Puppy Training Plan: No Jumping

Teach your dog that jumping is not an acceptable behavior. 

Training Puppy: Roxy, a very enthusiastic toy fox terrier who constantly jumps on guests and at the door. Her owner is an older lady who is having a hard time handling Roxy's constant jumping and crazy energy.

Trigger(s): Guests – Always be aware of what triggers Roxy to begin her jumping routine. Always be ready. If you know you are going to encounter a trigger, have your treats on hand to quickly correct any misbehavior.

Training techniques: Below is a list of techniques used to train dogs not to jump. They are not in any specific order. I suggest implementing all of these techniques right away. These techniques need to become your new "house rules" just as making the bed or doing the dishes is something you always do, so is enforcing your dog’s behavior.

• As YOU enter the home from an outing, completely ignore Roxy. Make your homecoming, not a big deal. Come home, go about your business. Once Roxy is settled, then you may greet and praise her and go about your usual routine. If Roxy becomes hyper, begin ignoring her again until she calms down. It is now your job to encourage the calm and collected Roxy and ignore the crazy jumping Roxy. Ignoring may seem cruel, but you’ve got to stick to it. Even something as little as eye contact can be considered a reward in the eyes of your dog.
• Exercise! Exercise is a great way to deter bad behavior of any kind because the dog is simply too tired to perform these behaviors. About an hour or so before guests arrive, grab the tennis ball and let Roxy wear herself out with a game of fetch. Another each way to wear a pup out is using a laser pointer. Dogs love chasing the laser around the yard. 
• Put a jar of dog treats outside on your front stoop. Ask all visitors to grab a handful of treats before they even knock on the front door. As visitors enter, encourage them to throw the treats on the ground whenever Roxy isn’t jumping. This will serve a few purposes: It will keep Roxy on the ground for whatever amount of time it takes for her to eat the treats, and it will also give your guests a chance to maneuver around without being jumped on. 
• I also recommend giving travel-sized peanut butter (pictured) for your guests. This little snack is great because as a guest enters the house, they can kneel down, and let Roxy eat out of the peanut butter. Because it take a little time to eat this snack guests can pet Roxy while she is eating and has all four paws on the floor. Be sure to give her plenty of praise while she has all four paws on the floor.

  

  Use Peanut Butter or Yogurt snacks
  to keep your dog focused on the food
  and not the trigger.

• Instruct guests to stay calm. Having children running in circles, or people screaming throughout the house is only going to encourage Roxy to also act crazy. Towards the beginning of training it is better that we set up a calm relaxed environment for her. 

These techniques require a lot of patience and some time. It is going to take Roxy a little bit of time to figure out the reward (treats, praise) vs. the "punishment" (being ignored). Make these a FIRM house rules and you will see results. If guests cannot stick to the rules, then Roxy needs to be put away in another room until that guest has left.

Stay tuned for a follow up post on Roxy's progress!