If your dog jumps up at you or visitors to your home, or even people in the street – relax! It’s a very common yet easily rectifiable “problem” that is simply a result of your dog’s excitement to greet other people and as unwelcome as it may be, I’d rather a dog that greeted people in a friendly way than an aggressive way!
But the solution is not in pushing your dog away, spraying it with water, blasting it with a canister of air or throwing things at it – these punitive, abusive training techniques are based on outdated methods that have been long superseded by scientific methods to alter behaviour positively. All you need is a helper, your dog’s collar (or harness) and lead and some tasty treats – I use Trainers Secret 100% natural liver training treats and highly recommend them (available exclusively from dog & bone). How long will it take? Good question! We’re all busy and don’t have time to embark on long-winded training programs. My ‘personal best’ for teaching a dog not to jump up is 4 seconds. The longest yet is a mere 1 minute 9 seconds: my technique is a very straightforward one that is incredibly powerful because it uses the dog’s natural desire for attention as the key motivator and reward.
1. Enlist the help of a friend and give them a small supply of treats.
2. Secure your dog’s collar and lead.
3. Hold your dog’s lead at the end so that the dog can physically jump up (if you don’t allow them to jump up and get it wrong, they won’t learn what the correct thing is).
4. Stand still and anchor your feet to the floor and your elbows to your hips. When your dog pulls, you must do nothing at all: simply allow the dog to jump up.
5. Have your friend approach you and your dog with a friendly face, possibly even saying “hello!” to your dog in an excited tone.
6. As soon as your dog jumps up at your friend, have them say “too bad”, turn around and walk off. It needs to be short and succinct as we are showing the dog the ultimatum: if you jump up at people, they’ll simply walk off and you won’t get any attention at all.
7. Have your friend repeat the same process, turning and walking away each time the dog jumps up at them.
8. As the dog realises that jumping up isn’t working any longer, without being asked, the dog will offer an alternative behaviour. When the dog sits, your friend can continue to approach, praise and reward with a treat. The first time the dog sits and your friend continues to approach the dog, quite often the dog will get excited and jump up again so the same rules as before apply: have them say “too bad”, turn and walk away.
Patience is the key, combined with a consistent approach: the dog only gets praise and a reward when they remain sitting.
Remember that dog’s learning is very linear: if you teach a dog not to jump up while you’re in the garden, that is exactly what they learn – not to jump up in the garden! So once you and your dog have got the hang of it, change environments to really embed the new training: arrange to meet your friend on a planned walk, have them come to your front door a few times and of course in the hallway, too.
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