One of the most frustrating yet easily correctable dog behaviors involves getting your dog to stop jumping on you, on your family, on guests, and on furniture.
Once you understand why your dog or puppy is jumping you can make a few adjustments and stop your dog from jumping in a flash.
Most often the reason that a dog or puppy jumps is to get your attention, She wants to play, to go out, get a treat, be fed or just have you pay attention to her.
In rare cases, a dog may jump because she is trying to establish superiority of her position within the pack that she is a member of in your home. If she jumps and you respond, she has made her point.
If your dog has been displaying behavioral traits relating to a lack of socialization and she does not understand that you are the pack leader, then you should ignore her when she jumps.
The lack of response from you will indicate to your dog that she does not have control of the situation or of you, and is not the leader of the pack. The jumping will stop.
If, on the other hand, your dog’s jumping is of the most common, I want attention, variety there are techniques you can use to stop your dog from jumping fairly easily.
Three Ways to Stop Your Dog From Jumping
The main point to keep in mind is that you must never allow your dog to jump and you must be consistent.
Here’s a few tips that many dog trainers use.
- Divert your dog’s attention before she jumps. If you get her to focus on fetching a ball when you walk in the yard, instead of jumping, she will start to associate the game with your arrival, in lieu of her needing to jump to get your attention
- Teach your dog to sit. Command your dog to sit when she is about to jump. Once she obeys this command, give her a treat. She’ll soon learn that she will be rewarded by “sitting” instead of jumping.
- Deflect your dog’s contact from you when she starts to jump and say “NO!” in a firm tone. Repeat this every time she jumps and do not laugh or play with her until she obeys.
It’s very important to use the same words and technique repeatedly and consistently when you are training your dog.
Act in a calm and collected manner displaying firm but kind leadership. Under no condition ever punish or strike your dog. This is not only cruel and unlawful but will reinforce the negative behavior that you are trying to correct.
Finally, if you find that getting your dog to stop jumping is a challenge that you need help with, call a professional dog trainer. They work with jumping dog issues on a regular basis and will help you stop your dog from jumping in no time.