by Christine Andrews

Does your dog have a habit of jumping on people when he sees them? If so, you know how embarrassing it can be. But imagine how annoying – or frightening even – it is to your guests.

Teaching your pooch to keep all four paws on the floor is part of being a responsible dog owner. It’s also relatively easy to do. This is a good thing, because while some dogs are simply jumping up in excitement — others are using it as a way to show you who’s the boss. Here’s what I mean…

Most dogs jump because they are excited. They’s just plain happy to see you – or you’ve gotten them worked up about something so their adrenaline is pumping. Maybe you just got home from a day at work – or someone has come over to visit.

There is another reason dogs jump, which is less common but more serious.

As you know, dogs are pack animals. They live in groups, or packs, and each dog has a ranking. The highest ranked dog is the leader, or the alpha dog. You will know who this is because he will always eat first – go through doors first – and he will also put on or both of his paws over the shoulders of the other dogs… just to remind them that he’s the boss. Some dogs think they are ranked higher than their owners. If your dog think’s he’s the alpha dog over you, he will often demonstrate this by jumping up on you.

Remember, you are a part of your dog’s pack whether you like it or not. So if you find that he’s jumping up on you a lot – not just when he’s excited – there’s a good chance he thinks he’s the boss.

When this happens, you’ve got more than a jumping issue. Your dog thinks he’s the boss. This is a serious issue, and you’ll need to make some big adjustments in your overall relationship with your dog. It might be a good time to get some outside help to solve the problem.

Luckily, most dogs jump up on people because they are just plain excited. And this really isn’t a hard problem to solve. The key is to be consistent. Don’t let them jump up on you when you’re playing – and then expect them to stay off when you walk in the door after work. If you want this habit to stop, you have to teach him that it’s never acceptable to jump on you.

Here is a 2-step technique that most trainers use to stop dogs from jumping.

The first step is very simple. You just ignore him whenever he jumps up on you. This means you withdraw all attention – even negative attention – so no yelling, shoving, or corrections whatsoever. The idea is to give him the cold shoulder.

How do you do this? Whenever he jumps on you, immediately turn your back to him. Your posture should tell him that this behavior just is not acceptable. Fold your arms, turn your back to him and turn your face away. Avert your eyes. Since dogs use body language to communicate with each other, he will know exactly what you are saying.

Just be sure you are ignoring the dog, not just the behavior. You can’t look at him, talk to him, yell at him, or acknowledge him in any way. Without your attention, he’ll settle down quickly.

The next step is very important. Even though you are “ignoring” your dog, you will need to pay close attention to what he is doing. This step is a matter of timing.

The minute your dog has all four paws on the floor, you are going to start praising the heck out of him. Get excited. Let him know that he’s doing something great. Even though he was just jumping up on you, he’ll understand that the praise is for being on the ground as long as you time it right.

As simple as this is, this technique works. You’ll be amazed at how quickly your dog learns. By making sure he doesn’t get any attention when he’s jumping, he’ll soon be the well-behaved pooch you always wanted.

About the Author:

Training your dog doesn’t have to be hard. It’s just a matter of knowing the right techniques. For more tips and techniques to stop dog jumping and other bad dog behavior, visit www.TheSmartDogOwner.com.

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