Doodle jumping

[Doodle, Dolly and Me!!]

I have a 7 mo old female golden doodle that is full of energy!!  Jumping on my husband and I, almost knocking us over at times. When she comes inside from going outside she goes crazy,,,she is so excited about coming back indoors,,,,, she runs and jumps on us,she jumps from couch to chair, back and forth  for about 10 min. We have chihuahuas that I am afraid will get hurt.  Any suggestions?    

[Adina P]

Hi Susan,

There are a lot of past discussions on this topic in our forum. You might want to click on the tab labeled "Forum" and then above the list of discussions there is a search box. If you type in "jumping" and hit enter you'll find all sorts of discussions on this.

My advice is that as with any problematic behavior, the FIRST rule is to take your dog through obedience classes. Not just puppy kindergarten. Not just beginners. But all the way through advanced obedience. Without solid obedience under your belt (yours and your dog's) problems like 'jumping' will be extremely difficult to fix.

Your dog needs to know what your expectations are and then be practiced and practiced and practiced. In other words, if you thoroughly trained your dog you could with two words stop it the moment you walked in the door: "Sit Stay" A dog who has been obedience trained will then respond to that by sitting and happily, excitedly awaiting your next command or a release from the sit. It is not enough that Daisy knows what sit means or that you've taught her what sit means and she CAN do it. Obedience training classes will train YOU how to implement the rest of her training so she does it on first command and does it reliably.

Additionally you can learn how to respond to her in the meantime so she is not encouraged to jump. So two thumbs up for 'keep going to classes" =)

[HeatherA]

Have you taken her to any obedience classes? There are a lot of different ways to address jumping, depending on your training technique. The main key is to be consistent. We have kids (I don't know if you do) and unfortunately jumping is still an issue for us because the kids encourage it.

The way we've been trained to stop jumping is this. Attach a leash to the dog and leave it on. Have it on when a person is coming into the room and you anticipate her jumping, step on the leash close enough to the floor that she can't jump up. Do NOT greet her until she stops trying to jump up. IGNORE her until she calms down. Ideally you want her to sit to greet people. So you should be working on a passive sit.. but thats another lesson.

Our trainer is a behaviorist. So she goes on the model that dogs continue to do what they find rewarding. If your dog jumps on you and you pet her -- she is rewarded. If she wants your attention and jumps on you, and you GIVE her attention -- she is rewarded. The behavior will continue. Attention doesn't have to be petting and praise. Even if you're scowling, pushing her down and saying "OFF!" --- you've responded to her. You're engaged. If you don't have a leash attached and she jumps up, turn your back. Don't make eye contact, don't talk to her, wrap your arms close to your body.. walk away. DO NOT give her attention. Once the behavior stops getting her what she wants, she will stop.

That is just one method, so it really depends on your training technique. Consistency is key. Including anyone that comes in regular contact with your dog. This is why we have a challenge because kids are harder to train then dogs. :( I was in a class of about 10 dogs, by the end of a 6 week class only two were still jumping up... mine and another guy that had kids. The trainer comforted us and offered that is normal, that she can usually tell which homes have kids. The good news is --- If it is all adults living there... you should have it greatly reduced in just a few weeks of consistent behavior.

As a side comment, many times large dogs are not allowed to get away with things we let small dogs do. You might look and see if you're letting the small dogs jump all over you as well. Good training should matter at any size.

Good luck!

http://www.dogguide.net/greeting-guests.php
http://www.petplace.com/dogs/teaching-your-dog-not-to-jump/page1.aspx

[Camilla and Darwin]

There are lots of discussions on this, as it is a common problem! Here are some of the helpful ones I have found. Good luck!

http://doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/jumping-1

http://doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/2065244:Topic:218538

http://doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/2065244:Topic:124201

http://doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/advice-for-training

http://doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/jumping-1