No Jumping Class

[Yvonne N]

Okay friends I'm going to try and put this into words. Astro and I attended a no jumping class last night. It was good! This is funny...you use no words/commands/hand signals. Our trainer explained that dogs learn best when they make the decision to do something on their own and are rewarded for "it". No pushing down their bottom, no yelling out a command, no bullying them.

To work on this you need your dog, lots of very small (think tic tac) sized treats, a leash, another person.

First scenario - walking your dog outside. You have your dog on a leash at a length of say 3 - 4 feet freedom. You are there only to hold onto dog to make sure he/she doesn't run off. You are a statue....no expressions, noises, pulling, etc. The other person (with treats hidden) approaches you and your dog...eye contact should mostly be person to person - - don't stare at dog. Person approaching should keep their arms in close to their chest. And no talking at first. If dog jumps/lunges person approaching immediately turns around and walks away. No words, just walk away. Try same steps again. It was amazing but only one dog out of the group last night did not get it by the third time. The person approaching IMMEDIATELY rewards the dog when his/her bottom hits the floor. Lots of treats - - treat dispenser. Ruffle their head. Good Job! Again and again and again - - repeat these steps. Now you don't want to set a dog up for failure, so if your pup isn't catching on give him a single command and immediately reward when his/her bottom hits the floor. Then try again without verbal cues. As you continue repeating steps the person approaching uses more animation...higher voice...acknowledgement of person/dog by name...waving arms...shaking hands...etc. Dog sits - - reward reward reward. Dog doesn't sit - - walk away and try again.

Second scenario - guest/you coming in a door. Use same steps as above but you need a door. Go outside the door and knock loudly. Person holding dog says, "Come in." Repeat steps above.

The other stuff we learned was ignore. Ignore the behavior. For example: you are letting your dog out of his crate and the jumping begins. Ignore. Turn back while still being able to see dog out the corner of your eye...go about your business....as soon as the bad behavior stops....reward, reward, reward. Trainer warned with this technique the behavior most likely will get worse b4 getting better. Be strong.

Good Luck!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

For those of you who think I am nuts, Kat is the name of our trainer! Dogs with Kat LOL.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

KAT IS AWESOME. I should take that class at some point. Peri says that she won't do agility with Kat until Astro does it also :)
Thanks for these tips, Yvonne.

[Phoebe's Mom]

Thanks fo the info. Again, of course, the lesson is for me...be strong! Maybe I need a treat dispenser to learn that one!

[Azure & Muppet]

This is really good. I can tell you've got a good trainer. Thanks for taking the time to write it all down and share with others.

[Michele Barton]

Yvonne, this is great! Thank you so much for taking the time to type this out, we are going to start working on these techniques right away!

[Brenda F]

That sounds awesome and so positive! I will have to try those methods out! Pepsi is very good in the house, but outside on a walk is a different story. He will jump on anyone if we stop to chat! Drives me nuts! Thanks so much.