Jumping up:
This is something most people who live with a dog struggle with, especially young dogs. As with anything the dog does, it’s a behaviour and it means something to the dog…but what…
Dogs jump up for many different reasons.
- Breed specific behaviour
- Learnt behaviour from puppy
- Coping behaviour (Fight, flight, freeze, fool around)
- Attention
- To see from a higher perspective
- Panic
- Match human energy
- To Process Information with stillness
None of the above reasons for jumping up are bad, we just need to learn how to cope with them and help the dog either choose another behaviour or manage their environment more.
Breed specific: I’ve taught my dog to instead of jump up, put something in his mouth. Both behaviours he was bread to do – Jump and grab – so don’t do that do this instead.
Learnt from puppy:This is less common of a cause than you might think, the main reason could be one of the others. BUT if it’s a behaviour the dog has done many times before without it being a problem, why is it now? and how to you change this? You can ask for another behaviour such as a sit instead when you come in the door.
Coping behaviour (fool around): Instead have your dog behand a baby gate when new people come into the house, giving your dog the distance they may need and time they may need to process the new visitors scent. Giving them more time to calm down.
Attention: Approach the dog with hands low so they don’t have to jump up to greet you, everything they want is now lower and more accessible. So, give treats and fuss from lower down. If all good things come from above (like what often happens when they're puppies) then it makes sense to keep jumping up. If the value and rewards are lower down and the dog is not practising jumping up to get them, then it can really help with the urge to jump over time.
To see from a higher perspective: My dog jumps up to see what I am doing on the kitchen counter, I don’t tell him off or ask him to get down because he’s just being nosey, inquisitive, because I haven’t made a big deal of it its not a big deal.
Panic: the dogs who in a moment of panic jump up at you to help keep them safe, they may want to be picked up and lifted to safety, I don’t see any problem with this, if you dogs needs safety and asks you to pick them up, pick them up… unless they’re too heavy then you may need a different safety exit.
Match human energy: My dog matches the person he is meetings energy if were out and about, if the person is calm he’s generally calm, as he’s just too cute, he might make the person get excited to see him, energy goes up, so does my dog lol, I always warn people of this if they want to meet him. If they’re funny about him jumping up then they don’t get to meet him unless they’re calm.
To Process Information with stillness: When you come home, your dog may need impawtant information from you, This information is scent related. Scent is UBER impawtant for dogs, THE MOST impawtant thing for dogs. So your dog may be jumping up at you to stop you from moving so they can sniff you and process all that yummy information. If i come in from work, i will smell of other dogs, therefore Stanlee WILL want to find out who i have been with and where i have been, if i come in and let him process he wont jump up, if i come in and keep moving this will make him jump up, hes saying 'Please stop a moment so i can find out impawtant information on where youve been and who with please?'
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