How to stop a dog from jumping

The last post was a guest post on how to stop a dog from jumping using positive reinforcement. I want to add some additional tips.

I really hate when dogs jump on me. It’s one of the most obvious signs of dominance, a lack of control on the owner’s part and a lack of respect from the dog.

Using positive reinforcement does work to stop a dog from jumping, however it takes a lot of patience, time and consistency. If the dog is rewarded for jumping even five percent of the time, she is going to keep on jumping. And like Rachel said, a vocal “No!” is a good enough “reward” for most dogs to continue jumping.

Few people are able to follow through with the consistency needed to ignore the “bad” behavior and reward the “good.” That’s one reason why I recommend using a combination of rewards and corrections. It speeds up the training process.

Additional tips for stopping your dog from jumping

1. Learn to recognize dominant jumpers versus submissive jumpers

Jumping does not always signal dominance. I’ve had submissive, insecure dogs jump all over me because they are fearful and want to get up higher and away from other dogs or people. It’s best to ignore this behavior. Simply walking away and not looking at the dog until she is calm is a good method.

For dominant dogs, the last thing I will do is turn around or back away. A weaker dog will give a more dominant dog power by backing away. If the dog makes you retreat, she has claimed your space and believes she has control over you.

2. Walk into the dog.

With a dominant dog that jumps, I make a point to calmly walk right into her. This causes the dog to back away and eventually sit. Backing the dog into a corner or a wall works great. It also works to lightly raise your knee into the dog’s chest, but be aware of what you’re doing. This should not be a forceful action and should not be done if you are at all upset. Dogs nudge one another all the time to claim more space. They never knock the wind out of other dogs or cause injuries! So far I’ve seen one injured dog at the vet because his owner kneed him in the chest attempting to stop the dog’s jumping habit. What a sad story.

3. Be careful not to reward the pattern of jump, sit.

Dogs are smart animals, and they figure out how to manipulate us all the time. Dogs learn by recognizing patterns. Be very careful that you are not rewarding your dog for jumping followed by a sit. In the very beginning of training, reward your dog any time she sits, but very soon you should move on to rewarding her only if she sits without jumping first.

4. Decide what you want your dog to do rather than jump.

What do you want your dog to do instead of jump? If your dog has has a habit of jumping on people at the door, what do you want her to do instead? Stand? Sit? Lie down? You must make that decision and be consistent so your dog learns what you want her to do. If you don’t know, she certainly won’t know!

5. Teach the dog that “sit” implies “sit – stay.”

It doesn’t do much good if your dog sits and then pops right back up again. Sit should mean sit until I release you. Reward the dog as she is sitting, not after she is released.

6. Seek out situations where the dog is likely to jump.

The most important key to stopping a dog from jumping is to set up scenarios where the dog is likely to jump so you can reinforce what you want your dog to do instead. It takes a lot of conditioning and hundreds of repetitions to get the dog to do what you want. It’s not going to happen by practicing every couple of days when someone comes to the door. Set up situations with your dog multiple times a day. That might mean going to pet stores and grooming shops and parks where you can practice meeting friendly strangers, or it might mean inviting lots of friends over to ring your doorbell.

7. Step on the dog’s leash.

Boy do I love stepping on a dog’s leash and watching her attempt to jump! I always think, Ha! Gotcha good!

The reason I like this trick is because it allows you to keep the dog on a loose leash. The dog is not going to learn anything if she is constantly being held back. If anything, this will make her resist and jump harder. But keeping the dog’s leash loose and stepping on it somewhere in the middle will allow her to make a mistake and be corrected for it.

8. Do not talk to the dog at all.

If you have an easily excited dog, just looking at her is enough of a reward when she’s being calm and sitting. Talking to her and petting her will only encourage her to break from a sit and to jump on you again. Never use an excited voice around an easily excited dog.

9. Use a shock collar to correct the dog’s jumping habit.

A quick, clear correction the instant the dog does something wrong is the best way to get your message across. The most effective tool for this is an e-collar. Put the collar on a low setting and reward the dog with food or attention the instant all four paws are on the ground.

10. Use a clicker.

If your dog is conditioned to recognize that clicks mean she is doing something right, then by all means use the clicker to teach her you want her to keep all four paws on the ground.

Whatever you do, stick to a consistent plan and work with your dog every day!

What tips do you have for teaching a dog not to jump?