Canine Behaviour Foundation Course

Module2 - Section  - 5 - Jumping Up
1. Why does the behaviour happen?
2. Additional problems that can occur
3. Modifications
We have seen in the puppy section how easy it is to prevent this behaviour happening; now we are going to look at this behaviour in an adolescent or adult dog where the behaviour has become a problem.

1. Why does the behaviour happen?

  1. The owner allowed the behaviour when a puppy.
  2. Behaviour has been reinforced. The more the owner shouts and screams at the dog, the more the behaviour is reinforced.
  3. Owner has used an intermittent system to try and stop the behaviour – sometimes the dog is shouted at (perhaps when wearing smart clothes), and other times the behaviour is allowed or even encouraged. Remember that intermittent rewarding is one way for the behaviour to become reinforced and more likely to occur.
  4. Lack of respect and social structure with the dog not regarding the owner as higher in the combined social structure.
  5. Over excitement, or the dog has gone into F-Fooling around behaviour and just can’t cope in the event of visitors arriving at the home.
  6. Dogs in a pack will lick at their mom’s faces to try and get food, and often a dog returning to the pack after being out hunting, will respectively lick the face of a higher ranking dog and will stand up slightly on its hind legs when doing this – this looks like the dog jumping up.
  7. Attention seeking behaviour.
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2. Additional problems that can occur 
  1. The dog may have been kneed in the chest by owner (as mentioned before one of the old fashioned methods to stop this behaviour), and the dog has now learnt that instead of jumping up on the front of the person, it can jump up on their back or side and can’t be kneed.
  2. Although ignoring is often used to stop this behaviour, with a ‘professional jumper’ this alone won’t stop the behaviour and  if the dog is ignored, it can start to perform additional behaviours to get the owners attention e.g. jumping and barking, barking and spinning around.
  3. The dog learns that jumping up is not working anymore and some dogs will try a new behaviour of running up and launching into the person. This is dangerous and children and elderly people can be easily knocked over.
  4. Remember it is impossible to teach a dog to do nothing – a totally different alternative behaviour must be used instead.
3. Modifications

  1. Examine if all the dogs needs are being met i.e. mental and physical stimulation etc.
  2. Find out why this behaviour is occurring and address same. i.e. lack of structure in the combined social structure, lack of basic needs, demanding attention, owner reinforcing and so forth. 
  3. If the dog is already running and lunging onto people, the first step is person puts their hands fully outstretched in front of them and yells ‘stop’ as the dog approaches. What happens here sometimes, is that as the dog runs towards person and see’s the outstretched hands it will change direction slightly – person just moves in same direction as the dog. The second dog stops (and on average it will), it is asked to sit and then rewarded. Use a hand signal here for extra effect – hand held up like a policeman in the Stop position. This method would only be used for a dog that is running and then jumping onto people. If the dog is going too fast and a Sit is not going to happen, then chunk this down a bit and praise and offer a treat where the dog stops – it is not jumping up, so we can reward this behaviour.
  4. If the dog has got to the stage whereby it will jump up onto the back of the person, especially is large breed, what will often start happening here is that the dog will start to tear at clothes as well. Put on Citronella oil to try and prevent this happening. If the dog does lower itself to the floor, remember to reward the behaviour and perhaps use a cue such as ‘good off’ or similar.
  5. Bring in House Rules, Ignoring dog when arriving home, attention on your terms or not at all, NRM and of course below is the most important modification, specific to the behaviour to assist in changing same :-
  6. Work to earn, work to earn, work to earn! All food is now given by hand for at least a week. As with pups exercise – dog is called, asked to sit, using both the verbal cue and the hand signal for sit. This is done over and over in all different situations and locations, initially only by owner. Remember, we cannot just tell a dog to do nothing, an alternative behaviour must be taught – this is why the ignoring with a dog that is really jumping just does not work.
It is a good idea to practice these exercises in the area where visitors are normally met and consider having the dog on lead when visitors arrive, at least initially - prevention is always better than cure.

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children should be taught how to get the dog to sit - always under adult supervision
Once the dog is performing well, then one by one, other family members are taught, including the home helper, and the last people to be taught are the children in the family, always under the supervision of the parent.
  1. The dog would have to sit for each and every resource that is available to it, not just food. Sit for attention, sit to have ball thrown, sit to have lead put on etc.
  2. I would also bring in the Food Bowl Exercise, building in the Wait cue at the same time, and gradually building in to waiting at doors, waiting before getting out the car, in the car etc. Remember that each new location the owner starts the behaviour of the wait from a few seconds at a time and then builds up time period and distance accordingly.
This can lead to a Sit / Wait being brought into place to further reinforce the behaviour of not jumping up.
  1. The balance of House Rules i.e. ignoring, no demanding behaviour also to be brought in.
  2. Don’t forget to Fade the reward when dog is reliably sitting all the time.
 
 
Owner must always Reward for all 4 feet on the floor – just a verbal cue.