Strategies for Deterring Canine Leaps
In the world of dog training, consistency and positive reinforcement are key to teaching your furry friend to stop jumping up. Lara Sorisi, a science-based and accredited dog trainer by the APDT and UK Sniffer Dogs, with a bronze-level qualification, champions this approach.
Dogs often jump up to seek attention, be it eye contact, verbal contact, or physical contact. To curb this behaviour, it's essential to use positive reinforcement. This means rewarding calm, alternative behaviours like sitting or keeping all four paws on the floor immediately when they greet people. Rewards can take the form of treats, praise, or affection, reinforcing that being calm leads to positive outcomes.
Lara suggests teaching cues such as “sit” or “four on the floor” and rewarding the dog for maintaining these behaviours, particularly during exciting moments like when guests enter or when you arrive home.
Consistency across all family members and visitors is crucial. Everyone should respond the same way to jumping—ignoring the dog until it settles and rewarding the calm behaviour. Managing the environment using tools like baby gates or leashes can help prevent rehearsing the jumping behaviour while training takes place.
Positive reinforcement builds trust and a positive learning environment for the dog, increasing its motivation to cooperate and learn. Punishing jumping can backfire by causing fear or stress, making correction more difficult. Therefore, positive, reward-based training is recommended for long-term success.
A redirection technique can also help anticipate what the dog will do and give it an appropriate alternative. For instance, every time guests come in and out of the house, they should grab a treat, put the dog on its bed, give it the food, and walk in to redirect its behaviour. Leaving a pot of treats near the front door can help train a dog to go to its bed when someone comes through the door.
Remember, ignoring the behaviour when it happens can help to stop it, and rewarding the dog when it has all four paws on the floor can encourage the desired behaviour. Aversive training can have negative effects on a dog in the long run, even if it seems fine at the time.
Lara Sorisi, with six years of experience in dog training and three years of formal competition in gundog trials, emphasises the importance of patience, repeated practice, and clear communication to replace well-established behaviours like jumping. With consistency in methods and training techniques, you can foster a calmer, more polite companion.
- To stop your dog from jumping up, Lara Sorisi recommends using positive reinforcement, such as rewarding calm behaviors like sitting or keeping all four paws on the floor.
- In her training approach, Lara teaches cues like "sit" or "four on the floor" and rewards the dog for maintaining these behaviors, especially in exciting moments.
- Consistency in handling the jumping behavior is crucial, with everyone ignoring the dog until it settles and rewarding calm behavior.
- Managing the environment with tools like baby gates or leashes can help prevent rehearsing the jumping behavior during training.
- Positive reinforcement training can build trust, create a positive learning environment, and increase a dog's motivation to cooperate and learn.
- By using redirection techniques, like giving a treat and putting the dog on its bed when guests enter, you can help train your dog to go to its bed instead of jumping.
