Jumping.
Jumping occurs because dogs, and young puppies, just simply don't know any better. It is our job to show them what behaviour we would prefer, and also use our environment to help reduce the practice of jumping.
The most common reason jumping occurs is because it successfully gets our attention. This may be because when our dogs are younger its cute and so we allow it, or it could be because our dogs are big and their jumps hurt and so our reaction gives them the attention they were seeking. For this reason it is recommended that you ignore jumping. This looks like turning your back and avoiding eye contact, sometimes even physically removing yourself from the scene. You want to do this in a way that makes yourself seem boring, avoid talking to your dog or moving as this can sometimes increase their arousal level. Some dogs will simply reduce jumping because it does not get our attention. Other dogs may become frustrated that they are not being acknowledged and so increase the intensity of the behaviour which can look like higher jumps, harder pressure, grabbing at clothes, or mouthing. If you ignore your dog's jumping and they offer a more desirable behaviour such as having all four paws on the ground or a sit, immediately reinforce the behaviour with your mark and reward system or allow them access to you again. If you have been ignoring your dog and the jumping has not ceased or decreased, use a treat to lure your dog down to the ground and reward them once they have all four paws on the floor, this is constructive training as it shows your dog what behaviour you prefer teaching them how they can gain access to you in a more desirable way which decreases their frustration and minimizes over stimulation or poor arousal control. You may not see a decrease initially, so practice this regularly. Once your dog has calmed you can cue them into alternate behaviours such as a sit, drop, touch etc. If your dog is highly aroused and not engaging appropriately, lure them to their safe space with an enrichment activity to help calm them down and give them an appropriate outlet for their stress, frustration or energy. A safe space may be a crate, mat, behind a baby gate, in a play pen or even outside if your dog enjoys their outdoor area.
Practice entering and exiting the home calmly and quietly with the use of rewards, this helps reduce your dog’s arousal around the front door and home entrance. If you get home, and don't really feel like training I recommend playing 'find it' so that your dog practices calm around the home entrance and their focus is on an activity that will help them settle. (Sniffing produces endorphins, endorphins helps to calm dogs down!)
‘Find it’ activity -
Have a handful of treats and show your dog.
Drop them on the floor saying the verbal cue 'find it'.
Once your dog knows 'find it' means there's treats on the floor, you can start to toss fewer amounts than a handful.
Over time, you can increase the level of difficulty, only throwing one or two, or hiding treats in low to the ground spaces.
Have your dog or young puppy on a leash when visitors enter the home. This stops them from excitedly launching themselves at your guests by restricting how much choice they have and removing access. As your visitor enters the home, get your dog’s attention from a further point such as the end of the hallway, marking and rewarding when they check in with you or offer focus (engage / disengage game). If they display calm behaviour that indicates a level of impulse control you can start to ask them to sit when visitors enter, marking and rewarding as they keep the sit, or practice mat training as your guests enter the home. You can then either calmly walk up to your visitor, keeping your dog focused and calm through this mark and reward system teaching them how to approach people appropriately, or ask your visitor to approach keeping your dog calm in their sit or on their mat through the mark and reward system. It is recommended that geusts also have treats, and ask your dog for desirable behaviours before interacting with them and apply the same jumping management strategies that household members practice to keep consistency.
