If you want to stop your dog from jumping up on people, you must understand why your dog does so. It is usually because it is seeking attention, food, or a toy. By jumping up, your dog makes what it wants go away, so you must change the way you interact with your dog so that he doesn’t feel this way.
Setting up the environment to stop dog jumping
One of the first steps in training a dog to stop jumping is setting up the environment in which it can learn to behave appropriately. Dogs usually jump on people while walking on a leash or at home, so it’s important to be ready to use these opportunities to teach your dog to behave properly.
Jumping is usually caused by an excess of energy. You can distract your dog by giving him another activity to keep him busy. For example, you can give him a toy when he arrives home or encourage him to run to the mat or bed when he’s alone. You can then cue him to come off the mat. Your dog may find impulse control challenging, but by rewarding good behavior, you can help him learn appropriate behaviors.
Asking for a counter behavior
One way to stop a dog from jumping is to ask him to do a counter behavior instead of jumping. As long as your dog is calm and not overly excited, he will learn to sit in a situation where jumping is not beneficial. Instead, reward him for sitting. He will learn that sitting will be more lucrative than jumping.
This is a very difficult behavior to break, so you should focus on prevention. You can prevent your dog from jumping on counters by keeping food out of reach. Many human foods can make dogs sick, so you should keep your counters free of food. Otherwise, you’ll have to train your dog not to jump on the counters. You can also try using food as bait by creating a sting operation.
Avoiding touching your dog
One of the best ways to teach your dog to stop jumping is to avoid physical contact. Dogs are social creatures, and they enjoy physical contact, but this interaction can reinforce the behavior. To help change your dog’s jumping behavior, avoid loud noises, pushing and pulling, and yelling at it. Instead, ignore it and wait for it to calm down before approaching it.
If you can’t prevent your dog from jumping, ask a friend to watch and practice the trick with your dog. Practice makes perfect, and the more often you do it, the faster your dog will learn. You can also tell a stranger not to touch your dog while it is mid-jump. Another technique that works for many dogs is the hand target method. Instead of touching your dog, put your hand in front of his nose and wait until he sits without jumping on you.
Keeping your dog on a leash
Keeping your dog on a leash is one of the best ways to keep your dog from jumping on people. This tactic not only keeps your dog in your control but also teaches your dog the correct way to greet you. Jumping is a natural behavior and dogs usually jump up just for fun. This behavior makes them feel happy and the more they do it, the more they want to do it.
To teach your dog that jumping on people is not acceptable, you should not pet your dog and instead, walk away calmly. Reward your dog with praise and food when it follows the instructions on a leash.
Keeping your dog on a tether
If you want to stop your dog from jumping off the furniture, you can try attaching a tether to the leg of a piece of furniture. If you use a strong, heavy tether, it should not drag and be comfortable for the dog to sit on. Make sure to reward the dog with a treat every time he sits or steps back.
Another method is to tie your dog to you. A six-foot tether is ideal as you can wrap it around a heavy piece of furniture and hold on to it. Closet doors are also a good place to attach a tether. Make sure to supervise your dog while he’s on the tether.
Keeping your dog on a ‘flirt pole’
Flirt poles encourage dogs to run, jump and change direction. However, a flirt pole should not be used on a dog with a medical condition. Instead, use a lure toy and lure your dog on the pole.
A flirt pole should have a thick pole, thick string, and sturdy connections. You can get one here. A flirt pole is a great training tool and will help your dog improve impulse control, listen to you in noisy environments, and have two-way communication with you. It can also be an effective toy for tiring your dog out.
