One of the most common issues that I get called for is.. you guest it, my dog is jumping on everyone and we need it to stop.
Some tips on how to get this to stop
First we need to understand that for a dog the jumping and over excitement is completely normal, so you cannot start by blaming them as if they already understood that. Second is that dogs learn by being rewarded for what they are doing and just petting your dog, talking to them in an excitable way, getting frustrated, or just letting them continue to do it are all ways of you “reinforcing” them that what they are doing is ok. So for example if dog jumps on you and then you pet him or her that is the way we show the dog that if they jump on us then they will get rewarded for that.
So you want to start rewarding your dog when he or she gets off of you by using some treats (but do not over do the frequency of using just treats because that can cause other problems where your dog will only listen to you for food), praise in a calm way, not excitable because that will just get your dog excited and back into jumping, a toy, or just a calm good girl or good boy. CONSISTENCY is key to getting your dog to learn a new behavior or pattern! Without being consistent like anything else in life you will never reach your goal.
So what do you do if your dog is jumping and you are staying as calm as you can but he or she will not stop?
If your dog is jumping on you but will not stop you can calmly walk in towards your dog which will cause him or her to have to back up and in order to do that he or she will have to get off of you. Once your dog gets off of you then that is where you will mark that with the word “good” and pay your dog or reward your dog with treat, toy, or praise. Most dogs like higher value rewards such as treats or there kibble. Dogs work to access a reward the same as we work to get paid, so if you do not pay your dog then your dog really does not have reason to want to work.
One last tip is rewarding your dog when the dog is not jumping on you during the day. This way your dog starts learning that I get something high value when I am on the floor and not jumping. Again be consistent and you will see a big difference.
Try out these tips and leave comments or questions below! ?