Hi, Just wondered if anyone does ‘paws on floor’ with a cue? Our pup is just starting to jump up. At the moment we are saying ‘off’ and ignoring / turning around and rewarding when he’s got all 4 paws on the floor (in situations where he might jump). I think I’d quite like to put a cue to it - so if I can see him thinking about jumping then I can say the cue (something like 'floor' perhaps) and hopefully it might stop him in his tracks and remind him that staying on the floor = treats. But looking through old posts it doesn’t seem as if it’s ever done that way so wonder if it’s just a nonsense thought and a cue isn't needed as in the end it just becomes expected behaviour ( I guess a bit like loose leash walking).
It's not something I would put on cue as it's a behaviour I expect, but using an incompatible behaviour is certainly a good idea in the early stages. Why not use "sit"?
So the scenario that has made me wonder about all this is jumping while walking around. So maybe on a walk he occasionally turns into a bit of a kangaroo or just mooching around the house or garden he sometimes starts get a bit jumpy if getting wound up. I just wondered if getting him to understand a specific cue meant stay on the floor - might be better than stopping and going into a sit. But probably not! He was very jumpy today at a visitor (very very high-pitched, excited voice though - so I can’t blame him on that one!!) but in that scenario then yeah, I think a sit probably would have been best as my ‘off / reward when off’ didn’t really do much!!
I think the thing to keep in mind is that when a dog is jumping up, it tends to be because they're over-excited. In that state, they're not going to be able to listen to any cues, so it's a bit fruitless to even try. By that time, you're really into the realms of management - if you can remove attention until the dog has calmed down, and then lavish them with praise (which, to be honest, is likely to get them jumping up again, so you have to rinse and repeat!) then that's really the best way to go in that scenario. Or simply preventing them jumping up by removing them from the situation, standing on the lead, whatever is most appropriate in the scenario you're in. But, if you know there is an oncoming exciting thing (generally a person), then putting him in a sit beforehand and giving the person instructions to stop approaching (or even take a step back) if his bum comes up, then that gives him some good feedback. He only gets attention when his bum is on the floor There's a good video somewhere on training not jumping up when your dog meets someone. I'll see if I can dig it out....
Thanks for that - she makes it look so so easy! As he's not yet very predictable when he will jump (when it's just us at home) - I'll practise leaping around trying to get him to jump up so we can work on it The video did highlight my big stumbling block - I need to pro-actively manage the situation better with other people. She says - "if not able to train, put him in pen / or on lead" - I've got to drum this into my head so I take control and B only gets to come out and greet once I know I can focus on him and not be trying to sort the kids and everyone else out at the same time. Control and (attempted) calm will be my new focus!! Thanks again
Paws on floor training is one of those situations where the services of a trainer can be well worth the money. Trainers will happily keep going in and out of doors, jumping around, doing a song and dance etc and work with the dog to keep paws on the floor. It is then easier for you to manage with visitors etc and keep practising. Paws on the floor is amongst my favourite behaviours to train
I can see how a trainer could be really handy here. I was lying in bed last night trying figure out a good approach and I thought how useful it would be to be able to hire dog savvy people to help with this sort of training and not ignore what you ask them to do! As I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a harder time training our visitors than pup! Maybe I need a pot of treats for people as well as for B
Well, you can certainly do the first stages without - as Emily does in the video, start jumping about and being an idiot, making squeaky noises etc. But, yes, once you've cracked that, it really does help to have someone you can rely on to do what is asked. I always struggle with that, too - I think most of us do
If my experience is anything to go by this is certainly the case! As snowbunny says I think most of us do struggle to find people who are willing to do as we ask. That's great video, some how I missed that when Cassie was small, she's 20 months now and I've been battling jumping up all this time!
100% true, and the problem isn't just visitors but a consistent approach by immediate family members. It can be overcome with training and by having little pots of treats available by entrance doors to reward - your choice whether they're dog or human treats for good behaviour
We know there's nothing wrong with luring to get the start of behaviours you're after. No reason why you can't do that with your humans, too. "Come round and have a glass of wine - but here's how you earn it"
My word is FEET. As in feet on the floor. Yes, I CAN yell it from a distance if I see him greeting someone and showing signs (sinking back and bunching of haunches) that he might jump up to kiss them. I also have a word to allow him to jump up, HUG. I can direct a hug to someone else too.
I'll have to figure out what the 'high value' reward might be for each visitor and get it ready for them Wine for sure for some of them! I've found a similar video on the Karen Pryor site - much the same approach and it does seem to work well. Lets see how we get on this week https://clickertraining.com/how-to-teach-your-puppy-not-to-jump
I put both hands up like a ‘stop’ sign when pup is jumping up at the back door or baby gate. She knows now this means the door or gate stays shut until she sits. She’s now really trying hard not to jump up and sits herself down after a couple of seconds of this sign. Sit also works well. I keep ‘off’ for when she’s reaching up to work surfaces in the kitchen
