Jumping

 

Preventing your dog from jumping up during greetings.

 

The key to fixing this problem is to teach your dog to associate greeting a person with a calm, sit position.  It takes some patience but this can be done and the results are wonderful!  The basic idea is that you set up situations for your dog to practice over and over until they are ready for the “real” greeting.  Follow the steps below:

 

Practice Greetings near your front door:

 

1. Teach a good sit on command.

Hold a treat in your hand and ask your dog to sit.  Say the dog’s name, then the command “sit”.  Give the treat as soon as their rear end hits the ground.   When your dog is consistently sitting for you, start to wait a second, then two, then three, etc… before giving the treat so that over time they learn how to sit a little longer before receiving the treat.

 

2. Practice having your dog sit on a mat near the front door.

Get a mat for the dog to go to and place it next to the front door in the spot you would like your dog to be during greetings.  The mat is what the dog needs to be on when guests arrive.  Keep treats near the door and practice showing the dog to their mat, having them sit, then offer the treat.  Give it a name like "go to your mat".  Repeat until your dog consistently sits on the mat calmly.

 

3. Now practice the entry.

Bring your treats with you, leave the house and re-enter.  Ask your dog to sit on their mat when you enter and treat them when they sit.  Be calm and consistent.  When your dog is doing well you can add the knock at the door and ringing the doorbell before entering.

 

4. Invite a friend.

Now that your dog is consistently sitting on their mat and patiently waiting for their treat you can invite a friend over to help you further practice your dog’s ability to do a proper greeting.

 

As you can see, the idea is that you intentionally set up circumstances for your dog to learn and be successful with and with practice and consistency they will soon learn that a greeting with a calm sit offers a delicious treat!  Eventually when your dog is doing really well you can begin to slowly offer the treat only every other time, while replacing it with sincere physical praise.  So sometimes they will perform the greeting and receive a treat, and sometimes a nice pet. 

 

*Tips:

1. Instruct your visitors not to pet your dog during a greeting unless they are sitting calmly. 

 

2. When your dog is sitting nicely it is very important that they are rewarded for it every time, either with a treat or with genuine physical praise. 

 

3. As with all training it is important to make sure your dog is receiving enough exercise.  At least twice a day your dog should be taken out for exercise to the point they are tired out when they get home.   A dog with too much pent up energy will not be able to learn a proper greeting. 

 

4. Use high quality treats if more motivation is needed.

 

-- Julie Bjelland Lokhandwala's interactive Dog Training Web site: www.webdogtrainer.com, teaches you how to train your own dog as well as receive professional coaching, advice and tips through email consultations about your own dog!  Julie formerly trained Guide Dogs for the Blind and has been running her own successful obedience training/behavior modification business for several years. She is known for her talent in helping you communicate more effectively with your dog.   Julie's positive methods of training are friendly, encouraging and motivating. She has a personal mission to help more dogs get adopted and stay adopted and donates a portion of her proceeds to the cause.  Julie shares her home with her own rescued German Shepherd, Fax.