Jumping When I Get Home

[Guest hshirlow]

Sunshine attacks me when I get home. She gets so excited that she jumps on me and runs around like a crazy girl. I've tried turning my back - then she just jumps on my back. Today I came in with a treat and told her to lay down, thinking that would work. She kicked me in the stomach and then laid down, only to immediately get up for her energy was just too high. If she doesn't jump on me, then she scratches my legs with her front paws.

 

Help! She only does this to me, not my husband. So, I need to be the one to rectify this situation. What should I do?

[JAJ2010]

Well... for my Sunshine I tried turning your back (got me a 12inch slice from her nails on my back), ignoring, squealing ow, etc. What I finally resorted to was to have a 'Come to Jesus Moment" Can't remember what I did exactly but I'm pretty sure I bellowed in a low growl and went after her. I kept at it until I was sure I had gotten a reaction from her. Once she was in another room almost groveling I just walked away like nothing happened and immediately started acting normal to my other grey. Didn't hurt her or even touch her, but it sure made an impression. Haven't had an issue since. She now does crazy greeting zoomies and jumps up in front of me but she keeps those paws/nails to herself. So she clearly hasn't been too traumatized.

 

It's just a dramatized technique of how Rainy gives her a correction.

 

 

 

*disclaimer* If you do this to the wrong dog you just might get bit...

Edited October 13, 2010 by JAJ2010

[Guest sheila]

I feel your pain. My first grey Kiowa would do this and a cpl of times he gave me a fat lip. The way I cured it was to take hold of his collar under his neck and pull down till he had his front legs on the ground and say loudly NO JUMP! with the voice of God. After that I would ignore him until he calmed down. I think I had to do this maybe twice and he never jumped on me again. In fact he developed the most hilarious little bounce instead. It looked like a 4 legged pogo jump with all 4 legs coming off the ground at once. Man I miss that dog.

[Guest Profgumby]

Most recently with Beauty, I simply grabbed her front paws, I didn't move or say anything, and did not let go till she yelped. Do not squeeze or yell or even make eye contact. Just hold their paws till you sense them trying to get them back. When you sense their discomfort and trying to get you to let go, let go.

 

(NOTE! Do not take this as Gospel and do not try this with a dog with aggression issues! I am no expert and no Dog Trainer. I am merely relating what has worked for me with my hounds.....)

 

With Beauty, I did not expect the yelp and it only took 2x and she is pretty much not putting her paws on anyone and still exuberant and happy to greet us with seemingly no fright issues..

 

I did this with our whippets too. It seems they do not like you grabbing their paws and not letting go. I have to add that only beauty has ever yelped. Every other dog just kind of tries to get their paws free and sits down when trying.

Edited October 14, 2010 by Profgumby

[Guest Mom2Shiloh]

My Shiloh used to get over excited... way over the top excited... when I came home. He was like a possessed-demon-dog. With him, I had to stuff something in his mouth-- anything: a stuffy, a shoe, a glove (he never chewed anything up) and once he clamped his jaws around it, he'd RUN and hop on my bed, lay down and be okay. That was just Shiloh.. mileage will vary by dog... good luck.

[tydyelady]

Opie is still like this and we have had him for 3 years!

BUT, we now redirect his enthusiasm - to get his stuffy. DH goes in first, Opie usually bolts into the garage (door is closed before we open door to house!) to make sure I am there too, while DH is yelling "Get the Puppet" (his word for stuffy) to Opie, who starts running around till he finds a suitable toy and jumps and flips it around. After a few minutes of this, he was sufficiently calmed down to come over to us for hugs and kisses.

We too tried the turning the back, ignoring, etc. and I just ended up with cuts and bruises. So redirecting his exhuberance to his toys works for us.

[kudzu]

What do you want her to do when you come in the door? Do not answer that question by saying what you don't want. Think about it for a bit. Picture what you see her doing that would best suit you.

 

For me, I love for my dogs to be happy & excited at my return. However, what I want them to do is stand back & give me just a minute to walk in, set my stuff down, then call them over for our greeting. For this, it is best to start by completely ignoring your dog as you come in & until you are ready to greet them. Sometimes that is all it takes. When one is jumping on me & I do turn my back to discourage them. If that is not sufficient to get the point across, though it almost always is even if you have to endure them jumping on your back for a while before they get the point, or if the jumping is sufficient that I cannot safely ignore it then another approach is needed. If they are proficient with sit or down I may ask for one of those. Usually I am not lucky enough to foster or adopt dogs who know those commands or at least not well enough to perform them when so excited. That's when I must do the disappearing act. I pick an imaginary line that is the "safe zone" around me, my own personal bubble of protection. If the dog crosses it as I am coming in the door then right back out I go. I do not come in nor do I stay inside if that bubble is breached. If they maintain control long enough for me to get in but lose it when I am closer to a different door then I just go through that one & close it. I only wait a few seconds before trying again.

 

Fosters here are usually in an xpen during the day. They quickly learn that if they are jumping excitedly the xpen does not open. They quickly cease jumping in that circumstance. When my staghound was an adolescent she relapsed into jumping for a short period. She knew sit so that is the approach I used. If she did not comply or if she popped back up I left quickly through the door I had just come in. Pretty soon I would open the door to find her sitting. In time I quit asking for the sit as I was coming in the door & it faded. However, when she really wants your attention now, now, now!!! & is really, really, really thinking of jumping, you can see her *almost* jump & then *plop* into a sit instead without me saying a word or doing anything.

 

You must be very consistent. If she has been doing this for a while then it may take a while to end it. However, if you really are consistent it will start to diminish quickly & later disappear completely.

[turbotaina]

Good advice from Kudzu. When my boy used to do that, I would turn around and go right back outside. It took him about a week, but now he doesn't do it. In fact, when he's super excited, he'll get into sphinx position because he doesn't know what else to do with himself

[EllenEveBaz]

I've always liked the if-you-don't-like-what-they're-doing-give-them-something-else-to-do approach suggested in the above two posts. I'll also pass along a tip from the trainer in our current obedience class. She says to pre-arrange a jumping session by coming in at a door that has secure space on both sides. Not a door open to the outside, but one coming in from a garage or secure porch, for example. When the dog starts jumping on you, say your one "NO!" and instantly take them by the collar and put them on the other side of the door. After a few seconds of quiet, let them back with you. If they start jumping again, repeat.

 

She says what most dogs want from jumping is attention, and putting a door in between you takes the withdrawal of attention one step further than turning your back. She says it has never taken her more than a 5 times to get a dog trained this way. Although you may have to train the dog that it's not just that one space, but ALL spaces and with ALL people. A leash and a little provocation to jump will help with the different spaces training.

[Guest Swifthounds]

When my boy used to do that, I would turn around and go right back outside. It took him about a week, but now he doesn't do it. In fact, when he's super excited, he'll get into sphinx position because he doesn't know what else to do with himself

 

This is the best (and nonviolent) way to get your point across. It's essentially a more extreme version of turning your back (and safer for you). The hound is excited you have returned, but is displaying it in an inappropriate and dangerous way. You will need to enter and leave repeatedly until she makes the mental connection that if she acts like a lunatic, she loses what she's so excited to have - you. You reenter the door only after she has settled down, and leave immediately upon her displaying unwanted behavior.