Q. “Our 5-month-old German shepherd jumps up on people. He already weighs 60 pounds and we’re afraid he will hurt my mother-in-law. Will he eventually outgrow this?”
You could wait the 10 or 12 years it will take for him to become too arthritic to jump up, or you can train him now to do something more socially acceptable. As we’ve talked about before, greeting disorders are best handled sooner than later.
It’s true his puppy exuberance will diminish as he ages, but most behaviors, such as not coming when called, intolerance of being handled, leash pulling, and door-dashing only get worse as time goes by.
Puppyhood is the time to develop a lifetime of good habits. Ignoring his education now will only lead to problems down the road. Teach him a “default sit” to stop the jumping. It’s easy, providing you do two things: 1) be consistent and 2) eliminate any opportunity for him to practice the unwanted (jumping up) behavior.
To get a default sit, the puppy learns he only receives attention and rewards when he is sitting. To extinguish the jumping behavior, it’s imperative that from this day forward, he never succeeds at jumping. Ever.
Simultaneously train the sit-for-everything default while keeping him off guests and family members by standing on his leash. Then ask everyone to ignore him until sit happens!
For more information about “greeting disorders” read our first Food for Thought column.
Cari Bowe is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer who owns and operates Shasta Dog Training and Behavior Services. She is the founder and one of the instructors of Haven Humane Society’s Family Dog Obedience Classes. Cari also raises champion Scottish Deerhounds.
Carla Jackson is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer who owns and operates Jackson Ranch for Dogs, www.jacksonranchfordogs.com, a kennel-free dog boarding and training facility. Carla is a past instructor at Haven Humane Society and specializes in private training/behavior consultations for the family dog.
For a complete introduction to dog training, check out Cari and Carla’s DVD, “Your Family Dog, Leadership and Training,” an interactive DVD featuring over 60 locally owned dogs learning new behaviors in beautiful Shasta County locations. The DVD provides valuable tips for daily living, guidelines for solving common behavior problems, and the essential skills needed to teach your dog basic commands. The DVD is now available at many local veterinarian offices, Haven Humane Society, and through www.dogwise.com, or www.jacksonranchfordogs.com.
