Quick Tip: Training Your Dog Not to Jump

Dude. Chill.

Clients often ask me how to get their pets to stop jumping up on them. If you're patient and consistent, it's a very easy behavior to change. You just need to keep in mind two basic principles: all behavior is reward-seeking, and it's easier to learn a new behavior than to unlearn an old one.

First, we have to remove the reward the dog is seeking - attention. When asked how they've tried to get their dog to stop jumping, many say they yell "stop!" and push them away. Well, that's not the best attention in the world, but for a dog it's better than being ignored. To get rid of the behavior you have to stop rewarding it: ignore the dog completely by silently turning away.

Secondly, the real trick is to teach the dog to do different, acceptable behavior to get the reward. The simplest example is teaching them to sit instead. At some point while bouncing around, trying to get your attention, the dog will likely sit on its own - immediately look at them and give a verbal reward ("good dog!"). If they don't do it on their own, you can issue your "sit" command once they stop jumping, but do not look at or otherwise interact with them until they sit. Whenever they stop sitting, ignore them again.

Much like a child throwing a tantrum , the dog may escalate the behavior in an attempt to get your attention, but be patient and consistent - they'll give up eventually. A useful trick if they won't settle down is to walk into another room, then quickly turn and shut them in when they follow, instituting a time-out without actually interacting with the pet (which would reinforce the undesirable behavior). Being patient and consistent are the toughest, most important parts. But stick with it - your dog will learn that the way to get the attention they want is to sit obediently in front of you, rather than bounce annoyingly on top of you.