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Often
it’s ok for a dog to jump on its owner,
but awkward and even harmful when he
jumps up on others, such as other family
members or friends. This can be
confusing for the dog, but a
well-trained dog can quite happily learn
never to jump on strangers, and when
it’s ok and to jump on you (playtimes,
for example). A dog jumping up on a
child can be a frightening experience,
especially when the dog becomes taller
than the child when he rears up. A dog
jumping up on strangers is always a bad
look.
During greetings, always try to prevent
your dog from jumping up in the first
place. Put your hand (or both hands) out
in front of you and hold still. A
trained dog will be able to respond to
this gesture, without any verbal
commands, and realize that it should
stay down. If he gets down on his own
accord, then start using the “down”
command to accompany the behavior.
Ideally, you always want the dog to
perform the correct behavior first
before using a verbal command, so they
have some action to associate it with.
For most, this type of prevention does
not work right away, especially for
puppies that lack enough formal
training. You’ll have to know how to
react when your dog starts jumping up.
Mostly, this involves what NOT to do.
For example, don’t be over-enthusiastic
during your greetings. This obviously
reinforces the behavior. And do not
forcefully push the dog away from you.
They interpret this as a form of playful
engagement. The result: dogs always push
back. It’s instinctive (and the same
principle is the reason for the majority
of cases where dogs pull on leashes -
they are encouraged by the force exerted
on them).
Turn your back and ignore the dog. And
calmly ask him to sit. When he has
calmed down, and ideally responded to
the sit command, then you can turn and
greet the dog. If it starts jumping
again, repeat the process. Be patient,
this is where you get to send a message
mainly through your body language, and
the dog will surely take many trials to
receive it. Often it is recommended that
you stick your knee up and put the dog
off balance, which is almost a reflex
reaction. Turning your back and
stonewalling is better if you can
manage.
One of the absolute best suggestions I
can give is to always greet a calm dog
“at its level.” Squat or kneel down, and
open your palms open toward the dog.
This is a non-threatening posture that
dogs very quickly associate will
impending praise. We all like when
others try to meet us on our level. Dogs
are no different in this respect. But
make sure they earn it first!
Avoidance is your best bet when
introducing new people into your house.
If you have established your position as
the dominant member of your pack, then
your dog should never be allowed to
position himself in front of you when
the front door opens. Time for you to
become the Alpha Dog if that’s the case,
which is means more training for you.
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