Door Training And Jumping Up

[Guest xengab]

HI, I got my grey over 2 weeks ago. He is a lovely, sweet 81lb 3yo neutered male. Inside he is a gem, gives our cat space and is just a great dog.

My husband has never had a dog before and Ive never had a dog that bolts out doors (always on a leash). What methods can we use to help train him to stop, let us go out the door first, then when told come out or in? My dog is not food orientated, he will eat treats because it pleases us. He is very much into us patting him or telling him 'good boy'.

 

Also like most dog he gets excited when we come home, we do wait until he calms down before letting him out of his crate (still in the training to be left alone phase) but as soon as he is outside, he jumps like a dog on a pogo stick, putting his front paws on my chest for a second or two. It's all in play but I dont want him doing it. I've tried saying NO firmly, it worked for a short time and now he is back to jumping like a frog.

So some tips on how to stop him from doing this would be great.

 

 

Other then those two issues, he is the best. He used to pull when walking but now walks at a heel 90% of the time. He fears other non greyhound dogs and is quickly getting over that too, exposing him to new situations and allowing him to suceed is working well. Kids have patted him too, been to a coffee shop and just chilled out. Things are going so well.

 

Thanks.

[Guest Scouts_mom]

I totally understand why you don't like the pogo-stick jumping. An 81-pound boy can hurt you without meaning to. On one of my early walks with my first grey, Scout, we met a friendly woman and Scout jumped up and put her front feet on the lady's chest to say "hello". Unfortunately the lady was carrying a young baby in a harness on her chest! The baby wasn't hurt but the lady and I were horrified. Training to stop that kind of jumping became a priority. Now all my dogs are taught from day one that jumping on people is not allowed.

 

To train "no jumping", I wait until they jump on me, then say "no" sharply and freeze--not looking at the dog. I remain frozen until the dog calms down and stops jumping. Most of my dogs learn this quickly (Except my current dog, Bree, who often forgets and gets refresher lessons.) If the dog jumps on your back, I modify the technique to include a mule-kick. Humans are not built to have a powerful kick to the rear, so it is never a hard kick and I have never contacted the dog, but it does startle the dog and combined with "no" and freezing does the job.

Edited August 14, 2015 by Scouts_mom

[GeorgeofNE]

Two weeks is nothing.

 

Before you worry about exposing him to too many things, work on bonding and settling.

 

I don't know what you mean about you going out the door first and him waiting to be invited--you said he's on a leash. I'm confused how what you describe would work, and why it matters. As long as he's not yanking you through the door. Maybe I missed something?

 

They say the best thing to do is totally ignore your dog when he jumps. I personally find it rather charming that my dog is so happy to see me, but your dog is much larger than mine and he could flatten you! Turn your back when he jumps and ignore him until he stops. That should help. Remember, you JUST got him. Everything is new to him, and it sounds like he's doing really, really well. A little bit of patience and I'm sure you'll work out the kinks!

[philospher77]

Ignoring the jumping will help, but you really need to be working on what you DO want him to do instead. Sit? Down? Spin in circles? Dance in place? Whatever it is, work on putting that on cue in a nice quiet calm environment, then work on it in a higher distraction environment, then by the door, so that when you come in and out you can tell him what behavior you want and reward him for that behavior.

 

As to the door dashing: Have your dog sit (or down) and wait while you go through, and then call your dog to you and reward in front of you (petting and praise, if that is what the dog finds rewarding). (Basically, you want the dog to go out and do a u-turn so his head is at your knee/chest.) I'd start that at interior doors and work your way up to exterior ones.

[Guest xengab]

Thanks.

Im just making sure I know what to do with him and slowly start to do these things.

 

And yes the jumping up is maining to teach him not to do it to others. Me I can see the big bundle of happy dog coming and prepare but if it was not something you expect, he could easily knock someone over. I've friends with disabilities and on walking sticks so I need to be sure they'd be ok to come over in the future.

 

Plus I have to teach my husband what to do and well, the dog will catch on faster I think.

 

Our front door leads out to a busy street, I dont want my dog to pull me out the door or run out first, get spooked and get away from me. He is made to wait until he is calm before we go out, just the actual steps to teach him over time to wait for me to go out, then he can come out. Inside he just trails me and doesnt go through first.

 

When going out the door now, he will push you over to get out first or squeeze past.

Edited August 14, 2015 by xengab