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| Very bouncy pup!; How do I stop him jumping up? | |
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| Topic Started: Aug 20 2009, 10:31 AM (80 Views) | |
| Laura | Aug 20 2009, 10:31 AM Post #1 |
One of the regulars
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Billy has that terrible habit of jumping up on people he meets. And he's not just getting up on his back legs and making their trousers muddy :no: he's bouncing 5 ft up in the air to lick their face and try to get a proper cuddle! :doh: He's not huge but he's solid and can knock you off balance a bit if he gets it right. There is some hope - he hasn't jumped up at a child, he came from a home with 3 under 6's and adores children, he rolls over and will lie and get bely rubs for hours! Also, he only jumps up when people say hello, he's not just running up to unsuspecting walkers and pouncing on them, it's when people say 'hello' and start to give him a fuss, as far as he's concerned he's being invited up for a cuddle. If someone doesn't greet him he'll just ignore them and carry on. What have you tried that works? Thanks, Laura and Billy monster x |
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| zandd | Aug 20 2009, 12:36 PM Post #2 |
Moderator
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I feel for you,it's a real nuisance when this happens - and I found other dog walkers were the worst as well,oh I don't mind him jumping up when I asked them to help stop - well I did,and so did one woman who almost used to encourage him when she was wearing her dog walking clothes,wasn't quite so pleased when he did it as she was on her way to work,think it might have taught her a lesson ;) Now back to Billy,you do need help with this,someone who you walk with regularly perhaps who can anticipate the jumping up and use the same command.I used off,but it doesn't matter as long as you don't use it for anything else - down is one I've heard but that's a totally different command for me. Keep him on a short lead when he is greeting someone and praise like mad when all four paws are on the ground,give a treat,when he tries to jump,use your command and a short,sharp tug,then again lots of praise when all four paws are down.Then ask your stooge to praise him as well,he will get the message that 4 feet down results in lots of good things rather than a jerked lead - and I do mean short,sharp,not dragging him down with the lead as I've seen some do. |
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| Linda & Fred | Aug 20 2009, 07:43 PM Post #3 |
Chatterbox
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What really works for Fred is being completely ignored. And I mean completely. No talking to or about, no looking at, no 'guarding' against him jumping or acting any differently as if he wasn't there at all. Any deviation from the above just makes him work harder, including biting to get attention. Plus it ONLY works on the person doing the ignoring, at the time they're ignoring him really well. In fact it's so hard to get the ignoring perfect enough for it to work that generally I tell people that ignoring him DOESN'T work. Even though I've seen it work within seconds. Twice in nearly three years I've seen it work. The behaviourist who helped Fred with some other problems said the 'treatment' for the other problems would help with the jumping, but obviously that was specially designed for Fred and may not work with your dog. Things did calm down when I had regained 'control' of the relationship between us, but sadly the world is full of people who either don't mind Fred leaping all over them or who will reward him with attention when he does. Sorry if that sounds disheartening, but I think dogs with a 'severe' jumping problem, which I'd call the bounces your dog is doing (Fred has also managed to get nearly 5' in the air and is nearly jumping *over* the 3 1/2 foot gate I bought to replace the 2 1/2 foot gate he learnt to leap) really benefit from professional advice from someone who has seen the dog. Fred has hip dysplasia and I think all the frantic jumping played a HUGE part in that. Not the only part, just a HUGE part. ETA If it really is the word 'hello' that's getting him going I'd teach him to do another action on the command of 'hello'. If it's an action he's responding to, leaning over, hand out etc, then I'd use that as a hand signal to do a sit, or better still, return to you. Could be a bit tricky to manage, but worth a try? I'm not so lucky with Fred, it's eye contact that seems to do it with him (which is why it's so hard for ignoring to work as it's REALLY hard not to look at a dog that's in your face - literally!). To Fred 'hello' means 'someone has just come in the house without knocking and so needs me to rush frantically out of the living room into the kitchen, barking, ready to leap for the sky!'. I may try teaching him to sit, instead. Take my own advice, etc. Edited by Linda & Fred, Aug 20 2009, 07:50 PM.
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| Laura | Aug 21 2009, 11:23 AM Post #4 |
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One of the regulars
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Thanks for the advice, I had thought of using 'hello' for a sit or something, I think it's a combination of the word and someone new focusing their attention on him, just gets him all excited and jumping is his way of giving a really special greeting! I always tell a dog to sit if it jumps up at me - whether it knows me or not, it works every time! I'm not sure whether it's the initial shock of a person they don't know giving a command? Some owners have been really surprised. I completely agree with the points about people saying they 'don't mind' :x: - I went through the same thing when Sally was snapping at other dogs and I was trying to teach her to ignore them ("don't worry, he could do with a good telling off sometimes" was a common line :angry: ) If people ignore Billy, there is no problem, I have asked a couple of people I meet regularly to ignore him when they meet him, but I don't know if I could say that to a stranger. Also, if someone crouches and gets down to his level to say hello he rolls over for a belly rub instead of jumping on them. He doesn't really spend much time on the lead unless we are going to and from the park or field, of I'm doing training with him, and people don't generally say hello then. How does everyone else feel about asking strangers to act a certain way? Does it work? Should I ask everyone to either ignore him or ask him to sit? or would I just be wasting my time? |
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| Tafia | Aug 21 2009, 01:03 PM Post #5 |
Total Gas Bag!
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I find generally strangers are more likely to listen, it's those who've already developed relationships with the dogs who don't! |
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| Linda & Fred | Aug 21 2009, 08:26 PM Post #6 |
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Chatterbox
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Most strangers I meet 'don't mind'. If they do mind, they are usually ignoring him anyway. :err: Today I was given an apparently fool proof method to stop jumping up in the home, so I will try that for the next two weeks and if it works on Fred I'll post it up. :ok: |
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| strawboss | Aug 22 2009, 02:29 PM Post #7 |
Chatterbox
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I'm very interested as Maya still has this behaviour. |
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| Laura | Aug 25 2009, 11:39 AM Post #8 |
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One of the regulars
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I tried the sit thing today, to see if he'd listen to a stranger. We happened to see a lady I haven't seen for a couple of years (with 5 chihuahuas!! ) And as Billy was saying hi to all the mini dogs she started to say hello and I asked her to tell him to sit and he just plonked his little bottom down straight away! What's more, he stayed sat while she made a fuss of him! I'm going to stick with this technique and see how it goes, I'll keep you updated. |
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| Linda & Fred | Aug 25 2009, 04:13 PM Post #9 |
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Chatterbox
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The foolproof method has already worked with me, and it stopped Fred jumping up at my ex-husband yesterday when he came in to see our son! It is inconvenient for the person doing it though (so still needs compliance from visitors), so I won't consider it to 'work' until we don't have to do it anymore and Fred still doesn't jump up. I'd be interested to see if it works in the big wide world with strangers once it's stopped in the house. |
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| Linda & Fred | Aug 25 2009, 05:39 PM Post #10 |
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Chatterbox
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Gah. Fred is nearly getting over my 4 1/2 foot fence when my neighbour leans on it to chat to me. Sadly she's never going to comply and actively (unintentionally) encourages it. Hey ho. If this method works to stop that, then I will know it's DEFINITELY foolproof. |
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