Fan Question:
"Do you have any suggestions for getting a dog to stop jumping? On Memorial Day, a blue heeler wandered into our yard and we think he's about a year old and he has no training of any sort, so trying to train a dog with very hyper behavior. His biggest flaw is his jumping. I have 4 small kids and my oldest is scared of him because of his jumping."
"Do you have any suggestions for getting a dog to stop jumping? On Memorial Day, a blue heeler wandered into our yard and we think he's about a year old and he has no training of any sort, so trying to train a dog with very hyper behavior. His biggest flaw is his jumping. I have 4 small kids and my oldest is scared of him because of his jumping."
Answer:
The purpose of jumping is either:
A. Energy release (it feels good)
B. Reinforcing (people pay attention to me)
C. Confusion (I don't know how else to say hi)
D. A mixture of all of the above.
To combat each of these is a multi step approach:
A. Energy release:
Give proper physical exercise, not just letting your dog in the backyard (dogs don't exercise themselves) or taking them for walks (human speed, straight line walks are not sufficient exercise). Foraging for food, flirt pole, agility, fetch/Frisbee, chasing, swimming are all great outlets for energy. If you do not deplete a dog's energy in ways acceptable to you, they WILL find other outlets, and it will probably not be something you like.
B. Reinforcement:
Teach your kids and guests, and anyone who goes anywhere close to your dog - absolutely zero attention for jumping. Don't talk to him, don't look at him, don't push him off, don't move away. Zero things happen. Turn head to the side, avert gaze, and fold arms up if the dog is nibbly. Kids like to hear this as turning a robot "off" (See "Go Crazy Freeze" below). The moment that the dog gets bored and puts four feet on the floor, you "turn on". Say, "Yes!", bend down and say a quiet hello, toss a toy or sprinkle kibble on the ground. Helping the dog be successful by turning your body to the side and only saying hello with one hand, keeping it brief and ending the interaction before the dog jumps will all help. Management can also prevent the dog from being reinforced by people who don't know the rules or small children (or a stubborn family member). Baby gates, crates, closed doors, tethers and leashes can all help someone get in the door and after the dog settles down a bit and you've briefed them on the rules, you let your dog out.
Teach your kids and guests, and anyone who goes anywhere close to your dog - absolutely zero attention for jumping. Don't talk to him, don't look at him, don't push him off, don't move away. Zero things happen. Turn head to the side, avert gaze, and fold arms up if the dog is nibbly. Kids like to hear this as turning a robot "off" (See "Go Crazy Freeze" below). The moment that the dog gets bored and puts four feet on the floor, you "turn on". Say, "Yes!", bend down and say a quiet hello, toss a toy or sprinkle kibble on the ground. Helping the dog be successful by turning your body to the side and only saying hello with one hand, keeping it brief and ending the interaction before the dog jumps will all help. Management can also prevent the dog from being reinforced by people who don't know the rules or small children (or a stubborn family member). Baby gates, crates, closed doors, tethers and leashes can all help someone get in the door and after the dog settles down a bit and you've briefed them on the rules, you let your dog out.
C. Confusion:
Teach a different behavior. Doing only A and B still leaves a dog wondering, "so what am I supposed to do then to say hi to my people?" Practice when things are pretty boring around the house, and heavily reinforce (with food) a sit at your feet, or even just standing. Progress to being able to walk out and walk back in. Make staying on the ground FAR MORE LUCRATIVE than jumping is. Imagine that jumping gets $5 (because it feels good to the dog) and keeping four on the floor gets $500. The dog will quickly choose the $500 option because it makes sense to do so! Currently, you have jumping getting $500 reinforcement and the floor getting $5. Switch that! You can also ask for a "sit" if the dog is an excessive jumper, and then heavily reward that with 10-15 back to back treats!
Teach a different behavior. Doing only A and B still leaves a dog wondering, "so what am I supposed to do then to say hi to my people?" Practice when things are pretty boring around the house, and heavily reinforce (with food) a sit at your feet, or even just standing. Progress to being able to walk out and walk back in. Make staying on the ground FAR MORE LUCRATIVE than jumping is. Imagine that jumping gets $5 (because it feels good to the dog) and keeping four on the floor gets $500. The dog will quickly choose the $500 option because it makes sense to do so! Currently, you have jumping getting $500 reinforcement and the floor getting $5. Switch that! You can also ask for a "sit" if the dog is an excessive jumper, and then heavily reward that with 10-15 back to back treats!
With any breed dog, but especially a working breed, working WITH them, rather than against them is much faster. Take what they need/want and allow them to have it AFTER they do the thing you want. Don't address mistakes, just adjust to help your dog be successful. They have lots of real estate in their brain to get the things they want ... trying to stop that is an exhausting task, and it's like two steps forward, one step back. Instead, use it to your advantage:
Instead of trying to stop jumping, think of it like this:
"You love movement? Great! Sit first, and then I'll tug with you!"
"You love food? Great! Sit first and then I'll toss a handful of kibble into the living room!"
"You love love? Great! Sit first and then I'll sit on the floor and you can give me all the kisses in the world!"
Here are some links, as well as a video of my first session teaching a dog (who has super bad habits of launching herself into people). Many sessions of quick repetition of success, while making it increasingly harder while still building with food rewards: different people, number of people, strangers, different objects, carrying groceries, children crying/screaming, etc), will get you a solid four on the floor behavior. Enjoy!
Resources:
GO CRAZY FREEZE: https://youtu.be/DNr3VV1tRBQ
GO CRAZY FREEZE: https://youtu.be/DNr3VV1tRBQ
JUMPING: https://youtu.be/lC_OKgQFgzw
IMPULSE CONTROL:
DOGGIE ZEN: https://youtu.be/k1QX4iQO7IM
IT'S YER CHOICE: https://youtu.be/k9KULy1JSzs
ON/OFF GAMES WITH DROP: http://www.dogtrainergames.com/drop-it/
DOGGIE ZEN: https://youtu.be/k1QX4iQO7IM
IT'S YER CHOICE: https://youtu.be/k9KULy1JSzs
ON/OFF GAMES WITH DROP: http://www.dogtrainergames.com/drop-it/
