What oh what can we do about our 1 yr old JR/Staffie cross jumping up at people. He goes beserk when visitors arrive, almost as if he's been put in a higher gear: jumping up at them, sniffing parts that shouldn't be sniffed, making small children cry etc. At times we have to put him out of the way in anticipation of this but this we feel will only prolong his behaviour as he will never get used to visitors arriving. He is much the same on walks although we have noticed he is getting ever so slightly better (but not much). When on the lead he is controllable but when off it no amount of calling, promises of treats etc will get him to come back to us if there is another person (not necessarily with a dog) around. I guess he is just curious and he I know he thinks everybody is his friend. We don't want to discourage him from saying hello, but will he ever stop the jumping up, other dog walkers have told us he will but when?

You need to teach him not to jump up. He won't stop unless you do. ;-)

There are several ways to do this. Turning your back and ignoring him might work, it does for some dogs, but not for mine :-)

I taught mine to jump up on command. They were then taught to go down on command. It doesn't matter what words you use, so lon as he understands what you want. I have a 32 kg male who would love to come up but because I have young grandchildren he was taught this way. Now he will only jump up for a cuddle when I allow him.

As another poster has said, turning your back and ignoring the behaviours work with some dogs and not others.  The downside to that course of action is that it can be extremely unpleasant for some dogs as it sends very strong social messages of exclusion to the dog.  It is said by some experts to be so unpleasant an aversive that it is seen, by the dog, as a punishment.

Training and rewarding another behaviour (Differential Reforcement of any Other behaviour) often works, especially one that is incompatible (Differential Reinforcement of an Incompatible behaviour) to jumping up at the same time.  So you could teach your dog to lie down or sit when visitors arrive.

You would need to teach your chosen behaviour away from any distractions at first, no visitors present.  Once the behaviour is reliably on cue you could then start adding distractions and gradually making it more difficult until your dog is faced with the ultimate challenge - visitors.

I have an 11 month old GSD and until 2 weeks ago had exactly the same problem. I had tried the ignoring bit but that didn't work. He just jumped at my back as I walked away. Two weeks ago I tried another tactic. Every time he jumped up I put him into his crate for 5 minutes. If he jumped again when I let him out, he went back in for another 5 minutes. The first day of this regime was tough. He was in and out of his crate more times than I care to remember. Day 2 was better and quite honestly, after day 2 I have a different dog. He only gets fuss when he is calm and it really has worked. When my dog trainer told me to try this I honestly thought there was no hope. I was at the end of my tether with him. 7 stone of muscle jumping up is no fun - like you say especially where children are involved. I now have a great family dog who doesn't jump anymore and life is much more relaxed where he is concerned. Try it. Its worth a go.

It doesn't sound stupid, it sounds very wise.  Your dog is learning consequences of actions.

I used a similar solution to solve problem barking in a dog I was fostering from rescue.  He had masses of problems and was un-rehomable so I brought him home to work with him several times each day.  He lived outside in a run during the day between 'work/training' session and was moved inside to a stable at night. 

He barked at every movement, every bird flying over, every plane, any noise from the house etc etc.  It was horrendous.  So, everytime he barked I moved him from his outside run to his inside one.  Once quiet I brought him back out.  If he barked he was back inside etc etc.  It took three solid hours of me doing nothing but taking him in when he barked and bringing him out when he was quiet.  It worked though.  He then relaxed and was mentally in a better frame to work with me than in the constantly stressed state of reacting to everything he heard.

You could put him on lead to re-inforce the command of down and ensure that no visitor makes eye contact or takes notice of him until he is calm.

I have excatly the same problem with my 15 month old. But how do you haul your dog OFF to put him in his crate ?   When friendly visitor is saying " It's OK,I can manage " and has the dog by the collar and is slowly choking it into submission? After several minutes of this strangulation treatment, dog does put four feet on the ground to get his breath  = and then starts all over again.Alone with me, he is very obedient and loves to be told to do things,but as soon as he meets someone he likes, I may as well not exist. I just dread taking him out for fear he will knock someone down = a child maybe.....

Before you open your door (if this is the main time of the problem) just put a lead on the dog. ;-) That way he doesn't get the chance to jump up as you should (cough cough :-p ) have control.

I think the crate thing could work as could the lead.

I tend to recomend blocking the dog with your body language as this makes it clear your not interested if he jumps. Its hard to describe but essentially if he jumps towards you put your hands out towards him (flat, palms facing him) and if he's smallish lift one leg at the same time (else he'll go under your hands) the idea is to do this block before he gets to jump on you (so as he reaches you and front feet leave the ground), ideally (if you timeing is quick) he won't even make contact with you.
As soon as he stops jumping either cue in a sit (if he sits reliably) or just accept the none jumping. Change your body language stop blocking him, then crouch down and fuss him.

Instruct your visitors to do the same.

If visitors are an issue I would suggest you teach him to sit/stay at the door when the bell goes/doors knocked and ask him to remain in that position when they come in. If he breaks it as he sees the guests tell him ''no'' and shut the door so the guests go away (tell them what your doing first lol) repeat until he stays still then get them to greet him calmly.

Another approach for a greedy dog is to have food by the door (out of reach) and when people come in ask them to take a piece of food, show it to him and ask for a sit.

Adam

With my rescue terrier I put him on a lead when visitors arrive. I tried turning my back and ignoring him - he just grabbed hold of whatever part of me he could reach. Putting him out of the room made him bark and work himself up into a frenzy of barking.

On lead I am able to control his contact with visitors - once he calms down he can go and say hello but any attempt at jumping up and he is removed from them until he has calmed down again. I also found that teaching him to jump up on command has helped. I wait until he is sitting and then call him up with an "up" command, he gets a stroke and then will get off again. He is much better now with myself and my children when they visit but still has a way to go with less frequent visitors. By being on his lead it also manages to stop those visitors who insist it's not a problem and stroke him when he jumps up - it is a problem and one that I am working on so being able to contol his whereabouts when visitors enter is ensuring that there is consistency with his training.

Lindy , that does seem the simplest and most sensible solution. Unfortunately, the adored visitor usually just walks in  the  unlocked back door unexpectedly! As a pup, he was encouraged to be friendly to this man, as he would be the person who would be responsible for the dog if I was taken ill etc. But it seems the " being friendly" has gone a bit too far!
When I do let him in the front door, I am prepared and the dog is shut away and ignored until he calms down .

One of the things to remember when living with dogs is why they are doing a certain thing - and the jumping up is basically greeting behaviour. It's the only way they know how, to greet humans. So I like to teach them something that gives them attention and "joining in" with the greeting (if wanted, i.e. a friendly visitor, not so much the electricity man). Or if not, an option for them "to do" so they understand what TO do.

I like some of the above suggestions. I sometimes teach the dog to sit and wait for a treat pot (you train this first) or to go into the other room and look out of the window. My current dog now does this - it's her routine. I deal with the visitor and then when they are allowed in, she is calm enough to greet gently, just with wagging tail, offering a toy and 4 paws on the ground :)

Clicker training is really good for teaching 4 on the floor (as long as the timing is good).

When I had a very jumpy dog, visitors came into the kitchen first, and had a brief "hallo" only from the other side of a child gate  ... dog in the living room behind childgate, then after half an hour when dog calmer, we all went into the living room and the dog was on a lead in the house with a well stuffed kong. After a few sessions, she was sokeen to get her kong that she almost ignored the visitors.... .<g>

Lindsay
x

>Unfortunately, the adored visitor usually just walks in  the  unlocked back door unexpectedly!

It sounds like you need to train the visitor, not the dog :-D I would ask him to knock and wait, at least if you are at home. If it's happening when you are not at home then it is up to your visitor to train the dog not to jump up. His problem, not yours. You are trying to stop it, and you can with all other visitors, just not this one idiot. ;-)

I had a visitor that would just walk in on my lot (I have 4 big gundogs ;-) ) and she was nearly 6 foot tall, and about the same sideways :-p They would all jump up at her, no matter what I did to try to stop it. She just used to laugh and encourage them. There is just no telling some people. She was the only one they did this to. She was the one person i would trust to let the dogs out if I was going away to a dog show. :-(

I have the same problem.  Only I have four dogs!  With one or two I agree that the lead would be the answer but not with four.  If i know someone is expected I tend to put them into a different room - we have a study which is off another room that they seem to like.  It has a glass door so they can see what is going on.

The door bell seems to set them all off so I try to ask people to go round the back if I know them.  Hannah our hound is the biggest of our dogs and she is the one who jumps up the most.  Individually our dogs are fine but I think as there are four they have become a pack so I just feel the best thing is to shut them away - but of course this does not work with unexpected callers.  It is a big problem - not just the exuberant jumping but the   barking too.

Sorry this is not helpful - just my comments.

Snowflake.

Thanks Lindy Lou. What  an understanding reply.
Now I have to find a way of getting my unexpected visitor to read it!

We haven't had a problem with jumping up (yet!!) but I know of people who have and they have used a spray bottle filled with water and have given their dogs a spray backed up with their command of choice.

lock the back door! He'll probably knock then :)

Print it off and hand it to him :-)

To change the subject completely I had a bitch that would pee on my son's foot whenever he came to visit He had to come in the back garden and let her out before he could come into the house ;-) A quick shoe shuffle and she missed :-p