Jumping

[LuckyBoy]

Guys, my 6 month is having an issue with dog jumping to greet people. Im having a hard time on what to do. This is probably his worst habit right now. He’s learning alot and doing well. Just the jumping is getting tough. My mom is like 5’0” so definitely scared because he’s getting bigger and bigger

 

[Panama]

I've never had this issue with a Dobe, but my Dalmatian was awful about wanting to jump up to greet people. We had to back up to the "sit/stay" and "sit/wait" on a leash, even in the house. She was not allowed any attention unless she was sitting and kept her butt on the floor. With her on a leash, after giving her the sit/stay command, I would step on the leash. If she tried to get up, "Et, sit" because with the pull, she was kind of correcting herself.

 

[Oh Little Oji]

An all-too-common problem for sure!

Panama's method, above, can certainly work.

I like to use the raised knee method. Meet their chest with your knee. This works pretty quickly for my dog jumping on me. They learn that if they jump on me, it doesn't go very well. They are not harmed, but it becomes not worth it to them to keep up their bad habit. The trick is to get others to employ this method. I have found very few people who are willing. So...

...it becomes a matter of if others want to pet him, I must demand that they do not touch him or give him attention unless his but is on the floor (if I have put him on a sit) or all four paws are on the floor (if I haven't put him on a sit). The hardest part with this method is getting the dang people to comply!!!!! Very very commonly, people are like "It's okay! I don't mind," and my Dobe's training is hurt in the process unless I become very insistent with the people.

My current boy, Oji, is very paw-oriented, as I call it. It is just in his makeup to use his front paws. His jumping problem is very pronounced and insidious! To this day, at 5 1/2 years of age, he still disobeys and puts his freaking paws on people when they greet him. It starts with a paw sort of wrapped around the person's lower leg, and it will move to him hugging the leg, and it may move to a humping type behavior.

The exception is my wife and kids. When greeting them excitedly, he will go up on his hind legs but will keep his paws retracted (which is the normal sign of a dog successfully trained to not jump on people).

When my wife's dad comes to visit, (it has come to my attention that he doesn't want to get scratched, as I guess older people's skin can get kind of thin or vulnerable to scratching) if I don't very strictly control Oji, he will put his paws up all over him and usually scratch him.

Oh, little Oji.

 

[Doberman Gang]

Leash pressure pulling straight up, do not release the pressure until the dog sits. Not s jerk or correction, just straight up pressure. I don’t like the stepping on the leash method myself, I want to build trust with my dog, I also want to give my dog the chance to make s mistake. Mistakes are the only way we can give them a clear picture of what we want. Once they understand jumping is wrong sitting politely gets attention and reward, they are more likely to make the right decisions in the future.

 

[jim g]

I have the same problem, my girl doesn't jump on me anymore when I give her clear signals to stay off and down but when we go to the dog park she runs around and wants to make friends with everyone there and she will jump vertically right next to someone and unless they do something to correct her she will eventually put her paws on someone. This is a real problem especially when people bring small children. Savannah loves kids. I didn't have this problem with my last two Dobes but that was a long time ago and things were different.
The worst is some people will put thier hands in the air which is just a big invitation to jump. She responds well to me when I extend a palm to the ground. As the weather improves and I can get her out in public more I'll keep working on her outside of the dog park where I have a little better control.

 

[BamMoMoMommy]

My mom is like 5’0” so definitely scared because he’s getting bigger and bigger

How involved is your mom involved in the training process? He needs to know she's a higher part of the pack. Beyond teaching him to not jump on anyone......your mom needs to be correcting this behavior directed at her so he knows this is a no go with her. Your mom needs to know the dog will mind her when she gives him commands.

I can relate to your mom's fear of the dog and the dog jumping at her....I so get it!!!

I am 5'3'' and when our oldest guy gets up on his hind left he's a good sixish inches taller then me...he can actually lay his chin on top of my head!!! Mo is over 29 inches to withers...and 90ish lbs.....having all THAT come at you like Tigger on meth...IS SCARY!!!!

Your mom needs to have confidence in the fact she can control the beast...LOL.


No matter what method you use to break your boy of jumping...get your mom involved in the process of all training...so she knows no matter what she has control over the big body with battering rams...help her build her confidence in being control of the dog's actions....she WILL thank you for it!!!

 

[BamMoMoMommy]

The worst is some people will put thier hands in the air which is just a big invitation to jump.

OH this drives me batsand it really chaps me when someone "invites" my dogs to jump on them.

I always yell NO JUMP...LOUDLY...I'm not yelling at my guys..I am yelling at the dipsh!t who just tried to get my dogs to do something they aren't suppose to do! The one trying to get them to jump....typically gets the message.
The ones who don't..get another yell that sounds like
"MY DOGS AREN'T ALLOWED TO DO THAT!!PLEASE STOP TRYING TO GET THEM TO DO THAT!!"


The way others react also made me think of something else to add about Mom being in control of the OP's :

@LuckyBoy
How does your mom react when your guy jumps at /onher? She needs to stand her ground...and YES I get how scary THAT idea is...but if she is reacting with a large movement, loud voice that's not a command and backing away fast.....she may trigger his prey drive urge....but more like "play" drive urge......if she's getting excited when he jumps at her...she's going to have him getting more excited and harder to control.

Our guys do jump...but ONLY at Dad when invited...and thank the stars they know this is a "dad invite" only....but at times they get over excited when I am near Dad and he does the invite and I get caught in the play....but they both know a firm "NO JUMP!" from me..means they goofed and they will both go back down on all fours and wait to see if Dad is going to ask them back up.

Honestly....this is one thing DH and I crack heads over often..I don't want them jumping EVER.......but have to give DH props..outside the invite from Dad....they understand they can't jump on every thing that moves...but Bam has a really strong prey drive...and hands in the air...will have him bouncing up and down on his front paws like he is on a rebound trampoline....just waiting for the invite to jump up.

 

[Doberman Gang]

My family and friends are all told to ignore my dogs when they come over, I don’t do dog parks and my dogs are not allowed to approach others when off leash. If they head towards someone, I recall them. Friends and family can meet or pet my dogs under my terms and Supervision. I am the number one fun person for my dogs so they don’t really seek others out anything with me is better than a stranger or other dog. Simple training from day one, what is allowed and what isn’t, everything fun starts with me.

 

[BamMoMoMommy]

and family

That had me wondering...... how do you have the family who lives in home work with your dogs?

As much as I would LOVE to have the boys think I am the center of the world.......DH wouldn't deal well with that....LOL.

We have a lot of the same thing going on here with MO and Bam we had going on when the kids were young......good cop...bad cop...and I am always the bad cop....cuz I am with them more than DH is and I have to be the law enforcement around here more than he does. He makes them behave.....but the "rough and tumble play stuff" is all his territory......cuz well....to the boys..I am a punching bag that makes funny noise when they nail it.


I think...if I recall right @LuckyBoy's Mom lives in the home with the dog..along with other family members...so getting that dynamic sorted out..pack order and so on...can confound training sometimes....no matter what kind of training one is trying to do. We figured out...no matter what methods used to train......there has to be a LOT of constancy among the ones in "the pack" to keep from having the dog confused.

 

[Oh Little Oji]

That's frankly a real hard part for me. My lovely and awesome wife just does not have any time for a dog these days. She does not want us to have one. She has gone from "Not another Schutzhund Doberman!" to "Can you take a break from having a dog after Oji dies?"

Thus, she is willing to do precious little training with him at all.

Fortunately, Oji does not put his paws on her. I guess he respects me enough to honor that. He does get a crotch or butt sniff pretty much every time she comes home though. I can't seem to stop that one!!

 

[BamMoMoMommy]

That's frankly a real hard part for me. My lovely and awesome wife just does not have any time for a dog these days.

My son (has a Lab)had to wrangle this with his ex......she was in school and had three kids from a previous relationship...there was no time to "work with the dog" in her life, there sincerely wasn't. He did get her (and the kids) to get some basic training in with the guy so she could handle him when my son wasn't home and that's where my mind is with Luckyboy...at the very least others in the home should have some basic knowledge oh commands and how to work with the dog when he isn't home. I'm not talking about investing hours of time in working with/training the dog. Like the jumping thing here.....the others who live in the home..... need to know how the training works/how to react calmly to the dog misbehaving...so if the OP isn't around...they can reinforce what he is training his guy to do.


The way we broke the guys of the crotch sniff when we hit the door...was to make sure they know when we come in the door ......rushing us is a no go......that didn't STOP the "okay is this you and do you belong here?" sniff..it just delayed it...so we could at least keep them from plowing over us in the process of the sniff. It wasn't a big deal when it was just Mo...but when they both come at me......it ain't purty!!!

It was one of those "we gotta have some consistency here!" things I had to train my husband to do.....before I could get the boys to work with the training I was trying to reinforce.

 

[MyBuddy]

. I am the number one fun person for my dogs so they don’t really seek others out anything with me is better than a stranger or other dog. Simple training from day one, what is allowed and what isn’t, everything fun starts with me.

I've heard you say that many times and I believe it to be true. But I would like to know how you make yourself number one ALL the time. I mean, how do you to do that? Do you get on the ground with them? And I'm not making fun here. I honestly want to know how to make myself more interesting then someone new coming to the house or a squirrel running across the backyard. ? I would think that you would have to start with getting them to look at you. The, 'watch me,' command is something I have not worked on much. I suppose that would be a great start with a puppy. This Is sort of off topic.

Maybe you can start a new thread on that.

 

[Doberman Gang]

That had me wondering...... how do you have the family who lives in home work with your dogs?

Who ever is home is in charge, teaching house manors should be enforced by everyone in the family. When it comes to obedience training outside the house, it is done specifically by the person who competes with that particular dog. Only exception is me because I am the training director so I will work all the dogs if necessary. I try to limit my interaction with my wife or son and his wife dogs so not to disrupt the bond they are building

 

[Doberman Gang]

I've heard you say that many times and I believe it to be true. But I would like to know how you make yourself number one ALL the time. I mean, how do you to do that? Do you get on the ground with them? And I'm not making fun here. I honestly want to know how to make myself more interesting then someone new coming to the house or a squirrel running across the backyard. ? I would think that you would have to start with getting them to look at you. The, 'watch me,' command is something I have not worked on much. I suppose that would be a great start with a puppy. This Is sort of off topic.

Maybe you can start a new thread on that.

I will put something together and post it in the training thread today.