Tips On Not Jumping?

[arandomchic]

We've begun working with Molly on some basics in training. And she catches on pretty quick, especially when food is involved and when she feels like it. But one area we're having trouble is teaching her to keep all four paws on the ground when we're out walking and meeting people. Certain people seem to just excite her so much she becomes a 67 pound bouncy, bucking bronco of a greyhound (with other people, she's totally mellow and the perfect greeter). She does 180s in the air. She tries to jump up on them. She tries to body slams them. It's really sporadic, but she usually more spazzy with women than men.

 

• We've tried asking the people to cross their arms, turn around and ignore her until she stops --- it works well indoors, but not outdoors. She just tries EXTRA hard to get their attention outdoors.
• We've tried turning around, and going the other way when she gets rambunctious until she calms down, then approaching again...so she learns she only gets to meet people when she's calm. That works sporadically.
• My husband puts his hand on her back, lightly presses down, and tells her no jumping, but it's pretty much completely ineffective as far as I can tell.

We wondered if maybe switching her to a no-pull harness might help in this situation --- but weren't sure. Any tips or suggestions on how to get her to keep all her paws on the ground when meeting people outside?

[TheFullHouse]

Try and teach her the "down" command. It worked wonders for Arrow. It took a while but it worked. He's 90lbs. and extremely tall and him jumping on people was dangerous so when he would get excited and go to jump, I would pull down on his collar gently and say "down", when all 4 feet were on the ground, I treated him and told him what a good boy he was. You can do this with a leash attached so you have something to pull on and you can use whatever phrase you like, just make sure you use the same one for this particular situation always and not for anything else. Now if I see he's about to "launch" I just have to say "down" and he will stay on the ground.

[JohnF]

Try making yourself smaller by crouching down and looking away when she does the crazy behaviour. That was the only way I could get my last one, Angel, from doing totally mental (and potentially dangerous) zoomies around people. The dog will be showing off to you and by you becoming smaller it's clearly not working too well; I guess if we had movable ears we could flatten them and also tuck our tails in.

[Guest sheila]

they do make harnesses that are specifically designed to deter jumping

 

http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Pet-Products-Jump-Harness/dp/B00061MO5W

[arandomchic]

Thanks for the tips so far!

 

 

 

they do make harnesses that are specifically designed to deter jumping

 

http://www.amazon.co...s/dp/B00061MO5W

 

Sheila, have you personally or known anyone who tried that harness? It gets horrible reviews, so I was just curious. I guess I'd be more likely to try the no pull harness first because it comes so highly recommended.

[Guest sheila]

Thanks for the tips so far!

 

 

 

they do make harnesses that are specifically designed to deter jumping

 

http://www.amazon.co...s/dp/B00061MO5W

 

Sheila, have you personally or known anyone who tried that harness? It gets horrible reviews, so I was just curious. I guess I'd be more likely to try the no pull harness first because it comes so highly recommended.

 

no sorry I don't. My dogs have all been calm and easy going about meeting ppl in public. The few that were jumpers only jumped on me and I cured that by grabbing them by the underside of their collar and pulling them down while simultaneously saying NO JUMPING and this has always worked. The only other thing I could suggest is to hitch up on the lead or even taking the dog by the collar when you see ppl approaching and using a calming voice command when you do it.

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

I think you already have the answer, you just dont realize it.

 

You said "We've tried turning around, and going the other way when she gets rambunctious until she calms down, then approaching again...so she learns she only gets to meet people when she's calm. That works sporadically."

 

If it worked once, it will work again. You just have to have patience and persistence with her. It is not something that will work in 1, 2, or even 3 times, but with enough consistent training, it will work. My female Olive is a jumper when we go for a walk or car rides. It took nearly 2 months of daily sit/stay commands to get her to reliably stay calm during her "triggers".

 

Chad

[arandomchic]

Thanks Chad. We worked on it pretty consistently the last couple of months...it's almost like the excitement over certain people is too much for her. Other people she can be corrected once and do fine. Which is why we were looking for other tips.

 

One of the things Molly does best is the "wait" command. She waits patiently at doorways, at curbs, and pretty much anytime we tell her to wait. Your mention of sit/stay makes me think maybe we could incorporate "wait" into the mix (we haven't gotten Molly to sit yet, in fact she's only sat twice on her own in the 6 months we've had her). Instead of us approaching people, I might try having her "wait" and let people approach us...and then if she gets hyperactive, walk away and try again.

[sobesmom]

You definately need to work on teaching her not to jump on people - you'll get good advice for that here.

 

In the meantime, while you're working on fixing the issue - I'll give you a tip to save yourself from embarassment when meeting people on walks. Use a 6ft leash. Cinch it up to nothing if needed when just passing by someone. But - if you stop to visit with someone, drop th length of the leash on the ground (keeping the end of it of course) and step on the slack that's on the ground. If she tries to jump, she can't.

[EllenEveBaz]

Excerpt from Kathleen Gilley's "No Fear No Pain Methods of Discipline" article:

 

Here are some methods for handling the common problems of jumping up, nipping, counter surfing, moving over when asked, getting on furniture you don't want him to, begging at the table, barking, roughhousing, harassing the cat, or eating your rhododendron. There are two important things you must remember when teaching a Greyhound to--or not to do something: You must respect his intelligence enough to believe he can learn, or cease and desist, and more importantly, you or his owner, must be smarter than he is.

 

There are things these methods have in common:

 

1. They are inexpensive. Have plenty of them around, located in strategic places.

 

2. They should solve the problem after no more than six applications. If they don't, someone is using it incorrectly or it is not the appropriate tool for this Greyhound.

 

3. There are several that are silent. You should be too. That means, don't say a word, just DO IT!

 

THE SQUIRT BOTTLE

 

The squirt bottle is usually just a good old plant-misting, trigger-operated, inexpensive plastic bottle. Purchase several at any garden section in a discount store. Have them abundantly sprinkled about your abode. They must only contain pure, fresh, potable water. Adjust it for a nice piercing stream. The strength of this tool is that it is perfectly silent and can be used around sleeping babies, husbands who work shifts, and while you are on the phone. It is your duty to find the anatomical location he despises being squirted the most. May I suggest the back of the neck, between the toes and in the tail? Usually it takes three squirts the first time; after that, either one squirt, or a threat to do so.

 

The one in your car insures that your Long Tail will stay out of your lap while you are driving. If you put him in the back seat, he will stay there if you learn to use the rear view mirror to point and shoot by. He will learn not to stick his head out the window, not to bark at other dogs on the street, not to lick or put his feet on the windows and to stop "nesting" before you need a new upholstery job.

 

In your kitchen, he will learn not to put his nose where it does not belong and not to wipe it off on the woodwork if he does get to the frosting bowl. By the door, he will learn not to jump on you when you enter and he will learn to keep his feet on the ground should anyone else come in. (Ditto for all doors a guest may use for access.)

 

In the dining room, this is the quiet, no nonsense way to insist that he keep his nose out of everyone's plate. Unless someone laughs, you won't even disturb the dinner conversation. ...

 

If you are out of doors, you have two additional alternatives for the Greyhound Gardener. One is a bigger, squeeze-type bottle with a longer range and more volume. One man who reported his dog immune to the squirt bottle found a plastic ketchup squeezer a highly suitable substitute. When he chose to give a lesson on how paws prints do not belong on white fences, it only took three times.

 

The best story came from a lady who borrowed her son's super-soaker to keep by the kitchen window overlooking the back yard. Guess who only got caught digging holes once?

 

SHAKE CAN/POPCORN SHAKER

 

To make an average shake can, dig a soda or beer container out of the garbage without the neighbors seeing you. Put a couple of rocks in it and tape it shut. To make a super shaker, find an old-fashioned tin can, like soups and fruit juices come in. Wait until your husband or son is working on his (not your) car, snowmobile, motorbike or lawn mower. Quietly help yourself to five or so nuts, bolts or washers. If you get caught, use ten pennies. The can is to be shaken at or behind a miscreant three times in rapid succession. The best timing is two seconds before he mugs your mother-in-law.

 

If he intends to give you a big wet or muddy hug, start shaking your weapon when he is no closer than six feet and do not stop until he does. If he decides the next person in sight will become the object of his affection, shake the can behind him before he gets his front feet air born. He will turn and look at you and you will praise him. Should he decide to continue where he left off, repeat your performance. He will get the picture in a maximum of three times or you will need to change your choice of tools.

 

One whack of the can on the top of his crate usually insures instant silence. Two whacks on the cutting board mean your Greyhound won't need rhinoplasty. Three shakes at he who thinks you are the one who should sleep or sit on the floor will end the discussion immediately and without a growl or hiss. The shake can is truly the method of choice in a situation where there is any chance of an aggressive reaction.

 

The drawback of the shake can is that it may be too loud for a sound-sensitive dog. Fear not. A softer sound can be arranged. Instead of a can, dig through the garbage (again) for that small, plastic container that held margarine, cream cheese or chip dip. Please wash it before proceeding. Add one hand full of unpopped popcorn kernels and some tape to keep the lid in place.

 

Shake cans should be liberally placed around the house to defend guests, peanut butter sandwiches, potted plants, or your laundry from being sorted in an unauthorized manner.

 

Again, this is an excellent choice for teaching car manners. He will stay out of your lap, in the back seat, or off the dashboard. Don't be yelling; there is enough noise already. He may also cease yelping, whining and pacing in the car.

 

Both the shake can and the squirt bottle (i.e., a clean sun tan lotion container of water) can be tucked in your hip pack and used as a defensive weapon to protect your prized possession from the neighborhood bully.

 

THE JUICE BOTTLE

 

The best juice bottle is made from one of those little demo bottles, with a flip top lid. They are used to hold samples of cream rinse, hand lotion or other gunk, and sold in grocery stores. Wash thoroughly before proceeding.

 

You may only use harmless, edible liquids. You may not use anything that would cause pain, i.e., hot sauce. You may use things that do not taste good without sugar. Unsweetened citrus fruit juice of any kind might do the job. (Just the thought of unsweetened grapefruit juice makes puckering sensations.) Any you-mix-em powdered drinks will do; however, Kool-Aid will make his mouth a funny color. Gatorade is already mixed and truly revolting.

 

Then there are things that don't taste good even though they make the food they are packed in flavorful. Sauerkraut juice or dill pickle juice fall into this category. Vinegar ... has more uses than just a health remedy. Coffee or tea is not recommended unless it is decaf.

 

Do not underestimate the power of booze: rum, vermouth, gin, vodka, or any after dinner liqueur. It is not recommended to use red wine, crème de menthe or sloe gin with a white dog. Red wine might encourage rumors of his just having consumed your mailperson; crème de menthe may have the health department thinking he has contracted some ghastly jungle fever. It is probably wise to forget beer; I have never met a Greyhound who didn't lust after that refreshment.

 

Although no more than a quarter of a teaspoon will go in his mouth, if you have ethical or religious objections to booze, you may brew your own concoction from your spice rack. Take a small amount of water and add a teaspoon of one of the following extracts: Vanilla, almond, maple or anise. Taste it. If it tastes bad, then it is good. Fill your bottle.

 

The drawback of "juicing" is that you must be close enough, when the crime is being committed, to stick the bottle beside his lips and pointed toward the front of his mouth. The advantage is that one little squeeze will bring instantaneous, near-miraculous results. If your mixture is the correct one, you will only have to actually use the juice bottle about four times. After that, faking it, threatening to use it, or just showing him the bottle will be just as effective.

 

Carried on the street, this is one of the finest methods to control dog aggression or unseemly interest in you neighbor's cat. (Of course he is on a leash, silly. Just pull him to you and administer the appropriate dosage.) It is great for whining, barking, stool eating, nipping, or refusing to let go of the dishtowel.

 

Warnings: If you juice him and he licks the droplets off his toes, you do not have the correct formula. A juice bottle can fit unobtrusively in your shirt pocket or handbag, when you go to the vet. Never carry it in your back pocket!

 

NECK SCRUFF WITH MEAN TALKING

 

The neck scruff is what mama dog did to baby dog when he got too rough with his brothers and sisters or wouldn?t lighten up on her when she asked nicely. All dogs seem to understand this as a disciplinary method instinctively.

 

The scruff is the loose skin on the back of the neck, located between the withers and the ears. One grasps the skin, not the dog, with two fingers and a thumb (more if the breed is other than a Greyhound), and shakes the skin, not the dog, four times. Since the head does not move, there is no chance of "shaken baby" syndrome. You are not allowed to pinch and if you have those long fake fingernails, do not use this method at all, unless you promise to wear gloves.

 

The neck scruff is to be accompanied by evil-sounding threats, made firmly but not loudly. Eye contact is essential, as in "Listen up! This is your mother speaking!" Hissing and growling at the "scrufee" is permitted and highly recommended.

 

Your list of "or else" consequences must be dire, but not believable by noseybody bystanders. If, for example, you live in Florida, Louisiana or the Texas coast, you must not threaten to feed him to the ?gators. You may advise him in a most ominous tone that you know his name and you know where he lives. I have spoken with mine about being cinnamon sugared and served for breakfast, forced to sleep on their own bed, or horror or horrors, walked across a patch of wet grass.

 

This method of disciple is only to be used on those with whom you have in intimate relationship. (On the other hand, it is very useful in the turn out pen where everyone is muzzled.) A dog who does not agree with your idea of the chain of command will express this with his pearly whites. Overly sensitive dogs will throw themselves on the ground or simply open their mouths and emit a glass-splintering shriek.

 

Neck scruffing is good for playing too rough whether it is with another family member or one of your own prized appendages. It works for getting caught with one?s nose where it oughtn?t to be. I like it for anything that someone doesn?t take my word for the second time. Repetitive guest molestation, eyeing the cat box, uncalled for slurpy licking at 2:00 a.m. or drinking from an unauthorized container can all be handled with a civilized neck scruffing.

 

Neck scruffing should not be used on a squealer or anyone that runs from you. This is neither a pain nor a fright tool. It should be moderately humiliating, embarrassing and distressing to his dignity.

 

AROMA THERAPY

 

For aroma therapy, you will require a plastic bottle, ideally the size of the average antacid container. It needs to have a flip-top cap. Fill it a half to a third full with paper towels, cotton balls, toilet paper or nose blowers.

 

Add a small amount of noxious smelling liquid. None should leak out when your bottle is turned upside down. The fumes must be offensive to your dog, but not toxic. Some possibilities are perfumes, aftershaves, colognes, toilet water (not that kind), vinegar, greasy cold remedies you are suppose to rub on your chest, pepto bismol, calamine lotion, or those mouthwashes that give you medicine breath.

 

This method was originally designed for a lady in a wheel chair who was concerned about being greeted with excessive exuberation by her son's dogs. He would come home, let them in from the yard and they would go bananas, vying for her affection. Armed with her aroma therapy bottle, she could keep them at bay (like garlic to a vampire) until they settled down and could behave more civilly.

Edited September 2, 2010 by EllenEveBaz

[Guest aeroangie]

I saw a video from the amazing dog guy (goole it) where the man demonstrates "paw holding." My husband did this yesterday and Otis hasn't tried to jump up since. All you do is firmly hold their paws in your hands until they want them back. Most dogs don't like their paws being held. Of course, don't squeeze hard or anything. It really worked!

[Guest caelanarcher]

I saw a video from the amazing dog guy (goole it) where the man demonstrates "paw holding." My husband did this yesterday and Otis hasn't tried to jump up since. All you do is firmly hold their paws in your hands until they want them back. Most dogs don't like their paws being held. Of course, don't squeeze hard or anything. It really worked!

 

We did this with my Brittany spaniel when I was young, and he learned to jump up and tuck his front paws back so we couldn't grab them!

 

I've started using the squirt bottle on Aaron when he's being really rude about greeting people. I think the trick is not to let him know what you're doing. It's like "Oh boy! A person! I think I'm going to-- WHAT WAS THAT?!"

 

It's also an excellent way to get a major stink-eye.

[arandomchic]

We've been working with the pulling her down to the side and saying down when she jumps towards people. And also when walking when we see her getting really excited we make her wait until she's calm to meet them. Both together (with hot dog pieces as a reward) seem to be working.

 

I think the hardest part is getting my husband to do EXACTLY what I do. When I'm holding the leash she's much less likely to jump. When he's holding the leash, she tries it much more often.

 

She doesn't jump forward enough to grab paws. She's more like a bucking bronco --- back/forth/swivel. So the paw holding thing wouldn't be useful for us unfortunately.

[kudzu]

Excerpt from Kathleen Gilley's "No Fear No Pain Methods of Discipline" article:

 

Here are some methods for handling the common problems of jumping up, nipping, counter surfing, moving over when asked, getting on furniture you don't want him to, begging at the table, barking, roughhousing, harassing the cat, or eating your rhododendron. There are two important things you must remember when teaching a Greyhound to--or not to do something: You must respect his intelligence enough to believe he can learn, or cease and desist, and more importantly, you or his owner, must be smarter than he is.

 

Well, I agree with her "two important things" to remember but the title of the article seems in strong conflict with the methods she describes which involve using fear, startlement & other methods to emotional intimidate plus physically accosting your dog which has the very real possibility of hurting them even if only quite briefly. Though the methods may have no lasting physical harm they do not appear to show respect for his intelligence. In fact, I would this is quite the opposite of respect. These are dogs being dogs, doing dog things. We are asking them to live in our human society and follow our human rules. If you truly believe him able to learn it would make more sense to teach him the correct thing to do rather than using such force & intimidation.

 

Excerpt from Kathleen Gilley's "No Fear No Pain Methods of Discipline" article:

 

 

THE SQUIRT BOTTLE

...

SHAKE CAN/POPCORN SHAKER

...

THE JUICE BOTTLE

...

NECK SCRUFF WITH MEAN TALKING

...

I am appalled. I have no doubt that Ms. Gilley loves her dogs, believes she is doing the right thing for them and is able to teach them many different behaviors. Likely she feels that the price paid after roughing them up physically and psychologically is worth the end result of removing those behavior so she can then begin anew the process of trying to build back up again the type of relationship she really wants. My fervent hope is that this is a very old article and not the methods she still subscribes to.

 

Sadly, I must admit that there was a time when I would have read this article and nodded my head in agreement. I was certain you must always keep the upper hand to keep the dogs in line. After all it seemed to work for all my middle of the road dogs. Now it pains me to think of how I used to treat my dogs all in the name of training and discipline. Though meant to ultimately build a loving relationship, I look back now and wonder how in the world I thought those methods could have been construed as loving. Hindsight is 20/20.

 

So what changed? Well, I adopted one of *those* dogs and the tried and true methods only served to both frighten and pain her. Rather than improve, she got worse. That is when I started searching for a better way. Thankfully we found it. For my dogs and our relationship, I have happily found that training is so much easier, more reliable and more fun now that the confrontation, intimidation and strong arm tactics have been removed. Now if I mess up in training I haven't messed up my dogs emotional self or harmed our relationship.

 

There is not going back. We're having too much fun!

[kudzu]

Thanks Chad. We worked on it pretty consistently the last couple of months...it's almost like the excitement over certain people is too much for her. Other people she can be corrected once and do fine. Which is why we were looking for other tips.

 

One of the things Molly does best is the "wait" command. She waits patiently at doorways, at curbs, and pretty much anytime we tell her to wait. Your mention of sit/stay makes me think maybe we could incorporate "wait" into the mix (we haven't gotten Molly to sit yet, in fact she's only sat twice on her own in the 6 months we've had her).

Chad is right. You already had the answer or at least a good start on it. Even better, you took his idea and ran with it in exactly the right direction.

 

Instead of us approaching people, I might try having her "wait" and let people approach us...and then if she gets hyperactive, walk away and try again.

 

Now you're talkin'! Greyt idea!! Oh, please do try this. It really does work for the overwhelming majority of people. The best part is the dog learns that by choosing to remain calm and grounded, as in all for on the ground, she can actually get what she wants. You make doing the correct thing very, very rewarding. Be consistent, be patient & start in situations she is least likely to jump. As she succeeds there take it up a notch but not too much. Success builds success.

 

May I make a couple of other suggestions? I think I would try to limit saying "wait". It isn't that saying "wait' is wrong. Just depends on what your goal is. It is up to you, of course, but with my dogs in the long run I want them to choose to wait on their own rather than being cued to do so. Mind you, I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut but when I consistently remember not to cue and the dog succeeds and gets rewarded for doing the correct behavior without a verbal cue, the situation itself becomes the cue. So Molly sees a friend approaching and she really, really, really wants to greet her. If you remain silent and the friend only approaches when Molly maintains her decorum then the approach of a friend actually becomes the cue for Molly to remain on the ground & exercise some self control.

 

Also, you may make faster success if you could also set up some controlled situations where you would be able to stand in one place holding Molly's leash and have the people she wants to meet be the ones to turn & walk away rather than you having to walk away with Molly in tow. I have had very limited success lining up humans to help me with these things and almost never are they folks who can consistently, absolutely follow instructions to just immediately turn & walk away when I've got Miss Personality hamming it up, practically doing cartwheels while sending out her "Pet Me Pet Me Pet Me" vibes. On the rare occasions I had a cooperative assistant though, even for a few tries, we did make faster progress.

 

Somewhere on Youtube is a multi-video series where a dog learns not to jump simply by having people walk toward her while she has all feet on the ground, but they immediately turn and walk away when she starts to bounce. In the video I think they worked toward having her in a down for greetings. The criteria is your choice. In the videos they start with just one person walking calmly at a distance and then leaving if the dog jumped. With repeated attempts the person could get closer before the dog jumped. In follow up sessions they were able to slowly add more people and more excitement. The result of this approach is a dog who learns to control the humans' actions by controlling her own actions. It becomes something akin to a canine video game. She learns that by staying down she can make the humans approach but getting up makes them leave. The dog has control and has to choose what to do. There are no verbal cues, no corrections, just the lost opportunity to greet the humans. This is the type of set up that can rapidly teach a dog to choose to do the right thing. If I can find the links later I will post them.

[Guest LindsaySF]

I think the hardest part is getting my husband to do EXACTLY what I do. When I'm holding the leash she's much less likely to jump. When he's holding the leash, she tries it much more often.

Sounds like the hubby needs the training. That's often the hardest part about training a dog, getting all the people to do things consistently. Most dogs can tell if they can get away with something if a different person is holding the leash.

 

I also agree with Chad's and Kudzu's advice.

[EllenEveBaz]

arandomchic -- your idea of giving Molly a wait command in these situations reminds me of good advice I received when a new greyhound of mine went ballistic whenever he saw a non-greyhound male dog -- "If you don't like what your dog is doing, give him something else to do." We ended up practising sit-stays the instant I saw another dog on our walks, and it worked well.

 

kudzu, I find categorizing a quick scruff shake, a squirt of liquid, and a rattle of pennies in a soup can as "roughing them up physically and psychologically" or "confrontation, intimidation and strong arm tactics" as extreme exaggeration. I expect we have a basic difference of philosophy on dog/human interaction.