Jumping puppies

Discussion in 'Labrador Training' started by Julesuk, Jun 11, 2020.

  1. Julesuk

    Julesuk Registered Users

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    May 12, 2020
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    Hi
    Any nuggets of wisdom for jumping pups. She is better with us but will still jump up the kitchen sides. Jumping on guests and walks is the bigger problem. She is 15 weeks old now. She just gets so excited her hearing switches off! We then struggle to calm her.
     
  2. ELD

    ELD Registered Users

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    Apr 27, 2020
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    Hi,
    I completely feel your pain! Mine has just turned 1 and STILL jumps at strangers if I stop to talk to someone in the street. As soon as they give even a hint of interest in her she leaps up.
    I can however maybe offer some help with the kitchen sides and leaping up at home - when mine was the same age, she was horrendous jumping up at the kitchen counter when any food was around. Every time I got her bowl out she'd go nuts, so I'd just put the food and bowl down and walk away, out of the room. She'd race after me or stand whining in the kitchen, but after a week or so of persistence, she quickly learnt to sit with her bum planted on the ground if she wanted to be fed.
    She also used to jump up if she wanted to play and I was watching TV or working at my desk - again, I'd just get up and walk away, ignoring her. That soon kicked that annoying habit.
    She stopped jumping up at me pretty quickly.
    To stop her jumping spontaneously at people we passed in the street I used to treat her every time we approached someone. I used a clicker which worked really well - she came to associate walking passed others with looking to me for a treat.

    We were advised in those early days to scatter treats on the floor when a person approached to get the dog's attention on you and distract her from that impulse to jump. A trainer also suggested when she's eating the treats you hook a finger gently through her collar under her chin, towards the ground to encourage her to keep 4 paws on the floor. In my experience this failed miserably, but maybe worth a go!?

    I've been through a number of trainers and the stranger jumping goes on with an energetic 1 year old (harder to train with limited interaction during lockdown) but I keep her on the lead around people if she's getting overexcited and at a distance from making contact with people. Sometimes it's not always so easy if you've got a bag in your other hand and a very wilful dog!

    Hope some of the above is of use - I hope mine kicks the habit too!

    It does get better.
     
    DjSlimmyD likes this.
  3. DjSlimmyD

    DjSlimmyD Registered Users

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    A method i use when walking is putting my foot on the leash. That way when the pup tries to jump, they cant a it creates a negative enforcement. Whenever he stops tugging on the leash to jump, i click and then treat. Jumping is tedious and annoying to train against, but it is so worth it because i always feel bad! especially when the pup has a little bit sharper nails!
     
  4. Julesuk

    Julesuk Registered Users

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    Hi thanks for the reply
    How do you find her with visitors to your house or people she is used to?
     
  5. ELD

    ELD Registered Users

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    Ember is now pretty good with visitors and people she knows. It's been tricky to reinforce with lockdown and no visitors to the house of course, but we have managed to avoid jumping up at the odd delivery driver who has come up to the doorstep, which I'm taking as a victory!
    Generally when visitors arrive I keep Ember back in the living room and scatter some treats on the floor. She gobbles them up desperate to say hello but I don't allow her to pass until she has calmed down even slightly, and she can just about control the impulse to lunge at the guest. I've tried to get most guests to come down to her level as well to give her a stroke, and it does seem to help.
    We do the same thing when meeting friends for a (socially distanced) walk - when they are approaching I try to get her attention on me by scattering treats on the ground and clicking when she looks at me. Once that initial mania has calmed - it doesn't ever just go away as she loves people so much she's always so excited! - I let her get nearer, and again, try to get the person to come down to her level. I have to tell people they can't say hello until she's calmed down, and keep a bit of distance between us.
    I tried the whole getting everyone to turn around and ignore her but it didn't seem to be working.

    One trainer we worked with previously strongly encouraged clicking and treating Ember for looking at me and not the approaching person. She would get very excited to see the trainer when we started each session, so I would stand in between them, blocking her view, get Ember's focus on me with lots of click, treat, click, treat etc, and she would calm down. Probably lost interest to some degree!

    It's still a bit of a process for us, but I've noticed since starting to see family again over recent weeks she hasn't been charging at them and leaping up. I'm hopeful she's learning it's not the way to greet people, but I'm not so sure...
     

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