Jumping Up

Jumping up has some deep origins in canine behavior.  Jumping up is a dog’s way of shaking your hand and deferring to you.  Dogs are looking for 3 things when they jump up: 1. Eye contact 2. Your voice 3. Your hands to  touch them.  When we are de-jumping a dog we need to avoid giving the dog reinforcement when they are jumping.  Always remember that for a dog it is sometimes better to have negative attention than none at all.  When we are de-jumping a dog we need to be really good at rewarding good behavior.  When the dog makes a decision not to jump on someone, we need to reward it.  It is far better to reward a dog for not jumping up at all, than to wait for him to jump and then punish.  So how do we de-jump a dog?  One of the most powerful tools is ignoring him.  When the dog jumps up turn your back on him, when all four feet are on the ground, praise and reward with a cookie.  The second way is to give feedback for when the dog is incorrect and correct with his decisions.   When your dog jumps up on you give a sharp, “agh”, “agh” and step back away from your dog quickly.  The instant all four feet are on the floor, praise and reward.  Third way is to teach your dog an incompatible behavior to jumping up.  Sit is the easiest and most dogs are willing to sit even when stressed.  Before your dog reaches you, cue your dog to sit and when he does praise and reward.  This is a great exercise for when your dog is running towards you.  Give your sit cue when the dog is about 3-5 feet away from you.  When working on de-jumping your dog, you are always practicing.  Every encounter your dog has with people is a training session.  He is practicing good behavior or bad, reinforce the good and ignore the bad.