Jumping:
Getting the Jump on Jumping by Rebecca Lynch, KPA CTP
Getting the Jump on Jumping by Rebecca Lynch, KPA CTP
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Jumping is one of the most common complaints I receive as a dog trainer. I often receive a call after the owner has tried all of the
traditional methods to stop jumping: yelling, pushing the dog away, kneeing the dog, and stepping on toes. There is one key reason that
these methods don't work well: none of them tell the dog what it should do.
If a dog is jumping on people, most likely, that is the only way that dog knows to greet people and get attention. It cannot do something
else because it does not know how to do something else. Think of it this way: what if I yelled at you, "DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH! I DON'T
WANT YOU TO SPEAK ENGLISH ANYMORE!" You are not going to stop speaking English because you have no other choice. You
cannot just start speaking another language if you have not learned another language.
This is what your dog is faced with when you tell him, "NO! STOP JUMPING!"
He has not be taught what to do in the absence of jumping, so he jumps. When he
is given the opportunity to greet someone, he opens his doggie toolbox and looks
inside. All he finds is jumping (and maybe barking, too). The key to changing his
behavior is giving him other options when he opens his toolbox.
So what would we rather see him do instead of jump? (Hint: "Not Jump" is not
an answer!) How about sit? We can teach a dog that sitting is the proper way to
greet someone. The neat thing is that sitting is not compatible with jumping.
Let's look at my problem solving strategy to see how to curb jumping.
1) Define the problem
Dog jumps when greeting people
2) Identify the reinforcement the dog is receiving for the behavior
Dogs are very selfish creatures. They only do things that are rewarding. So if your dog is doing something that you don't like, it is
helpful to ask yourself what reward your dog is getting for the behavior. In the case of jumping, your dog immediately gets attention. This
attention could be in the form of someone petting and talking to him, or it could be in the form of the above listed punishments. Either way,
the dog is looked at, talked to and touched. Mission accomplished!
3) Determine if the reinforcement can be discontinued
Dogs only do things that are rewarding, so if you stop rewarding the dog, he will be less likely to jump. He may try it occasionally to see
if it becomes rewarding again, but if given an alternative rewarding behavior, he will be far less likely to try jumping. We can definitely
remove the reinforcement for jumping. When the dog jumps, he doesn't exist to you anymore. Stand still and look away from him. Don't
look at him, talk to him or touch him. You will soon defeat his purpose for jumping.
4) Teach an alternative behavior
If your dog only knows how to greet people by jumping, you must teach him what to do instead of jumping. This alternative behavior
must be more rewarding than jumping to work. As mentioned above, a great alternative behavior to jumping is sitting. An easy way to
teach a dog that sitting is better than jumping is to make sitting highly rewarding! Stuff your pockets with treats or kibble. Throughout the
day, every time you see your dog's butt hit the ground, pop a treat in his mouth. Soon your dog will be sitting everywhere! It works even
faster if you feed his entire meals this way. Your dog will be THROWING sits at you! Once your dog has learned to offer sits, teach him
that the only way you will pay attention to him is if he is sitting.
5) Manage the behavior when you cannot train your dog
There will be times when you cannot actively train your dog not to jump on people. You may have
an unexpected visitor or someone that cannot or will not ignore your dog's jumping. If you allow your
dog to jump during these times, it will be impossible for him to learn how to properly greet people. During
these times it is best to manage the jumping behavior by putting your dog in another room, in a crate, or
on a leash so he does not get the opportunity to jump. If your guest will be patient for a few minutes while
you work with your dog, you can leash your dog and reward him for sitting with treats or attention from
the guest.
You can teach your dog not to jump! It just takes a little patience and understanding. Your dog is
not trying to dominate you. Jumping is just your dog's way of saying, "Pay attention to me!" It is our job
to teach him that there are more polite ways to get your attention.
traditional methods to stop jumping: yelling, pushing the dog away, kneeing the dog, and stepping on toes. There is one key reason that
these methods don't work well: none of them tell the dog what it should do.
If a dog is jumping on people, most likely, that is the only way that dog knows to greet people and get attention. It cannot do something
else because it does not know how to do something else. Think of it this way: what if I yelled at you, "DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH! I DON'T
WANT YOU TO SPEAK ENGLISH ANYMORE!" You are not going to stop speaking English because you have no other choice. You
cannot just start speaking another language if you have not learned another language.
This is what your dog is faced with when you tell him, "NO! STOP JUMPING!"
He has not be taught what to do in the absence of jumping, so he jumps. When he
is given the opportunity to greet someone, he opens his doggie toolbox and looks
inside. All he finds is jumping (and maybe barking, too). The key to changing his
behavior is giving him other options when he opens his toolbox.
So what would we rather see him do instead of jump? (Hint: "Not Jump" is not
an answer!) How about sit? We can teach a dog that sitting is the proper way to
greet someone. The neat thing is that sitting is not compatible with jumping.
Let's look at my problem solving strategy to see how to curb jumping.
1) Define the problem
Dog jumps when greeting people
2) Identify the reinforcement the dog is receiving for the behavior
Dogs are very selfish creatures. They only do things that are rewarding. So if your dog is doing something that you don't like, it is
helpful to ask yourself what reward your dog is getting for the behavior. In the case of jumping, your dog immediately gets attention. This
attention could be in the form of someone petting and talking to him, or it could be in the form of the above listed punishments. Either way,
the dog is looked at, talked to and touched. Mission accomplished!
3) Determine if the reinforcement can be discontinued
Dogs only do things that are rewarding, so if you stop rewarding the dog, he will be less likely to jump. He may try it occasionally to see
if it becomes rewarding again, but if given an alternative rewarding behavior, he will be far less likely to try jumping. We can definitely
remove the reinforcement for jumping. When the dog jumps, he doesn't exist to you anymore. Stand still and look away from him. Don't
look at him, talk to him or touch him. You will soon defeat his purpose for jumping.
4) Teach an alternative behavior
If your dog only knows how to greet people by jumping, you must teach him what to do instead of jumping. This alternative behavior
must be more rewarding than jumping to work. As mentioned above, a great alternative behavior to jumping is sitting. An easy way to
teach a dog that sitting is better than jumping is to make sitting highly rewarding! Stuff your pockets with treats or kibble. Throughout the
day, every time you see your dog's butt hit the ground, pop a treat in his mouth. Soon your dog will be sitting everywhere! It works even
faster if you feed his entire meals this way. Your dog will be THROWING sits at you! Once your dog has learned to offer sits, teach him
that the only way you will pay attention to him is if he is sitting.
5) Manage the behavior when you cannot train your dog
There will be times when you cannot actively train your dog not to jump on people. You may have
an unexpected visitor or someone that cannot or will not ignore your dog's jumping. If you allow your
dog to jump during these times, it will be impossible for him to learn how to properly greet people. During
these times it is best to manage the jumping behavior by putting your dog in another room, in a crate, or
on a leash so he does not get the opportunity to jump. If your guest will be patient for a few minutes while
you work with your dog, you can leash your dog and reward him for sitting with treats or attention from
the guest.
You can teach your dog not to jump! It just takes a little patience and understanding. Your dog is
not trying to dominate you. Jumping is just your dog's way of saying, "Pay attention to me!" It is our job
to teach him that there are more polite ways to get your attention.
