Teaching Fido Not To Jump

How many of you reading this have a dog that acts like a middle linebacker at the sight of a person? If you don’t have one you may have been the unfortunate victim, tackled by these exuberant greeters that run up to us, plant two muddy paws square on our chest, then run back to their owners.

We may consider it rude but in the canine world this is par for course. Canine greetings involve the touching of noses, sniffing the face and neck area and maybe even licking the mouth of another dog. And it all happens in a matter of seconds as the dogs gain information about each other from the odors produced in these areas.

When a dog greets a human, they follow the same rituals, because that is what they know. Unfortunately dogs have to jump up to do this. To make matters worse we inadvertently reinforced this behavior when the dog was a puppy and we actually praised (smiled and pat) the little fur ball that was jumping at our knees!

So now that we know that jumping is actually a normal behavior that turned into a bad habit thanks to our love of cute fuzzy things, what do we do to correct it?

The easiest way to do this is not to correct the bad habit but to teach the dog a new behavior that will override the old one.

Right now Fido thinks that people equals jump. We have to teach Fido that people equals sit.
To begin, when walking with your dog either on or off leash and someone approaches you, with or without a dog, place your dog in a sit and hold a yummy treat such as a Feel Good Brownie in your hand to keep your dogs attention. You must do this ...EVERY TIME, even if the person has no intention of saying hello. You may have to keep your eyes peeled to spot people before your dog does, but as soon as you see a person, place your dog in that sit.

As the person walks by, praise your dog for remaining in the sit. Once the person is well on their way and the threat of your dog tackling them from behind has passed, you can give your dog the treat and continue on your walk.

But what if someone wants to say hello to you or your dog?

Well, if the approaching person would like to say hello you will still place your dog in a sit. Remember we want to teach our dogs that all people equals sit. You will then say, “My dog is in training, so if you don’t mind please wait until my dog is sitting patiently before you say hello.” Now take a treat and place it at your dogs nose and hold it there while your dog is sitting. The person can then pat your dog all the while you are keeping the treat at its nose to keep it in a sit. If the dog breaks, ask the person to turn their back until you get your dog back into a sit. When the person leaves the dog can have the treat and continue the walk.

If someone with a dog would like the dogs to play together, you will do the exact same thing, but once the dog is sitting patiently you will say ‘Go play' and allow the dogs to play.

If you are diligent, patient and do this every time someone approaches, you will eventually have a dog that automatically comes and sits at your side at the sight of a person …without you saying a word! This is because you have just taught your dog that people equals sit nice for a treat not act like a middle linebacker.