Dogs jumping up

I have quite a serious problem with Zena jumping up, and although she doesn't do it to me, she always does it to hubby when he arrives home and turns into the devil dog, she gets soooo excited at seeing him. Now I've tried the recommendations from my trainer, and last night because I'd just arrived home when he arrived home, I decided to put her lead back on her harness and pin her to the ground with it whilst she greeted him! It worked to a degree, a lot better than without it, but it's still work in progress.

Now it just so happens that this morning, the man who came to service my boiler, used to be a police dog handler/trainer, and because Zena barked at him and jumped up, he started telling me about how to cure it. Of course he said, things have changed over the years, but when he was a trainer, with a persistent jumper, he would bring his knee up, the dog would feel the knee on his/her chest and refrain from ever doing it again. He isn't for physical punishment in any way or form, he said this doesn't hurt the dog, but it instils in them that jumping up is not a good idea! Within seconds, he had Zena sitting, he spread his fingers and made her stay there, and she immediately shut up, and then he told her to lie down which she did! He was fantastic, how lucky was I to have him this morning with her other strange habit of barking at 1 man in 100, and just so happened one of them was him!

Anyone tried this then? If anything, I would do it myself, coz she has on the very rare occasions jumped up at me when out to get her ball, but I certainly wouldn't let Dave do it, I would be a lot more considerate and thoughtful in how I was actually doing it!

This is what I do with yoda- he gets a knee in the chest when he jumps up(he's terrible for it and is bigger than me when on his hind legs!)
Ive just started doing it recently- got fed up with turning my back(cause he still jumped up, only pulled my hair!)
It is slowly working and he is jumping up less and less now.

That's interesting then, another gsd too!

It's one of my pet hates with this breed because of their size, and although I cured Cassie of it, she was never as bad as this little monkey. Poor Dave has tried the turning his back, ignoring her, giving her a treat when she sits, oh we've done it all, but she scratches him too when she jumps up, she gets those talons out, not her normal nails, you know what I mean, she actually extends them like those lions do!!! She always wants to get to his head too. I tried telling him to get down on the floor to her level and let her kiss his face if that's what she wants to do, but I won't tell you waht happened there!!!!! Poor Dave! He's not authorative enough either when he says "sit", he doesn't say it right, so now I seem to have two of them to train

I'll give it a whirl if she does it with me when we're out tomorrow, and I think I'll start by bringing that knee up after she's up, so I sort of "push" or away with it and see what happens afterwards, it might well work!

Thanks Sue!

Jess used to do it a lot when we got her.

The way I cured it was to put my arm in the way and turn away each time. However, it is vital that you don't speak/tell her off as this is engaging with her, which is what you don't want to do. Only ever get the person to give Zena a fuss when she is either sitting or at least has all four paws on the floor.

Another thing would be to have treats ready for people coming into the house, and when they go in, show Zena the treat and get her to sit. Hopefully the treat will teach her that she has to sit to get it and then get the person to fuss her for being such a bright little gorgeous girlie.

Also, you could get it so the person visiting doesn't engage with Zena in any kind of way (whether this being that they go and sit on the couch and you "block" her from getting to them, or they block themselves) until she has calmed right down, and then get them to fuss her calmly

The first method has worked well with Jess.

Hope this helps.

Jen x

ETA - I forgot to say. Whichever route you take (other than the treat one) DON'T look at Zena. Just blank her as if she wasn't there (whilst blocking her of course)

Thanks Jen. I think I do that arm blocking myself, coz it kind of comes natural with her and that's probably why she doesn't do it to me, well, on the very odd occassion when she wants her ball if I'm talking to someone!

Believe me, you have never seen anything like it when Dave comes home, she's definitely daddy's girl is Zena, she LEAPS from the floor to his head, so he bends down, he physically restrains her whilst telling her to sit, I'M telling her to sit, I've got treats, he's got treats, and sometimes, she sits for ME, takes the treat and explodes again, he can't even get through the door!!! It's an utter nightmare, and I need to stop it NOW I know that, so if this calls for desperate measures like pinning her to the floor by her lead until she DOES sit and stays calm or if he has to bring his knee up then so be it, we just can't have this, it's not good for HER to leap in the air like this either of course with her growing joints!

Thanks for all that, but believe me, we've already done most of that. I think with an adult dog they actually know they shouldn't do it, whereas when you're dealing with the Kevin, do they really know they shouldn't do it, perhaps not!

I was desperately trying to get her TO jump up at the trainer the other night wasn't I, but no, she sat beautifully everytime her or anybody else approached! No excitement you see!

Lol my friend was good the other day, she hadn't seen her for 2 weeks, and she blocked her with her arm and pushed her away and she soon stopped, but then she's that type, she's not a big old softy like my Dave!

Why does she jump up? There must be something in it for her to continue doing it.

None of my dogs jump up me but they all jump up the OH because she pushes them down and tells them to "get down" which in their eyes is enough of a reason to jump up, they get verbal and physical attention which is enough reinforcement to make them repeat the behaviour.

I just completely ignore them as I walk through, don't even look at them until I've got to where I want to be and then call them for a fuss one by one, they quickly learnt that if they push in they get ignored anyway so don't bother until they're called.

Id def NOT knee her in the cheast, that could easily seriously hurt her, or Scare her. If you out her into a sit with treats, you are still feeding above her & therefore encouraging the "upward" movement. Teach her a instant down, then get your hubby to kneel down & praise her & feed her in the down, treats fed on the floor, so all the motivation is down ward,

If shes abit wild when hes coming in get him to throw a titbit down the hall to get her moving away, the do the above

Toros breed are terrible jumpers, especially young, we turn our back and ignore her, that works very well with her, maybe hubby should come in walk straight past and ignore her, put his stuff away when she seems settled then go see her, shes still young and learning...
the boys were terrible jumpers the only thing that worked with them was a water spray, they used to jump up on my mum and with her being older they were bruising her arms, water spray worked a treat with that.
I wouldn't worry too much about Zena though she is still very young, and sounds like when shes getting wound up when hubbys coming in thats whats feeding the habit, so hubby should ignore her, I know it sounds bad ignoring a pup but it does work xx
I wouldn't knee her at all, that is a really old fashioned way of training, my friend did it with Kain and I nearly took his head off, he said his rottie breeder ( 9 yrs ago ) told him to use that with his Rotts , poor dugs x

Omg,this has to be a man thing too,mines never do it to me when I come home but when my oh pops in all hell breaks loose.My lot climb all over him the min he sits down I still say walking in and ignoring dogs until you decide it's time to say hi to them works a treat too, xxxxxxx

I dont do it hard...just a firm push with my knee-that way he doesnt get any reaction in the form that he wants.

oh and the man thing is so true- my OH tries his best but doesnt have the right tone with them so they both ignore him!