HELPING THE FAMILY DOG NOT JUMP ON YOU
You mull over the last things you were working on while you park in the driveway. Another day at work complete and you’re exhausted.
You open the front door to the sound of scurrying nails on tile and turn just in time to see the most adorable dog racing to greet you before you can set your bag down. Her tail is wagging so hard that you feel the room cool down. She’s acting like she hasn’t seen you in a week, and you love it.
As she finally reaches you, she lunges up, setting her front paws on you. She’s trying to maximize the amount of attention you can give her, still wagging her tail with enough force to blow over a small child. You exchange pleasantries for a while, sharing in her extreme joy. As you glance back to where she came from though, your heart drops a little when you spot the trail of muddy prints leading from the open back door.
A brief inspection of your pants reveals mud scrapped all over your freshly dry-cleaned suit. Suddenly that beautiful exchange of love becomes a $20 bill and another week without a suit. You just wish you could teach your dog to not jump as you walk in the door.
Fortunately, there is a way you can do just that. Here’s how you can.
Let Her Jump. Give No Attention.
Your dog jumps because she is trying to reach your face. Dogs greet each other with licks to the face. When yours can’t reach your face, she’ll do all in her power to fix that.
As your dog comes to jump on you, let her. Just don’t acknowledge her.
Stand still. Cross your arms. Look over her head. Maybe even turn your back. Don’t say a word or do anything else.Become indifferent.
Positive or negative attention is still attention, and you reward her efforts when you give any of either. Ignore her to show her that this is not how you get attention.
Reward Her When All Feet Are On The Ground.
Break your strike of indifference when she finally drops to the floor again. Give her all of the attention you want, just as long as all four feet are touching.
Return to Indifference When She Jumps Again.
The instant she lifts her front paws to jump again, immediately return to a statue. Stand up. Cross your arms. Look over her head, etc. The more often you reward four feet on the ground; the better she’ll learn to never jump.
It will take a few muddy days to help her master the skill. Consider wrapping a dirty towel around your waist before entering to save yourself the money and time of a dry cleaner.
Be Consistent.
Always practice this routine around your dog. She only learns when you continually teach her through example. You confuse her when you unknowingly teach her that it’s okay to do both. Always reward jumping with indifference and four paws on the ground with love.
When you have guests over, either teach the guests to do the same with her, or leash her so shedoesn’thave the opportunity for confusion. Once she’s sufficiently trained, she’ll greet guests with all paws on the ground as well.
Familius is a trans-media publisher striving to make families happier in every way, including with the dog. Familius publishes an array of family books designed to do just that. Each book is family oriented: purposed to increase joy in the home.
