I can't stop my dog from jumping

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flyerfan8
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Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2015 2:45 pm

I can't stop my dog from jumping

Post by flyerfan8 »

I can't stop my 2 year old Portuguese water dog from jumping on people. I have watched the videos but I can't find anyone to help me as everyone has decided they dont want to deal with her anymore. She is a sweet dog and isn't trying to hurt anyone but it is out of control. If I can't correct this behavior I will have to rehome her. Please help
JudyN
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Re: I can't stop my dog from jumping

Post by JudyN »

Could you give a complete run-down of your dog's day, please? When fed, walks, play, exercise, training, time left on her own, and so on?

What are her energy levels like generally? Is she generally a little hyper, or is this simply her way of greeting people? Does she mouthe as well as jump up?

Does she have any good behaviours on cue such as 'sit'?

If it came to it, it would be far better for her to keep her on lead when there are other people around rather than rehome her. And if she is on lead, I'd have thought people would be happy to help with this behaviour. She will probably need to be on lead while you're working on this anyway.

Is there anywhere where you can walk her away from other people, maybe by taking her out at unsociable times of the day?

I'm not an expert, but the more info you can provide, the more the experts will be able to help.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
3spoiledpets
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Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2017 4:34 pm

Re: I can't stop my dog from jumping

Post by 3spoiledpets »

My first piece of advice is always to make sure the dog is well-exercised- a lot of dogs have excess energy which makes problem behaviors even more of a problem!

Second, for issues with jumping, I recommend to keep a leash on on at all times to better be able to correct her, and to do it more quickly. Because what happens is even if the dog is corrected eventually, if they are allowed to successfully jump up then the behavior is reinforced and is more likely to happen again!

What we first teach people in training classes to do when dogs jump up is to completely ignore the dog: around and don't say anything, and wait until they stop. When they stop and have ALL 4 feet on the floor, that's when they get attention and/or treats! You can also have people, once she is calm, give her an incompatible behavior to do, such as "sit".

You can also give treats and reward her any time that all 4 feet are on the floor; using a clicker with this can also help you be very exact, and will help her to distinguish what exactly is getting her the treat. Above all, stick to the rule of thumb that she gets no attention when jumping up: and remember that negative attention is still attention, so telling her to get down can further reinforce the behavior!

Good luck!
JudyN
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Re: I can't stop my dog from jumping

Post by JudyN »

3spoiledpets wrote: Fri Nov 10, 2017 6:40 pmSecond, for issues with jumping, I recommend to keep a leash on on at all times to better be able to correct her, and to do it more quickly. Because what happens is even if the dog is corrected eventually, if they are allowed to successfully jump up then the behavior is reinforced and is more likely to happen again!
I'm not sure what you mean by 'correction', but should mention that if it is any way aversive (e.g. a 'leash pop') it's not something we would recommend on this forum. And it can only happen after the event, so as you point out, the behaviour has already been reinforced. Having said that, I did use the lead to prevent the behaviour when I could.

Ignoring jumping, and rewarding four feet on the ground is what worked for me once I started being really consistent about it. I'd also just add that although in general a well-exercised dog is a calm dog, dogs can get a little fired up towards the end of a longer walk (like an overtired toddler) so shorter walks but more of them can work better than just one or two longer ones.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
3spoiledpets
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Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2017 4:34 pm

Re: I can't stop my dog from jumping

Post by 3spoiledpets »

JudyN wrote: Sat Nov 11, 2017 3:00 am
3spoiledpets wrote: Fri Nov 10, 2017 6:40 pmSecond, for issues with jumping, I recommend to keep a leash on on at all times to better be able to correct her, and to do it more quickly. Because what happens is even if the dog is corrected eventually, if they are allowed to successfully jump up then the behavior is reinforced and is more likely to happen again!
I'm not sure what you mean by 'correction', but should mention that if it is any way aversive (e.g. a 'leash pop') it's not something we would recommend on this forum. And it can only happen after the event, so as you point out, the behaviour has already been reinforced. Having said that, I did use the lead to prevent the behaviour when I could.

Ignoring jumping, and rewarding four feet on the ground is what worked for me once I started being really consistent about it. I'd also just add that although in general a well-exercised dog is a calm dog, dogs can get a little fired up towards the end of a longer walk (like an overtired toddler) so shorter walks but more of them can work better than just one or two longer ones.
Of course, I didn't mean anything aversive- at the most, holding the leash to prevent the jumps like you said! There is also the fact that even the timing of turning away is important, because the dog might even perceive you saying "off" as attention. So if possible, anticipating the jump helps. However, it is much easier said than done. :lol:
jacksdad
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Re: I can't stop my dog from jumping

Post by jacksdad »

As a rule it is more productive set things up so that the dog learns what it is you want rather than putting time into trying to teach the dog don't do X.

The technical terms for this is Differential Reinforcement for Alternate behavior (DRA).

The unwanted behavior is reinforced in many different ways depending on the dog. the attention from jumping which can include the theoretical correction for the jump. Even turning our back on the dog in an attempt to "withdraw attention" can still end up creating some reinforcement. it can also in some dogs trigger an even more intense attempt to greet, thus more jumping.

If jumping is the unwanted behavior, put the focus on what is wanted.

Capturing. when the dog is not jumping and has paws on the ground, capture that by treat, treat, treat, treat as long as the paws are on the ground. paws come off the ground...treats stop. this is actually more of DRO...Differential Reinforcement of Other behavior.

Train how to greet, this is where the DRA comes in. What we are finding good success with in class is teaching the dog to approach the person with their handler, at a few feet away, stop, sit, check in with their handler by looking, then handler sends them in for the hello. The person getting greeted is instructed to turn sideways to the dog, dog is able to move in more naturally to say hi. in a training context, the person being greeted can provide some food low to reinforce the paws on the ground. in the real world the handler can move so that they are able to give their dog some treats for keeping the paws on the ground.

keep the greeting short...1, 2, 3, start moving out of the greeting for distance. you can always go back in, but the break can take the excitement down a notch and aid in learning that paws on the ground make treats and greetings happen.

I have stopped teaching incompatible behavior for greeting. sit to greet is a classic example. can't jump and sit at the same time right? technically true, but this really requires more patience and skill on the part of the dog and handler than is often realistic. besides a dog that is happy to see people is going to do much better being able to move than not. nothing wrong with moving, just don't jump ;)
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