Jumping Puppy

[luckymum]

Hi everyone,

We have a gorgeous Shar Pei pup who is 10 months and she WILL NOT stop jumping up at us.

She has been to puppy school and is very well trained apart from the jumping. She used to lick us like mad too but we seem to

have that under control now.

When my husband comes home from work is the worst. She jumps up at him and is just so excited. We have three kids and Im concerned she will knock one of them over. The other day my 5 year old son had a mate over and she jumped up and her toe nail scratched his lip, I was so horrified.

I feel like we have tried everything to stop it and nothing is working. Can anyone help?

[persephone]

HI...

Can you tell us what methods you have used so far? Which seemed to work better?

I would suggest (not knowing what has been tried) having different routines for when your husband comes home, perhaps?

If you can manage, have your husband(and everyone else) TOTALLY ignore her jumping. No pushing at her, or yelling..just walk off, not looking at her.

She will eventually calm down. THEN tell her to SIT, and QUIETLY say hello.

Maybe have her away from where he comes in?

Then bring her in on a leash, and have her sit?

I would also recommend that she is NOT around the kids unless on a leash ..just until you learn some skills to make her realise where in the pack she stands, and that her behaviour is not on.

Basically, she is needing some leadership here.

Have a read of this thread

http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...&hl=Jumping

You may also want to start feeding her doing THIS program :D

http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=64101

Edited January 29, 2008 by persephone

[Garloch]

Something that always works with our dogs, is that when they begin to jump up, lift your knee up high, so that there is nothing for them to land on, and you give a sharp high pitched yelp. Then immediately turn away from them.

They might bang their head on your kneecap sometimes, (which will almost cripple you) but don't show them any sympathy if that happens. (Sounds like a dreadful thing to do, but I stress that I am NOT telling you to, or advocating cruelty in any form, you are NOT to knee them in the head on purpose.) Its a leadership thing here. Persevere. The yelp is what tells them that they are hurting you.

Hope it helps.

[Budyjelle]

I have used a short sharp spray of water......it seems to work for me.

[IncrediJack]

A lead is a definite must. We are training our dog not to jump (he scratched just under my son's eye enough to scar, so we are really cracking down on it). I don't let him near the kids when they are running around, unless he is on a lead, under my control. He has to "sit" for everything, food, affection, play. And one of the games I've found most effective is "Circle Sit." Get everyone in your family and whoever else to sit in a circle (higher than the dog). Give them each some treats. Then walk the dog around to each person, have that person tell him, "Sit." Praise, treat, and then make it harder. He must sit before being asked to get the treat. My pup will even sit for my two-year-old now.

[Poodle wrangler]

Whatever method you choose the key is consistency, consistency, consistency.

Spray water, knee up (but NOT kneeing the dog), turning your back will all work with consistency.

Your pup must NEVER be rewarded for jumping.

For some dogs any attention- even annoyance is rewarding. Ignore instead.

Pup only gets attention, pats, food etc. when calm and sitting.

What about the kids? They can't just ignore it?

No. Adults have to supervise closely and train your pup to stop jumping before letting him play with the kids.

Also, have a go at grinding down any sharp nails. A groomer can do this for you- ask for not only nails cut, but also ground smooth.

Hard to ignore a dog that's gouging your back .

[luckymum]

Thank you all so much for your replies.

I agree consistency is the key but I feel like we try something for a week or so and it doesnt work then we try something else. Im really fed up. She has been so easy to train in every other area but this so its very frustrating. Last night we had a b'day party and she was jumping on every single person that was here. She nearly knocked over my father-inlaw and thats when we had enough and locked her in the garage until everyone left. How are we meant to socialise her when she acts like that?

Ive tried lifting my knee as the vet suggested, locking her away, not greeting her until we reach the back of the house, pushing her away and ignoring her. I havent tried the water spray but we used that on our bunny when he used to dig up my garden and it worked!

When my husband comes home she goes mental and if he walks through the door and she is in the garden and she hears him she runs circles in the yard until he goes to see her .

Anyway thanks again and Ill keep at it.....

[poodlefan]

Trying something for a week isn't very consistent I'm afraid. If you want to control her behavior while you get this under control, put her on lead. She can't jump on people she can't reach.

I'm afraid your vet's advice is right out of the dark ages. You need to get back into training this dog with a trainer or school. Like kids, education is for life.

In the meantime, teach her to sit. If she knows it, get guests to ask her to sit and pay her attention ONLY when her bum is glued to the ground.

Edited January 31, 2008 by poodlefan

[nillasdad]

Personally I wouldn't use the knee, young pups are too easily damaged.

The ignoring part works well with older dogs. With pups you would need to stand still as well,with your arms up out of reach.

We have a 14 week old Dane pup, we are currently training her to sit and wait when one of us comes home or visitors arrive. We do this by having her sitting between our legs asking her to wait holding her in position until her excitment is over. Only when she is quiet is she greeted.

HTH

sea

[luckymum]

She graduated from puppy school but maybe its time to look at another training centre if I cant teach her. I just dont want to lock her away every time someone comes over.

Do you think its just a puppy thing that will subside or will she still be doing it as an adult dog if we cant nip it in the bud now?

[poodlefan]

She graduated from puppy school but maybe its time to look at another training centre if I cant teach her. I just dont want to lock her away every time someone comes over.

Do you think its just a puppy thing that will subside or will she still be doing it as an adult dog if we cant nip it in the bud now?

At 10 months old, she's an adolescent now, not a puppy. If she were entire, she'd be just about old enough to have pups of her own.

It's a great pity that so much emphasis is based on "puppy training" and less on ongoing training, particularly for the adolescents who love to push the envelope. Frankly, its a far more challenging time for a dog owner than when they are babies.

However, a return to training is a great idea. She may calm down as she matures but I doubt she'd stop jumping on people - its highly rewarding behaviour and thats why she does it - its fun!!!

Where are you? Dog trainers vary in quality and we may be able to recommend one or a club.

[nillasdad]

One thing that's not stressed enough in puppy school is that the things they teach you there must be continued after the course is finished...

Let us know where you are and we'll try and find a club that might be able to help.

[lovemesideways]

The main thing in my opinion is to catch the behaviour Before she gets so hyped up you cant stop it.

Also you Need to practice every day, not just every now and again, and not just for a week.

Practice having people come in and out of the door, and get her to sit on the leash next to you, if she barks or jumps or does anything that is overexcited, a little jerk to the side on the leash and a sharp "Ah!" works as a correction. Dont scream or yell really loud. That usually just hypes up a excited dog even more.

Whenever your husband is on the way home, get him to call or message you before he arrives, put your puppy onto her leash and have her sit quietly.

When he comes in, he should Completely ignore her, No looking at her, no touching, the talking. If she jumps keep walking forward and ignoring her.

If you cant consistently do this the behaviour will definetly evolve into something else. Possibly even aggression depending on the dog.

If you feel unable to do it, then I would get someone in your area to reccomend a trainer.

Also taking her for a walk so that shes dead tired when yoru husband gets home will help, if shes tired then she wont have the energy to go so crazy, and it will be easier for her to calm down.

Edited February 1, 2008 by Jen Martin

[poodlefan]

Practice having people come in and out of the door, and get her to sit on the leash next to you, if she barks or jumps or does anything that is overexcited, a little jerk to the side on the leash and a sharp "Ah!" works as a correction. Dont scream or yell really loud. That usually just hypes up a excited dog even more.

I prefer to deal with exuberance more positively. Showing a dog the right behaviour and rewarding it is arguably as successful as punishing the wrong behaviour and a lot kinder to a dog that is simply too enthusistic for its own good. I've seen a clicker used to train a dog to understand that sitting got pats, not jumping, in 5 minutes - the rest was reinforcement.

Whenever your husband is on the way home, get him to call or message you before he arrives, put your puppy onto her leash and have her sit quietly.

When he comes in, he should Completely ignore her, No looking at her, no touching, the talking. If she jumps keep walking forward and ignoring her.

Keep walking forward where? How will the dog learn to sit quietly unless its..... sitting quietly. It's far more effective for the PERSON to distance themselves and only greet the dog when it's sitting.

If you cant consistently do this the behaviour will definetly evolve into something else. Possibly even aggression depending on the dog.

If you feel unable to do it, then I would get someone in your area to reccomend a trainer.

With respect Jen that is utter rubbish. There is no evidence that jumping on people has a direct link to aggression and its a very poor idea to plant in the head of someone who's trying to instill some manners into a dog. Do you have any qualifications/experience as a dog trainer? What do you base that opinon on?

Also taking her for a walk so that shes dead tired when yoru husband gets home will help, if shes tired then she wont have the energy to go so crazy, and it will be easier for her to calm down.

I expect that it would be virtually impossible to tire a dog out to the extent that it wouldn't enthusiastically greet its owner. If my mini poodle can do it after a 2 hour/20 km bike ride, what hope does this owner have?

The key here is to teach the dog what behaviour you desire and reward it. Aversives have their place, but shouldn't be used as a substitute for teaching manners.

Edited February 1, 2008 by poodlefan

[lovemesideways]

Practice having people come in and out of the door, and get her to sit on the leash next to you, if she barks or jumps or does anything that is overexcited, a little jerk to the side on the leash and a sharp "Ah!" works as a correction. Dont scream or yell really loud. That usually just hypes up a excited dog even more.

I prefer to deal with exuberance more positively. Showing a dog the right behaviour and rewarding it is arguably as successful as punishing the wrong behaviour and a lot kinder to a dog that is simply too enthusistic for its own good. I've seen a clicker used to train a dog to understand that sitting got pats, not jumping, in 5 minutes - the rest was reinforcement.

This is just a different method of training, Punishing your dog in a over the top manner can teach them to be aggressive, a jerk wont hurt, it will get their attention.

Same as being too kind with treats and pats, can teach your dog the wrong behaviour.Example: If you give a treat at the wrong time, you can teach a dog to steal things cause then she'll get treats, rather than to drop things, is good.

My parents dogs where taught with a simple jerk on the leash and a noise, and they where the sweetest GSD's ever.As they learned, only the noise was needed to tell them they where doing something wrong, such as Merlin (the male) staring a little too hard at the cat.

A mother will tell her child "No!" if he goes to do something wrong, a mother dog will bite in puppy to "tell it off". Same thing here.

Whenever your husband is on the way home, get him to call or message you before he arrives, put your puppy onto her leash and have her sit quietly.

When he comes in, he should Completely ignore her, No looking at her, no touching, no talking. If she jumps keep walking forward and ignoring her.

Keep walking forward where? How will the dog learn to sit quietly unless its..... sitting quietly. It's far more effective for the PERSON to distance themselves and only greet the dog when it's sitting.

If she jumps, you walk Into the jump, also known as walking forward. if you step back you reinforce the behaviour. Walking into the jump means she cant jump on you. How is the person supposed to "distance themselves and only greet the dog when it's sitting" when its jumping all over them? You walk into the jump, the dog will learn that jumping doesnt work, will stop jumping, then you keep ignoring the dog, and it will eventually calm down. Then you praise! The dog thinks, "hey, i get praise if I calm down? Why dont i just stay like this all the time"

This is if the dog isnt on the lead when the husband comes home.

If you cant consistently do this the behaviour will definetly evolve into something else. Possibly even aggression depending on the dog.

If you feel unable to do it, then I would get someone in your area to reccomend a trainer.

With respect Jen that is utter rubbish. There is no evidence that jumping on people has a direct link to aggression and its a very poor idea to plant in the head of someone who's trying to instill some manners into a dog. Do you have any qualifications/experience as a dog trainer? What do you base that opinon on?

Notice I said "depending on the dog" My friend had a labrador who would jump all over her when he was a puppy,it progressed from jumping at the door, do sitting on her when she was on the couch, and grew into him being very possesive of his owner, and snapping at anyone came who near her.

I also know someone whos maltese would jump at her or anyone else who comes in for attention when she was a puppy, and as she grew over it evolved so that she would not only jump, but also bark, and nip people ankles

The behaviour can evolve into something else, such as the dog becoming even More excited. I didnt say it Would lead to aggression, I said it possibly could.

I'm baseing my opinion on dog psycology, As pack leader, you are the Leader, you dont jump on your leader,

My aunt and uncle have 2 very exciteable labs, who will go to jump on everyone who comes over, Except when my uncle comes home, they never jump on him, they will wind around his feet and roll onto their backs. Hes Definitely the leader.

Also My own experience, Im not a "professional" dog trainer, but i do have a fair bit of experience training different dogs, Ive helped to retrain my friends dogs, trained my familys 2 GSD's along side my mother, who has taught me since I was very little. She has owned and trained alot of dogs over the years, german shepherds, rottweilers, and a few cats even (one who would roll over on command, odd kitty)

Also taking her for a walk so that shes dead tired when your husband gets home will help, if shes tired then she wont have the energy to go so crazy, and it will be easier for her to calm down.

I expect that it would be virtually impossible to tire a dog out to the extent that it wouldn't enthusiastically greet its owner. If my mini poodle can do it after a 2 hour/20 km bike ride, what hope does this owner have?

Sharpei's are no where near as high-energy driven as other dogs, such as mini poodles.

Tiring her out will mean that even if she goes into a overly excited mode, you can calm her down easier.

The key here is to teach the dog what behaviour you desire and reward it. Aversives have their place, but shouldn't be used as a substitute for teaching manners.

The key is to show the dog what behaviour is and isnt acceptable.

People have different methods of training. I was just offering what I have learned and been taught

[poodlefan]

Jen Martin:

If she jumps, you walk Into the jump, also known as walking forward. if you step back you reinforce the behaviour. Walking into the jump means she cant jump on you. How is the person supposed to "distance themselves and only greet the dog when it's sitting" when its jumping all over them? You walk into the jump, the dog will learn that jumping doesnt work, will stop jumping, then you keep ignoring the dog, and it will eventually calm down. Then you praise! The dog thinks, "hey, i get praise if I calm down? Why dont i just stay like this all the time"

This is if the dog isnt on the lead when the husband comes home.

The dog is onlead and held by the owner in the exercise I discussed as suggested by you. The 'visitor' approaches and backs off if the dog breaks position. It can't jump on a person it can't reach. You don't reinforce the behaviour by stepping back because the dog can't reach you to jump on you. The dog learns that jumping gets it nothing but sitting quietly does. Works perfectly and most importantly the unwanted behaviour is ALWAYS controlled.

Edited February 1, 2008 by poodlefan

[lovemesideways]

Jen Martin:

If she jumps, you walk Into the jump, also known as walking forward. if you step back you reinforce the behaviour. Walking into the jump means she cant jump on you. How is the person supposed to "distance themselves and only greet the dog when it's sitting" when its jumping all over them? You walk into the jump, the dog will learn that jumping doesnt work, will stop jumping, then you keep ignoring the dog, and it will eventually calm down. Then you praise! The dog thinks, "hey, i get praise if I calm down? Why dont i just stay like this all the time"

This is if the dog isnt on the lead when the husband comes home.

The dog is onlead and held by the owner in the exercise I discussed as suggested by you. The 'visitor' approaches and backs off if the dog breaks position. It can't jump on a person it can't reach. You don't reinforce the behaviour by stepping back because the dog can't reach you to jump on you. The dog learns that jumping gets it nothing but sitting quietly does. Works perfectly and most importantly the unwanted behaviour is ALWAYS controlled.

Hmm thats interesting, wouldnt you think that the person backing away would cause the dog to want to follow?

Mine was a suggestion for when the husband comes home un announced, if the dog isnt on lead.

[poodlefan]

Jen Martin:

If she jumps, you walk Into the jump, also known as walking forward. if you step back you reinforce the behaviour. Walking into the jump means she cant jump on you. How is the person supposed to "distance themselves and only greet the dog when it's sitting" when its jumping all over them? You walk into the jump, the dog will learn that jumping doesnt work, will stop jumping, then you keep ignoring the dog, and it will eventually calm down. Then you praise! The dog thinks, "hey, i get praise if I calm down? Why dont i just stay like this all the time"

This is if the dog isnt on the lead when the husband comes home.

The dog is onlead and held by the owner in the exercise I discussed as suggested by you. The 'visitor' approaches and backs off if the dog breaks position. It can't jump on a person it can't reach. You don't reinforce the behaviour by stepping back because the dog can't reach you to jump on you. The dog learns that jumping gets it nothing but sitting quietly does. Works perfectly and most importantly the unwanted behaviour is ALWAYS controlled.

Hmm thats interesting, wouldnt you think that the person backing away would cause the dog to want to follow?

Mine was a suggestion for when the husband comes home un announced, if the dog isnt on lead.

The dog can't follow - it's on lead. I've taught 'sit for pats' in this manner to plenty of dogs. Dogs soon learn what behaviours are rewarding and what aren't.

[dee lee]

Luckymum,

A big "no" followed a squirt from a pop-top waterbottle!!! Guaranteed!

We had the same prob with my dog, within a day of squirt training she wouldnt jump up if you asked.

But wait, theres more- It can be used for a multitude of sins! Good luck.

[luckymum]

Thank you every one, I sure have learned alot. Ill be putting it into practice and will let you all know how we go.

If I can train her not to jump she will be the perfect dog