Canines frequently jump up on people in their natural habitat. When dogs jump, they get to say hello to people directly, and what's even better is that it's sure to draw attention. However, jumping to welcome is unappealing and harmful from a human perspective. Especially elderly and young persons, muddy paws can ruin dressy clothing and knock people over. Teach your dog to give visitors a proper greeting; it's both more courteous and much safer.
Why Dogs Jump to Greet
Dogs mimic actions that result in rewards. Your pet will appreciate your care more than most things, too. Likewise, reinforcement from other family members, guests, and strangers can all contribute to the habit. Even unfavorable responses, such as yelling at your dog or seizing their paws, still require attention and may serve to promote the undesirable behavior. Many dogs simply push them aside as part of a game of wrestling.
You must stop rewarding jumping in order to get your dog to stop using it as a greeting. In order to prevent your dog from practicing jumping, you must manage them while you teach them a different, more polite approach to greet people.
How to Develop a Different Greeting Behavior
The jumping tendency of your dog ought to ultimately stop if you ignore it when it does it. It isn't being rewarded anymore, after all. But not everyone you meet in your house or on the street is going to be aware of those guidelines. And to make matters worse, your dog is going to be very angry about it. They should be instructed on what to do instead.
You can decide how you want your dog to welcome guests. You might just want your dog to place all four paws on the ground or you might want him to sit or lie down. But keep in mind that you must instruct them on HOW to act, not only on WHAT not to do. One simpler norm is to sit while welcoming someone, for instance. For instance, sitting when greeting is a simpler rule to follow than not jumping.
Four on the Floor Training Techniques
By leaving rewards on the ground while your dog is greeting guests, you can educate them to keep all four paws on the ground. By rewarding your dog before they even consider leaving the ground, you can stop them from jumping. Four on the floor can be learned by following these steps:
Have someone approach your leashed dog as you do so.
Throw a few treats on the ground before they reach your dog.
Have the individual pet and greet your dog as he or she is eating something off the floor.
Have the person step back and then step back again before your dog finishes eating. Repeat the previous steps a few times, extending the greeting this time while continue tossing treats to the ground.
Before you put the first treat on the ground, let your dog greet the human once they can balance on all fours.
You can feed your dog fewer and fewer treats as they learn the rules, eventually making a kind greeting the only incentive.
Being prompt with the treats is key to this method. In order to prevent your dog from jumping up, you must anticipate it and provide the treats. If the dog jumps because you were too late, have the person turn and leave as you stop feeding the dog.
How to Practice Sitting for Greets
Sitting for pets and greetings is another acceptable greeting technique. Your dog will learn that when their bum is on the floor, attention is paid to them, but when they rise up, everything stops, similar to the training technique described above. To learn how to sit for greetings, follow these instructions:
Your dog should be attached to a doorknob or piece of furniture.
Ask your dog to sit from a distance of a few feet. When they do, quietly advance. If they get up, go back to where you started and ask them to sit again. If they continue to sit, approach them and calmly give them a compliment and a pet. Continue greeting them if they remain seated. When they get up, turn around and leave.
You can progressively up the excitement of your greetings as your dog learns that they must sit to receive them.
Retrace your steps to step one utilizing your friends and family after your dog has learned the sit for hello with you.
Keep in mind that your dog will find this activity easier the more often they practice sitting. If your dog still has trouble sitting still when there are no distractions, there is no purpose in training sit for greetings. Your dog should use the sit command to request attention. It is simpler to educate dogs to sit for greetings if you have them do so before going outdoors, having their dinner, and other activities.
How to Avoid Jumping During Exercise
You must control your dog's behavior when you are training him how to greet people properly to prevent him from practicing jumping. When the doorbell rings, for instance, you can send your dog to their mat or crate by using a strong "Go to Your Place" cue. As an alternative, you might install a baby gate at your front door to prevent your dog from approaching guests. Whenever visitors arrive, you should keep your dog on a leash to prevent jumping.
Maintaining toys and goodies beside the front door is another control tactic. To keep your dog busy while your visitor enters, you can throw the treat away from the entryway. Alternatively, the food or toy might be used by your visitor to commend your dog for a polite greeting.
Jumping can be particularly difficult to avoid while walking your dog. You can't rely on outsiders to understand or follow your rules. Avoid introducing your dog to strangers until they are familiar with polite greetings for relatives and family. Instead, command your dog to "Watch Me" or squeak a toy while allowing the stranger to pass. Be sure to explain the protocol to passersby when your dog is ready to try out greeting them on the street. In the event that your dog disobeys the rules, ask them to ignore him.