Conquering the Jumper

Why do dogs jump up?

Chances are, you've all experienced it - either being jumped on by a dog, or having a dog that jumps up onto others!  Jumping up is a common dog-related behavior that is often misunderstood.

Dogs greet their dog friends and family happily and face-to-face contact is important to them and is part of their greeting ritual behavior.  Puppies especially greet adults by licking at their faces.

Our dogs jump up because they want to greet us and others.  But we are not normally down on the dog's level.  Our faces and hands are usually up above the dog's face height.  Dogs learn very quickly that jumping up allows them to reach our hands - which often pet them or play with them or hold good things!  And often, people are quick to reach to pet a cute puppy that is jumping up, thus reinforcing this behavior and encouraging it to happen again and again.

Why do dogs continue to jump?

Jumping up often escalates quickly into a dog's nails raking at skin and clothing, the dog mouthing at hands and arms excitedly, and even the dog slamming its body against the person harder and harder.

Many people give the advice to ignore a dog that is jumping up, saying the dog will stop if it gets no attention.  While I have seen this work in a few situations, in the majority of situations, I see the dog's behavior escalating as in the previous scenario.

A dog that is used to getting a reaction in some way when it jumps will quickly get frustrated as the person tries to ignore its behavior.  The frustration leads to the dog trying even harder to get a response from the person - mouthing, body slamming, raking with nails, etc.  The more frustrated the dog gets, the more aroused it gets, and the more intense the dog's behavior becomes.

If we try to ignore the dog's escalating behavior, at some point, we won't be able to ignore it anymore.  It will begin to become very uncomfortable, painful perhaps.  Then we finally react!  The dog has just learned that if he persists longer and harder, he can get a reaction from us/or the person he is jumping on.  This is really the exact opposite of the result we want.

What's reinforcing the dog's behavior?

In order for the dog to continue the jumping behavior, something must be reinforcing the behavior.  For each dog this might be different.

Is there that one person who seems to like the dog jumping up?  Who always pets and coos at the dog while it's front feet are up off the ground and says, oh don't worry about it?

Is there an opportunity for the dog to jump up on someone and snatch a toy or food from a person's hand?

Is the dog wanting attention and the only way to get attention is by getting scolded to stop jumping?  Or is the dog jumping and interpreting the person's flailing arms and pushing away as play?

If you think about the experience from the dog's perspective, you can probably figure out what its motivation is to continue jumping up.  As long as the behavior is being reinforced, even sometimes, that behavior will continue to stay strong.

How to change the behavior

Put a stop to any inadvertent reinforcement that happens when the dog jumps up.  Be sure that if the dog does jump, it receives no petting or playing or food or toys!  All great things happen when the dog has all four feet on the floor!

Don't ignore your dog when it has all four feet on the floor.  It's easy to ignore a dog that is doing what we want, but because this jumping has become a habit, it's important to catch your dog when it's doing what you want and reinforce a lot!  So anytime you notice your dog has four feet on the floor, take a moment to show the dog your approval!

Sometimes the reinforcement comes from within the dog himself.  Jumping can be a result of the dog becoming over-aroused.  An over-aroused dog is in reaction mode, not calm thinking mode.  He is acting out the way he feels, and this can cause a sense of relief within the dog, which he finds reinforcing.  Helping the dog to be able to feel calmer and stay under threshold can also help to lessen the jumping up behavior in this case. 

We want to make sure the dog's needs to greet us and to get attention from us are being met.  If its needs are not being met, the dog will continue to try to meet those needs, and this may mean continuing to jump up to try to get our attention.  So, what can we do to help prevent jumping and teach new greeting patterns?

What to do instead

Get on the dog's level.  Stoop down, get your hands at the dog's level.  Take a moment to greet your dog and encourage it to say hello into your hands - which are now at its level.  Remember that your dog is so happy to see you and wants to engage with you.  This is one of the great parts of having a dog, right? A dog who meets you at the door and loves the fact that you've come home!  Don't ignore this part of his day.

On a platform

Bring the dog to your level.  A raised platform or area will allow your dog to get higher up so it can greet you closer to your hands and face.  This is helpful if you're not able to get on the floor to say hello.  The dog can be encouraged to get onto a piece of furniture or its platform so it can be greeted in a more appropriate manner.  You can teach a cue for this so the dog knows to get onto the platform or area when asked.  You can even teach a specific behavior such as sitting or lying down once the dog gets up on it.  Remember to place your hands down to your dog's level to help prevent the jumping up.

Ask for other behaviors you appreciate more.  If your dog knows other behaviors, you can use these to redirect it before it jumps up.  For instance, a dog that is sitting can't also be jumping.  A dog doing a trick such as spin isn't going to be jumping on you at the same time.

Use a leash and harness to manage the dog's behavior.  A leash can be used to prevent your dog from jumping on guests until it settles down and isn't so excited.  In the same way, the dog can be asked to go wait on its bed or platform when guests come.  Once the dog has settled down, it may be appropriate to then allow a calmer greeting.

Keeping a container of treats near the door (or other areas that jumping occurs) can offer a distraction and also a reinforcer for keeping four feet on the floor.  Hold the treat at the dog's nose level or lower to prevent jumping.  If you raise your hand up with the treat in it, you will encourage the dog to jump up to get the treat.  Feed the dog low or even drop or scatter some treats on the floor.  Praise while the dog has four feet on the floor and is smelling for the treats.  Done consistently, this can encourage the dog to begin sniffing the floor when people enter, instead of jumping up.

Let the dog jump.  This always remains an option.  It is not up to me to tell you that your dog shouldn't be jumping.  Some people do enjoy having their dog

jump on them.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Just remember that if you allow or encourage jumping sometimes, your dog will most likely also jump when you don't want it to.  Dogs aren't great at telling the difference in contexts and being reinforced for jumping up is fun - so they will want to continue doing it.  It's not fair to encourage it sometimes and get mad at other times.

You can, however, teach your dog a special cue to jump up on you - so jumping up on you becomes like doing a trick.  And, then you will have a way to let your dog know when you want it to jump up.  When you don't want it to jump up, then you can give it a different cue, ask it to go to a platform, or use any number of the other options listed here.

**For more information about training dogs, including blind and/or deaf dogs, visit my website at www.yourinnerdog.com  You will find articles, books, online classes and resources there to assist you!  To subscribe to this blog and receive emails as each new post is published, please scroll to the blog header above and add your email address!**