A New Way to Greet ? Four on the Floor  

Dogs of all breeds jump up to greet each other and their humans. Veterinarians and trainers both will have clients complain about the big dogs jumping up most. The little toy breeds are not felt as a problem because their nails are not a painful on our legs and they don?t knock you down! It is best and possible for all dogs to learn to sit for a greeting with their human, or at least not to jump up.

Corrections like yelling, jerking on the collar, swatting or knee in the chest don?t work. Why? Because these are all ways of responding back to the dog (even in a negative way) that is returning the greeting in the dog?s mind. It may not make sense to us humans, but remember we are talking about dogs. Especially physical shoving or touching is the return of the greeting to the dog.

Start by touching your dog only when all 4 paws are on the ground. As soon as they start to jump up take a huge step back, turn your back to them and stand still for a count of 15. No talking, no looking no nothing. The dog is not getting what they want, which is some kind of return of attention from you so they will stop jumping up. As soon as they are standing or have all 4 paws on the ground, verbally praise them. If they keep all 4 on the floor, then pet them calmly. Keep your greeting calm to help them keep calm. If they are leaping in the air away from you still ignore them. Remember 4 on the floor.

As your dog gets better about not jumping up teach to sit for petting, and greeting. Do not allow some family members to allow jumping up. This just confuses your dog as to what to do.

Be sure your dog is getting at least 15 minute breaks of walks or other high activity. This should happen 2-4 times a day depending on your dog. The more activity the less likely you will have rowdy behavior.

If these tips don't help, please give us a call to set up a behavior consult. You can take a look at the behavior services we offer.