doggiedays

In our Head Start Class last evening we discussed the problem of jumping behavior in dogs. By the way, all dogs jump; some more than others. Its a natural behavior in dogs. Most people would agree that when their dog is a cute fluffly little puppy weighing 10 pounds they don’t mind it jumping up on them or others for that matter. They even find it sweet and endearing. However, when that cute puppy becomes 60 pounds and is still jumping up on them they are not very happy .

Dogs learn by conditioning. What that means is, if the behavior they display is reinforced, they will continue that behavior . It becomes conditioned. When a puppy or dog jumps on a person they are seeking that person’s attention. When the person leans over and cuddles them, talks to them, pets them etc., they are getting reinforced for that behavior. Therefore they continue it. When you want the dog to stop jumping and you yell at the dog, push it away, say off repeatedly and otherwise engage with the dog, guess what . You are giving it the attention it desires and therby still reinforcing the behavior.

SO how do you get your dog to stop jumping? By ignoring it. Turn away from him. Don’t look at him. Don’t speak to him. By withholding all of your attention, he starts to learn that the jumping behavior is no longer giving him what he seeks. Your attention.

To really make this work you have to be consistent. If there are others in your household they need to ignore the jumping as well and if visitors come over tell them ahead of time to ignore the dog completely. Pretty soon he will realize that jumping no longer works.

By the way when he comes to greet you without jumping give him lots of attention, kind words , praise and treats. He will soon learn that keeping four on the floor is much more rewarding than jumping.

Til next time

Trackback URI | Comments RSS