# Stopping Jumping



## Spencer

On legs... repeatedly.

I searched the forum but didn't find another thread, so I started a new one.

Tate is a jumper. All the time with the jumping. TQ was a terrible jumper and we did the "turn around and ignore" and she eventually caught on and figured out that it was better for her to greet and not jump rather than jump. Tate has not figured this out in a year and a half - almost two.

He jumps when greeting, when excited, when playing. He wants to be picked up and held and this is how he lets you know. We have tried making him sit before getting attention or even picked up, but to no avail. We turn around and ignore him and he just jumps on the back of our legs, you give him a strong "no" and he continues. He KNOWS what "no" means, but I guess has decided that it is worth getting in trouble to keep jumping. 

I'm at my wits end here between the jumping and his new learned love of ridiculous constant barking (which is starting to get under control, by calling him over to me and making it more worth his while to come to me than to continue barking.)

Help?


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## fjm

Poppy discovered a wonderful game as a pup - jump up and bite Mum's bum. It always took me by surprise, always made me shriek and jump in the air, and was therefore always hugely rewarding. I am a strong believer in reward based training, and especially so with Poppy, who was a rather nervous pup, and tried very hard to ignore it, reward good behaviour, etc, etc. When I noticed her beginning to eye up interesting rear ends while we were out walking, though, I decided enough was enough. The next time she did it to me, I turned round and ROARED! She sat back, gave me a long look, wagged her tail, and never really did it again (she sometimes thought about it, but a quick OY! was all it took to remind her). So if rewarding four feet on the ground has not worked, and ignoring jumping up behaviour has not worked, and walking away has not worked, perhaps it is time to release your inner lioness!


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## Chagall's mom

Here's what I did to convince Chagall he's a poodle, not a kangaroo...

1. I taught him the "Up" command by patting my chest with both hands and encouraging him to jump up on me.

2. Then I gave him the "Off!" command and _the moment_ he jumped off me I treated him with some Red Barn roll, which he loves, and said, "Good Off!" 

3. I repeated the exercise about 10 times, three times a day for two weeks; each time he was more and more hesitant to jump up on me and quicker to get off and sit for his reward.

4. He now knows what "Off!" means and complies with the command. He does however still try to do a jump up greeting to some people; "Off!" stops him cold but I'm continuing to work on his "sit" and "stay" to prevent the initial jumping.

Others will know better than I do about the best remedy for jumping, but that's what's worked for me so far. I'm anxious to read others' replies!


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## Spencer

Thank you both for your advice!

As silly as it sounds, I'm no stranger to growling at my dogs when they're being rude. :doh: I growled at Tate when he jumped on my legs a bit ago and he immediately sat down and looked at me like I was going to eat him, lol... so we'll see if that keeps him off of legs for long. For such a smart dog, he sure is block headed sometimes!


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## HiSocietyPoodle

*Springloaded pups*

Yes, I have two spring-loaded dogs that are really starting to be a real bothersome, especially having elderly people around that can be knocked off balance by even a 8lb toy poodle.

The commands aren't working - sit, stay, down, off, no jump -- mean nothing. They only work when a treat is involved when a person isn't walking through the front door. 

I'm pulling my hair out. I'm not much to food rewards, because I can't keep giving the little dogs (doggie) cookies they won't eat their dog food and hold out for doggie cookies.

Is there any way to get them to listen?


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## Spencer

With Tate I had to implement some tough love, pretty much the "Nothing In Life Is Free" I had been slacking on in other areas other than food and coming in and out from the bathroom.

Before he comes out of his crate; sit.
As soon as he comes near me and wants to be picked up or loved on; sit.
Before he goes outside; sit.
Before he comes inside; sit.
Before he gets food; sit.
Before he drinks; sit.
Whenever he wants my attention; sit.

I've also stopped talking to him if he forgets his newly acquired manners rather than saying, "Tate oooooffffff." or "Tate downnnnn." or even "GET OFF MY FRIGGIN LEGS!" if it's one of THOSE days!  Instead of losing my temper or expecting him to understand what I want out of thin air with me just throwing commands around, I ignore him and go about my business. He's figure out, "oh wait, I have to sit..." and will drop his butt to the ground once he remembers.

Sometimes he is so excited he can't contain himself and will go up, down , up, down and sometimes he'll just be shaking like a leaf... but he's learned that it doesn't matter and he better sit if he wants something. Just tonight when I was getting his meat ready, he sat down (we've also been working on not GRABBING things... I have a blood blister on my finger because he jumped up like a little piranha to get his food the other night!) and waited the entire time I made him with raw chicken in the palm of my hand unil I told him to "easy". He so gingerly took it from me and gobbled it down. All boy, this one.

I know how frustrating it can be with a jumper. TQ was one, and still is when people encourage it (she will be the death of me), and it is so embarrassing, too! Using NILIF worked great over here, hope it helps at your house!


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## Soleil

These are great tips! Charlie jumps a lot and very high! He sometimes jumps high enough to lick my chin (Then again, I'm very short! ) The vet tells me not to let him jump because of his paw but it looks like he doesn't care at all!

I've tried growling at him and he just keeps at it. Maybe I'm not roaring loud or ferocious enough, hehehe.


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## MTWaggin

Gotta make this quit - sit sit sit. You don't get any attention, eye contact, hands, voice till you sit (the first few times tell them sit). I have had wheatens and the wheaten greeting is jump up. Small dogs too - jump up. We start early and constantly reward sit. Sterling too is now jumping, grabbing, etc. Sit and calm is now what is rewarded and rewarded hugely! Still work in progress. 

Now for my little crested that defaults to jump on legs we are now working to put that to dance - don't touch me but dance - away from me, reward. It's working great for him and when he does touch me, no nothing, no off no eye contact no nothing. If he comes up and sits politely - jackpot. 

Just some ideas....


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## Lilith

I've had this problem with jumping, too. Exacerbated by 3 security guards and 2 loving neighbors who didn't mind my (then) tiny poodle jumping up on them. It wasn't until Lilith was about 25lbs or so before they finally started paying attention to me when I chastised them for encouraging a behavior that would _not_ be appreciated when she's full grown.

Because I'm dealing with no less than 8 people other than myself and not in my household who spend significant time with my dog when I'm at work - some of whom speak only Portuguese and some of whom speak only English - it was impossible to enforce any sort of consistent verbal command or even a consistent "turn away and ignore her" routine (partly because 2-3 of those folks are still a bit afraid of her and can't help but react in a way _other_ than turning their back to her when she's playful and jumping). Instead, I managed to get the message across simply that "jumping is BAD".

So each person has their own way of telling Lilith that she is _not_ allowed to put her paws on them. I ignore her and turn away, the guards chastise "Nao, Nao!", the dog-walker instructs "SIT!", and the house-keepers and others do who-knows-what.

I came home last night after 10 days away, and Lilith jumped straight up into the air like a frog about 15 times - but never put her paws on me. She jumped up and put her paws on a wall, she jumped straight up in the air, she ran all around the driver who took me home - but never jumped on anyone. Oh, did she want to! 

What I think I'm seeing is the effect of about 2 months worth of getting consistent negative feedback from all the humans in her life when she jumps up. Definitely not the most efficient or recommended way of training, but in the end I guess we each need to find whatever way we can to get the message across! Good luck!


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## JE-UK

I SOOO know what that looks like ... we call it Pogo Poodle.

Vasco is a jumper; I think all small dogs must be to some extent, as they are just so far away! 

When he was a puppy, the first thing we taught was Sit, and I made him sit for EVERYTHING. Now it's his default, which is great. Felt like we were doing 100 sits a day when he was young. 

I also put a command on "jump up but don't touch me" (I call it "bounce"), to give him a legal outlet when he is just too excited to keep four feet on the floor. When I come home, I'll tell him "bounce, bounce, bounce" and treat when he doesn't touch my legs.


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## georgiapeach

I'm glad to see that Fonzie's not the only stubborn poodle in the world! He will actually fake sitting! He'll hover with his rear near, but not on the ground, which is still a work in progress. I also use NILF - he'd be even beastier than he already is if I didn't use it. He's also a jumper, but doesn't do it much with me, b/c he knows I won't tolerate it. Unfortunately, the other people he comes in contact with don't mind, so the bad habit continues, despite my protests. :frusty:


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## poodleholic

I had a jumper, too - called her land shark because she also liked to nip my butt! Not hard, but hey! What worked well with her was to lean toward and over her, using one hand held out like a stop sign. She would end up sitting, and then get the attention she was seeking.


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## sandooch

Great tips here! I need to start working with Gigi on this. I also found this gread video on youtube and think I might try this. 




Only problem is that Gigi is so tiny that when I reach down to grap her paws, she already has them on the ground. So this will probably work better on medium to large dogs.


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## JE-UK

Ick. There are better ways! There is a very good dog trainer who posts a ton of fantastic positive training vids on Youtube, posted under Kikopup.

It's possible to train without ever hurting your dog.

Try this: 



.


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## Feathersprings

Great video!


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## sandooch

JE-UK said:


> Ick. There are better ways! There is a very good dog trainer who posts a ton of fantastic positive training vids on Youtube, posted under Kikopup.
> 
> It's possible to train without ever hurting your dog.
> 
> Try this: YouTube - How to stop Jumping up!- clicker dog training.


JE-US, please watch the whole video to the end. He explains that he is not hurting nor squeezing the dog's paws (it just looks that way). He is only holding them, which he explains the dog does not like to have done. I would never post or suggest a video where someone uses pain to teach a dog.

I have watched several of the Kikopup videos as well. Those are also very informative.


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## JE-UK

sandooch said:


> JE-US, please watch the whole video to the end. He explains that he is not hurting nor squeezing the dog's paws (it just looks that way). He is only holding them, which he explains the dog does not like to have done. I would never post or suggest a video where someone uses pain to teach a dog.


Yes, I did watch it to the end. But SAYING you are not hurting the dog is different from not ACTUALLY hurting the dog. You can hear the dog whining, and it is clearly aversive enough that the dog stops jumping up, making the connection jump-up = pain (even if not a great deal).

You can ALSO see that the dog is made confused and wary by this approach. He's not looking to the trainer with that gleeful "what now?!?!" that I love to see in my dog. The difference in demeanour between dogs trained with aversive methods (pain, shouting, collar jerks) and dogs trained with positive methods is amazing. When I ask my dog "want to work?", he leaps around in a frenzy of joy. Can't see that poor Mal having the same response to his trainer.


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## Johanna

Zoe jumps on/off everything and has been doing it for quite a while. I was not concerned about jumping off sofas, chairs, or beds, but recently she jumped off the grooming table. I made as big a deal of it as I could, but this is a really serious thing for a future show dog.

Now I use the grooming loop to ensure that she stays put, but I won't be able to do that at a show.

Anyone have any good suggestions? I need to nip this in the bud immediately - she should always, always stay put on the table.


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## chinchillafuzzy

Johanna this would be a good thread in and of itself, as I have always wondered how show people train their dogs to never ever jump off of the table. I did recently watch a Kikopup video about teaching a dog not to bolt out the door, and in the last few minutes of the video she teaches her dog not to jump in and out of cars and I am thinking the same principle could be applied to the grooming table.


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## glorybeecosta

sandooch said:


> JE-US, please watch the whole video to the end. He explains that he is not hurting nor squeezing the dog's paws (it just looks that way). He is only holding them, which he explains the dog does not like to have done. I would never post or suggest a video where someone uses pain to teach a dog.
> 
> I have watched several of the Kikopup videos as well. Those are also very informative.


I tend to agree with the first video, with my dogs toy poodles, I am barefooted and when they jump I put my foot of their back feet and say no Jump. I do not really hurt them, but they do not want my foot on theirs, all 8 were trained that way. Within a week or 2 max they do not jump with just verble no jump , then after that they just do not jump. I am sure some will not like this but it has workd for me and others I have trained.


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## Dechi

I started reading that thread and thought “ there are a lot of new members posting tonight... “ Lol, this is from 2011 !

When I got her at 4 1/2 months, Beckie didn’t know how to go down stairs, so she decided to jump off the patio, skipping all 5-6 stairs and landing in the grass! I was amazed she didn’t break a leg, and horrified. This was higher than a grooming table, and she was about 9 inches high...

I have no idea how You train a rambunctious puppy out of it’s physical energy and bounciness. I hope you find a way. Let us know. I figure it goes away with maturity, though.

I taught beckie to use the stairs and she never did it again.


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## glorybeecosta

Dechi said:


> I started reading that thread and thought “ there are a lot of new members posting tonight... “ Lol, this is from 2011 !
> 
> When I got her at 4 1/2 months, Beckie didn’t know how to go down stairs, so she decided to jump off the patio, skipping all 5-6 stairs and landing in the grass! I was amazed she didn’t break a leg, and horrified. This was higher than a grooming table, and she was about 9 inches high...
> 
> I have no idea how You train a rambunctious puppy out of it’s physical energy and bounciness. I hope you find a way. Let us know. I figure it goes away with maturity, though.
> 
> I taught beckie to use the stairs and she never did it again.


I have taught all of mine to not jump on anything to the point they will not go up and down steps. I take all 3 to the vets on a leash, there are 5 steps into the vets office right on the main street. Here I am picking one up putting it on the landing and the next and the nest. Same when we leave. I want them to go up and down steps ut I guess if it works for higher jumping I should be happy.

When I get them I start with NO JUMP and put them down if they jumped on furniture, it did not take long.


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## Dechi

glorybeecosta said:


> I have taught all of mine to not jump on anything to the point they will not go up and down steps. I take all 3 to the vets on a leash, there are 5 steps into the vets office right on the main street. Here I am picking one up putting it on the landing and the next and the nest. Same when we leave. I want them to go up and down steps ut I guess if it works for higher jumping I should be happy.
> 
> When I get them I start with NO JUMP and put them down if they jumped on furniture, it did not take long.



Beckie is built on springs. She would make an incredible agility dog. She has incredible energy and when running, she jumps in the air like a kangaroo. I would break her spirit if I tried to stop her from jumping. She’s just one very athletic puppy !


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## Mufar42

Have you tried the Pet Convincer.com
I have heard some good results on some of the other boards I go too.


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## Skylar

Mufar42 said:


> Have you tried the Pet Convincer.com
> I have heard some good results on some of the other boards I go too.


Personally I wouldn’t want to scare my dog when there are more positive training methods.


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