While your pet may have nothing but good intentions, jumping up on guests should be a no-no. It not only may leave them dirty but for those who are afraid of dogs, it can be also very frightening. Larger pets can even end up knocking people over, especially younger children. Even if your dog has been getting away with this unwanted behavior for quite a long time, however, you may be able to stop it with the following advice.
Don’t Reward Him With Attention
Most dog owners and guests alike have no idea that they are often reinforcing the dog’s bad behavior. By giving your pet attention or greeting him when he jumps up you are showing him that he will get what he wants every time he does it.
Be sure you instruct your guests to totally ignore your pet whenever he tries to jump up. This may confuse him at first but after numerous failed attempts he’ll most likely understand that he’s not going to get the attention he seeks from this behavior.
Create A New Association
While ignoring him may work with some pets, others may need you to help them create a negative association with jumping up. Of course, this does not mean yelling or screaming at your dog. Rather, by immediately walking away when your dog jumps up, he will see that that jumping will get him exactly what he doesn’t want, which is for you or your guests to leave and give him no attention whatsoever.
Calm Is Key
Jumping is often caused by an excited state. By only allowing guests to greet, pay attention to, or pet your dog when he is totally calm you can many times stop the behavior very quickly. Your pet will see that when he is calm and relaxed he will get the attention he wants.
Teach And Use Basic Commands
Making sure that your dog knows and listens to basic commands such as sit and stay before you attempt to stop him from jumping is a smart idea. This will help you to show him what exactly he should be doing instead of jumping up. For example when he has been sitting down quietly in a calm state for a few minutes then you can reward him with attention from your guests.
Consistency, Consistency, Consistency
Of course, the most important thing is to be consistent, if you aren’t; you will have little chance of getting any lasting results. It is also your responsibility to make sure your guests understand that you are in the process of training your dog and that they will need to follow your instructions on how to deal with him.
This most likely will mean you have to keep an eye on them as well since as we all know it’s easy to give in to a persistent pooch.
By trying out the above techniques and being consistent with them you have an excellent chance of helping your pet to become a well-mannered member of the family. But don’t forget you may need to train your guests as well!
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