Jumping Up On People

[Griffo]

I think to "invite" a dog up only to correct it is a damned mean thing to do IMO.....it reminds me of an idiot I knew years ago who would offer her own dog food and then whack him in the face for taking it .

When I asked her why in the hell she would do that....she said 'because I didn't give him the command to take it'....... the dunce was trying to teach him food refusal.......IDIOT!

I don't like the 'foot on the lead' thing either as I have seen this method abused when teaching? (forcing) dogs to drop. Very old archaic method used by bullies IMO.

A flat collar can be abused, does that mean you dont use one on your dog? No, because when used correctly they are useful, kind and effective.

If you have 60kg of dog jumping up on you then something needs to be done, and quickly, particularly if your a small person. I dont believe bandaid fixes, but it is a good way to get the problem under control and quickly. Of course things like leadership should be worked on too.

The thing is that the dog does not know that the correction is coming from you - your not discouraging him, why would you be the one giving the correction? So it wont damage your relationship, you'll still be the nice happy smiling person. It'll just make jumping up not such a comfortable thing to do.

It doesnt have any ill effects short term or long term. It is a method that communicates with the dog... i cant see what the problem is.

Thanks everyone for your input. Thankfully the jumping seems to have almost disappeared. He has never tried to jump on anyone in the street on our walks or at the vets so that has never been an issue and when my parents came around the other day he didn't try to jump on them either. I think the problem has been our kids more than the dog! I have now "trained" my children I get them to walk calmly out to the garden and not race out all excited because they want to play.......poor dog not surprising he got all excited. I now tell my children to ignore him until he is calm (and if he tries to jump they turn around and walk the other way) and then make him sit for them (we are making him sit for everything. sit for food, sit for attention, sit before he gets his leash on, sit before he can come inside) and they are taking treats to him and making him sit and then they give him attention (this is all done under supervision I might add and my youngest who is 10 is never outside alone with him). I have got him into classes and will probably arrange to have some one on one time in our home too.

Thanks again everyone

Good to hear that you seemed to have solved the problem!! ;) ;)

[dee lee]

Ditto on both counts Rachelle.

[Arya]

Deelee, this is great that the problem is disappearing so quickly, good on you!!! Dogs and kids can be hard to fix sometimes so you must be really pleased.

Rachelle, I can see how your method works, it's just that I think if you invite the dog up and then he gets the correction there is a break of trust/bond between you and the dog. Call me left of centre, call me weird, but this is the way I train and how I see it. I see what you say that the dog doesn't know the correction comes from you and I see how this could work but the fact that you invite the dog and then the correction happens pairs a reward(the invitation from Alpha) with something that is an aversive - doesn't matter whether you directly do it or not. Not something I'd ever do but I do see how the method can work - and work quickly if someone is prepared to use it. It's like some other things. I dont' agree with them but if they work for other people all good and we can learn from them I do agree sixty kilo dog jumping on small person has to be addressed quickly but stimulous control, like the sit beforehand works better imho. It's not a bandaid fix, it's an opportunity for the dog to win. I work with big dogs, have shepherd, have a buggered wrist so can't afford to have my dog out of control when working with her, but we get by happily. All good!!!!

[Griffo]

Deelee, this is great that the problem is disappearing so quickly, good on you!!! Dogs and kids can be hard to fix sometimes so you must be really pleased. ;)

Rachelle, I can see how your method works, it's just that I think if you invite the dog up and then he gets the correction there is a break of trust/bond between you and the dog. Call me left of centre, call me weird, but this is the way I train and how I see it. I see what you say that the dog doesn't know the correction comes from you and I see how this could work but the fact that you invite the dog and then the correction happens pairs a reward(the invitation from Alpha) with something that is an aversive - doesn't matter whether you directly do it or not. Not something I'd ever do but I do see how the method can work - and work quickly if someone is prepared to use it. It's like some other things. I dont' agree with them but if they work for other people all good and we can learn from them I do agree sixty kilo dog jumping on small person has to be addressed quickly but stimulous control, like the sit beforehand works better imho. It's not a bandaid fix, it's an opportunity for the dog to win. I work with big dogs, have shepherd, have a buggered wrist so can't afford to have my dog out of control when working with her, but we get by happily. All good!!!!

I totally understand what you are saying. And it makes sense. And obviously the methods you use are working for your dog, which is great, and the most important thing... :D

Just want to clarify one thing a bit further...

This method will not break/effect a bond because the dog has no idea where the correction is coming from. You might feel guilty becaus YOU know what is going on behind the scenes. But the dog will not share any of these ill feelings. It is better than kneeing him in the chest or openly squeezing his paws, now those methods are more likely to effect a bond.

When done correctly, from the dog's point of view: a correction will be felt, he is not quite sure where it is coming from, but it is definitely not coming from his happy smiling owner, furthermore, he knows why the correction is coming, so he knows that jumping isnt so nice anymore, therefore he knows how to avoid getting another correction. However he may just double check to make sure haha.

So no damage to bond/relationship is done.