend the reaction you give to his behavior at that moment.

Continue this cycle and you will notice that he will clam down rather quickly.

To learn more about dog training basics Stop by Matt Closson’s site where you can find out all about leash training a dog and how you can get a free 6 day training course.

categories: Dog training,dog training tips,dogs,pets,animals,family