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Training Your Dog
Not to Jump
Jumping is a very
common behavior. Dogs jump to get attention. They keep jumping
because it keeps working! Even if you say "NO! Get
down!" they still see the correction as attention.
The best way to stop this behavior is: When your dog tries to jump
up on you, simply turn your back to the dog and refuse to even
look at him/her until he/she calms down. If you don't give
attention they will quickly loose interest in jumping on you. Tell
your guests to do the same.
 If
your dog is REALLY bad about jumping up on people you may want to put a leash
on the dog to help you control the dog with more ease.
Do not remove the
dog from the room. Doing so will not teach the dog anything.
Instead, have the dog Sit and Stay about 10 feet away until the dog calms down.
As with any unwanted
behavior, prevention is better than correction. So when a visitor comes
to your door, have the dog Sit and Stay. As you open the door,
reinforce the stay command. If the dog moves, make a small leash
correction and put the dog back in a Sit-Stay. Repeat as necessary
until the dog does not move when the door is opened. Have your
guest walk in a ignore the dog.
After the guest is
in the house without being jumped on you may want the guest to reward
the dog. If this is the case, have them quietly bend down and pet or give a treat.
Then have
them walk away calmly without talking to the dog.
When it is OK for the dog to move, give the release command. If
the dog tries to jump up, make a leash correction and say
"NO" and put the dog back in a sit ... Repeat as necessary.
As soon as your dog has calmed down don't make a big deal about
it, because that will only make him/her excited again.
Your dog will need
to know: NO, SIT, & STAY before you train this behavior.
You will also need some extra help when you begin this training.
Your helper will be the one that opens the door while you hold the
leash and controlling your dog.
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