# How to stop jumping?



## GoldenBoyV (Feb 15, 2013)

I'm interested in hearing others' suggestions too!

My 1 year old does the same thing. We have tried to nip it in the bud since he was little but to no avail. We've been trying the cross arms/turn your back for months, but he doesn't get the hint. Plus, we tell others to do the same but sometimes we have to grab him. Not everyone can endure a 70 pound dog jumping on them.


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## Leslie B (Mar 17, 2011)

Your dog is being physical with you and it is time that you are physical right back. 

There are two ways to deal with this problem. I prefer the first but some like the second.

1. When he jumps, you will knee him in the chest - hard. If he circles around, you circle and keep him directly in front of you so you have a clear shot with one of your knees. I usually smile and keep chatting with the dog during this training. No scolding at all. Be sure that you do this every time he jumps. No calling him to jump and then the next time, you knee him.

2. The second way is to wait for the dog to jump and take hold of his front feet and then step on top of his back feet. The dog is off balance and it is uncomfortable as you actually back him up. It feels like he is going to tip over backwards. 

For both methods, I am happy and chatting with the dog. No anger or scolding. You will see the dog is puzzled but when the jump = I get hurt , then the behavior no longer works and the dog quits doing it.

As for biting, that is a serious problem that you need to get after EVERY time. There should be no question in your dogs mind that you will not tolerate biting or nipping.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Leslie B said:


> 1. When he jumps, you will knee him in the chest - hard. If he circles around, you circle and keep him directly in front of you so you have a clear shot with one of your knees. I usually smile and keep chatting with the dog during this training. No scolding at all. Be sure that you do this every time he jumps. No calling him to jump and then the next time, you knee him.
> 
> 2. The second way is to wait for the dog to jump and take hold of his front feet and then step on top of his back feet. The dog is off balance and it is uncomfortable as you actually back him up. It feels like he is going to tip over backwards.


The poster I'm contradicting here is much more experienced than I am, and I do have a lot of respect for her work, but I have pretty strong feelings here. Both of the methods suggested here are far, far rougher than necessary to stop a jumper.

It's easier and gentler to remove the reward than it is to punish the behavior. I always prefer teaching a Golden that jumping doesn't work rather than trying to teach him that jumping leads to unpleasant consequences.

Dogs jump because they find it rewarding. If you punish the jumping without removing the reward, especially with the methods outlined here, you risk hurting the dog without really removing the behavior. You can end up with a pretty neurotic dog when an inexperienced trainer tries something like kneeing a dog in the chest or overbalancing her backwards.


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Jumping up and nipping are attention seeking and sometimes play behaviors that we often inadvertently teach them as puppies. 
Focus on teaching your dog what you want them TO do. Train and reward a solid, reliable sit or down command. If/when your dog jumps up, immediately turn your back and cue the sit or down, as soon as it happens praise/reward for it. Work on prevention - try to anticipate when they are going to jump, interupt with a firm 'ACK!', turn away, then give the 'sit/down' cue -praise/reward for doing it -so they know that is what you do want. Teach your dog self control - patience (leave it, stay, go to your bed - teach self control) and what appropriate behaviors (sit to greet) will get them that attention they are seeking. 
If it is happening during play, stop the play intermittently, before your dog gets over excited, get a sit or down, and give them a few minutes to calm down, then resume playing.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

Dogs do what they practice, so it can be effective to step on the leash in a neutral way, and then ask for a sit or a down that you then reward & reinforce. Keep your foot right on the leash, so the puppy cannot jump, but your hands are not associated. The dog who practices not jumping will stop jumping. Never use physical punishment on a pup. He might learn not to jump, but he will also learn you are not to be trusted at times.


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## USAFWife74 (Jan 13, 2013)

When Ellie jumps, we lean back and turn our face. She is looking for attention and giving her the knees turns into play with me, so it strengthens her desire to jump. Once she settles, we tell her to sit and the she gets a LOT of praise and kisses in the face, since that's her goal. She doesn't jump on any of us anymore, but friends are another story. Trying to explain to them how they need to behave is much more difficult! 


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## goldensrbest (Dec 20, 2007)

Well , i have tried the leash thing,steping on it, spirit does this jumping,out of being excited, i have not tried the stepping on the back feet, but i may try that, he will be 3 in june,and i am very tired of this behavior,with him.The trouble with the stepping on the leash, he does not wear the leash inside the house, at this age, and you get surprises at peole coming that you do not expect. I am so fed up with this with spirit.


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## Leslie B (Mar 17, 2011)

tippykayak said:


> The poster I'm contradicting here is much more experienced than I am, and I do have a lot of respect for her work, but I have pretty strong feelings here. Both of the methods suggested here are far, far rougher than necessary to stop a jumper.
> 
> It's easier and gentler to remove the reward than it is to punish the behavior. I always prefer teaching a Golden that jumping doesn't work rather than trying to teach him that jumping leads to unpleasant consequences.
> 
> Dogs jump because they find it rewarding. If you punish the jumping without removing the reward, especially with the methods outlined here, you risk hurting the dog without really removing the behavior. You can end up with a pretty neurotic dog when an inexperienced trainer tries something like kneeing a dog in the chest or overbalancing her backwards.


I know that you are a big advocate of the positive method of training and for many dogs I agree. I am all for using every training method available. We use attrition, redirecting, cookies, lots of praise AND pressure when appropiate. Then we use the lowest pressure to get the job done in a reasonable amount of time. Every dog must be trained with what works for him and not just what the trainer likes to use.

In this situation the op has a pair of siblings who are 2 years old. One learned that jumping was not ok but the other has has 2 years of the jumping habit to break. This also becomes a safety issue. A 70 pound dog can knock over friends and family easily. Small children are especially at risk with a dog like this. 

This situation is way beyond redirecting and will require some active training. Redirection is a very passive method that will not work for a bolder dog. They simply don't care or notice the subtle repetition involved.

To effectively use the knee to the chest method, you must be strong enough on the inside to know that stopping the junping is in the dogs best interest and hard enough with your knee to get thru to the dog.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Leslie B said:


> This situation is way beyond redirecting and will require some active training. Redirection is a very passive method that will not work for a bolder dog. They simply don't care or notice the subtle repetition involved.


I strongly, strongly disagree that withholding is a "passive" method. And what I suggested is not really a redirection method either.

Methods like you describe are deceptively easy for experienced dog people, which is why I respect your point of view so much, but I see them backfire so often with people who are relatively new to dogs that they really concern me. I've worked with too many nervous and neurotic dogs because it's way too easy for people to be too rough or too scary.

I have, on several occasions, taught confirmed jumpers not to jump in a matter of minutes with a withholding/alternate reward method. It's not a weaker or slower method than a method that uses force. If applied ineffectively, it's slow. But a knee to the chest, if applied ineffectively, is dangerous. So with an inexperienced trainer, I still prefer the force-free method.

Inexperienced trainers will knee the dog too softly, typically. And the dog just incorporates it into play. A handful will knee the dog too hard or add an angry sound. Those dogs can become fearful and even dangerous. Give me a weak client whose dog isn't clear on expectations over a forceful client whose dog who has learned to bite because his owner has hit, kneed, or shocked him without clarity and calibration.


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## Tuco (Jan 3, 2013)

Leslie B said:


> Your dog is being physical with you and it is time that you are physical right back.
> 
> There are two ways to deal with this problem. I prefer the first but some like the second.
> 
> ...


This seems quite abit excessive with a risk of backfiring. I got my stubborn ass tibetan to stop jumping with a rewarding method and it didn't take much time for him to learn


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## Zehava's human (Jan 4, 2011)

Our GR outsmarts us. The turn your back method causes her to circle with the person. The knee method has little effect and stepping on her leash leads to pulling. The problem is that people ooh and aah over her and she loves the attention. When passersby ignore her, she ignores them! I have found that a strongy ingrained response to "sit" is most effective, paired with "hug" (permission to jump) has worked best. But, of course it is not 100% effective. I think GRs are just very exuberant dogs!


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Zehava's human said:


> Our GR outsmarts us. The turn your back method causes her to circle with the person.


If you look up and away and fold your arms, it can help the dog understand that you're deliberately withdrawing your attention. That's what I'll do for confirmed jumpers, even without turning away in the first place. For many of them, a look up and away helps it click that you're not enjoying the jump, because it borrows from dog body language to show that you're trying to withdraw from the social encounter. You can also turn and face a wall if one is handy, but obviously you don't always have a wall handy.

You also have to train your humans NEVER to reward a jump with attention unless the jump/hug is specifically asked for with a consistent command (like your hug thing).


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## goldentemperment (May 16, 2012)

Does anyone have thoughts on holding their paws for a couple seconds past their comfort point when the dog jumps? I've seen Youtube videos suggesting it, but I haven't used it with my dog.

I had a trainer teach me pinching their paws when they jump, which I found unnecessarily harsh. But if you just hold onto the paws until a couple seconds past where the dog is comfortable, that can deter...


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

goldentemperment said:


> Does anyone have thoughts on holding their paws for a couple seconds past their comfort point when the dog jumps? I've seen Youtube videos suggesting it, but I haven't used it with my dog.
> 
> I had a trainer teach me pinching their paws when they jump, which I found unnecessarily harsh. But if you just hold onto the paws until a couple seconds past where the dog is comfortable, that can deter...


I don't think it's particularly cruel, but I'm not sure it's as effective as removing what the dog wants. If you hold the paws, you're interacting and keeping your face closer than his, but also making it somewhat unpleasant. There's the potential for confusion there.

I don't think it's a terrible idea or anything, but for this kind of situation, I like methods that keep it simple: remove what the dog is trying to get and reward an alternative behavior. Adding something unpleasant isn't the key part of changing behavior, so why do it unless you have to?


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

Interesting thread...the problem I have with jumping, is not so much that Tess does it all the time, far from it. She will only jump excessively when she knows I am going to leave her at the breeder. Like this morning, she was jumping, biting my scarf, pushing me down on the couch so she could sit on me. Normally she is not prone to separation anxiety, but she knows the drill, once we go there, I will go. And she loves it there! I find it very hard to ignore her when she is like that and would certainly not knee her or stand on her paws...


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

I came home in tears yesterday after walking Murphy. The jumping in the house stopped but on walks he'll jump and nip for half the walk. I bring a small bottle with vinagar and spray it in front of him and he'll stop. I forgot the spray bottle and it was like wrestling with a grizzly bear. Put him in a sit down and stood on the leash to come him down. As soon as we started to walk the jumping started all over again. This was for 1/2 mile. He's become impossable lately. Help


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## Wenderwoman (Jan 7, 2013)

Well, I'm still training my dog to do this and I don't know how effective it will be in the long run but she doesn't jump nearly as much as she used to. She will usually only jump when she is greeting me, even if that is just from the 5 minutes I was in the bathroom or on the other side of the gate. Once she starts jumping, I never pet her. I try to keep treats in my pocket and I will tell her down or sit until she does and give her a treat and then pet her. If I don't have a treat, I just pet her. The other thing I will do is step into her and say down if she is not responding quickly. I don't step on her, I just step into her so that she'll lose her balance and get down. I just don't like the idea of backing off/down, I feel that is a less powerful approach. I want to claim the ground, not give it up to her but in a peaceful way, so I step forward. She's only 3 months and I have no idea how well this will work in the long run but she will sit most of the time just because she wants attention.


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## GoldenBoyV (Feb 15, 2013)

tippykayak said:


> I don't think it's a terrible idea or anything, but for this kind of situation, I like methods that keep it simple: remove what the dog is trying to get and reward an alternative behavior. Adding something unpleasant isn't the key part of changing behavior, so why do it unless you have to?


A question about this approach. We have tried the cross arms and look away method for several months. My question is maybe we are unintentionally reinforcing jumping in other ways? What do you suggest for our dog when he jumps on someone when who is sitting on the couch? Specifically when guests come over, he will jump up with his front paws in their lap. It's hard to have them ignore the dog when he is right in their face. In this scenario, he is too excited to obey a sit, down, or off command.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

GoldenBoyV said:


> A question about this approach. We have tried the cross arms and look away method for several months. My question is maybe we are unintentionally reinforcing jumping in other ways? What do you suggest for our dog when he jumps on someone when who is sitting on the couch? Specifically when guests come over, he will jump up with his front paws in their lap. It's hard to have them ignore the dog when he is right in their face. In this scenario, he is too excited to obey a sit, down, or off command.


In that situation, I'd use a leash to manage him. Repeating the successful jumps ingrains the bad habits. You can tether him to you so he can't bother them, or you can teach him to greet seated guests by stepping on the leash so he can't rear up. Either way, he can't be free to inappropriately greet seated guests until he has commands and behaviors that help him be appropriate.


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## Seagodess (Dec 6, 2012)

I have recently started stepping on the leash to help with the jumping. Especially when we are out for a walk or close to other people. However at 4 months, she is already getting strong enough to pull the leash from under my foot and almost knock me over.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Seagodess said:


> I have recently started stepping on the leash to help with the jumping. Especially when we are out for a walk or close to other people. However at 4 months, she is already getting strong enough to pull the leash from under my foot and almost knock me over.


With some practice, you can get really good at stepping in exactly the right place to maximize your leverage. You don't want to give enough slack that the dog can rear up and get some momentum, but you also don't want to step too close to the collar and create downward force on the collar. You want the perfect amount so that there's no tension but no slack either. That way, you have maximum leverage and the dog's strength is almost moot. You also have to get your center of gravity over the leash foot so friction can be your friend.


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## GoldenBoyV (Feb 15, 2013)

tippykayak said:


> In that situation, I'd use a leash to manage him. Repeating the successful jumps ingrains the bad habits. You can tether him to you so he can't bother them, or you can teach him to greet seated guests by stepping on the leash so he can't rear up. Either way, he can't be free to inappropriately greet seated guests until he has commands and behaviors that help him be appropriate.


Ok. Thanks for the suggestion. We will try this approach. 

I guess I was wondering if there were other ways that we may inadvertently be rewarding his jumping behavior? We are really trying to stop this behavior for good.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

GoldenBoyV said:


> Ok. Thanks for the suggestion. We will try this approach.
> 
> I guess I was wondering if there were other ways that we may inadvertently be rewarding his jumping behavior? We are really trying to stop this behavior for good.


Well, a good rule of thumb is that if it's persisting, it's getting rewarded somehow. Jumping is a tricky one because the reward comes very quickly when the dog jumps. Jumping itself is already rewarding for many dogs because it's exciting. And if they can get nearer to a face even for an instant, it's socially rewarding. And if the people all react with noise and motion, that's a reward for many dogs too. Even a push is a reward for some highly social, contact-oriented dogs.

Either way, though, jumps need to either not happen in the first place because you've used the leash to make them physically impossible, or the jump needs to result in an incredibly boring situation for the dog. Jumping is social behavior (unless they're jumping for food or toys, obviously), so all the social energy needs to come out of the situation when the dog even thinks about jumping.

And don't forget to provide clear, mellow rewards for what you want the dog to do instead. Many dogs will quickly stop jumping once it "clicks" that a polite sit gets them more of what they want (attention, treats, etc.) than jumping does. A really, really common mistake with problem behaviors is this: when people are frustrated with a dog who's doing what they _don't_ want, they forget to reward the dog for what they _do_ want. The dog gets negative feedback for the jump, and when he finally stops for a sec, the people are too busy taking a breath to remember to reward. Nothing accelerates behavioral change quite like a clear, well-timed reward.


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## Bentleyandcaesar (Mar 13, 2013)

tippykayak said:


> The poster I'm contradicting here is much more experienced than I am, and I do have a lot of respect for her work, but I have pretty strong feelings here. Both of the methods suggested here are far, far rougher than necessary to stop a jumper.
> 
> It's easier and gentler to remove the reward than it is to punish the behavior. I always prefer teaching a Golden that jumping doesn't work rather than trying to teach him that jumping leads to unpleasant consequences.
> 
> Dogs jump because they find it rewarding. If you punish the jumping without removing the reward, especially with the methods outlined here, you risk hurting the dog without really removing the behavior. You can end up with a pretty neurotic dog when an inexperienced trainer tries something like kneeing a dog in the chest or overbalancing her backwards.


do you prefer method a or b?


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Bentleyandcaesar said:


> do you prefer method a or b?


I'm sorry, but I don't understand the question.


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## Timber's Peeps (Nov 2, 2012)

Hi! New to the forum. Timber, our 5+ GR much to my dismay continues to do this today. Obedience instructor did show us the 'knee/chest' method and when used it does work. Didn't take him long, just a few times, to get to the point where all a visitor has to do is lift their knee and say 'No jump", he then lays on his back against their legs for them to pet his belly. Once they've said hello, though, he sometimes commences back to jumping. My Husband loves this about him and feeds his excitement by getting excited right along with him. I fear that one of these days he's going to knock someone down and hurt them. My only option at this point it to train my husband. Lol!!

Anyway, when Timber was around a year old, we were visiting a friend. During that time, they had a visitor show up. When Timber approached him preparing to jump, the gentleman stood up straight, put his hand palm facing Timber and simply said, No jump. Timber immediately sat down and waited for him to say hello by petting the top of his head. Up to this point, we'd never met this man before. We were astounded! I, myself, and our sons have started using the method and have had success with it. 

With this, I wonder if there's something with certain people where they just know jumping will not be tolerated.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Timber's Peeps said:


> Obedience instructor did show us the 'knee/chest' method and when used it does work. Didn't take him long, just a few times, to get to the point where all a visitor has to do is lift their knee and say 'No jump", he then lays on his back against their legs for them to pet his belly. Once they've said hello, though, he sometimes commences back to jumping.


That, in a nutshell, is why I don't like this method. I'd guess that Timber still is unclear on what's happening and why, and he doesn't quite know how to get what he wants. So you're still seeing some jumping, but when you punish him for it, you're getting a fairly extreme appeasement behavior.

I don't say this to criticize you as a trainer. Jumping is a tough, tough thing sometimes. But what you describe is not a situation I'd shoot for, and it's the reason I don't like aversive-based methods for this kind of thing.

Timber needs an alternate rewarded pattern where sitting makes the best outcomes and jumping is boring. Kneeing him or warning him with the knee taught him that jumping can be unpleasant, but it didn't teach him what to do instead. And if he's on his back quickly when he sees the knee, that's probably not a simple request for a belly rub. It's probably based on a desire to defuse the situation before he gets kneed.

I'm just trying to be helpful here. Please tell me to shut up if you feel like I've overstepped my bounds.

I like the second method you describe. I've heard that called "the policeman's stop." It works great on a ton of dogs. Some Goldens (seems to be the young boys, most commonly) will jump right through it in order to get petted, but it seems to work well on a majority.

ACK! Sorry. I just noticed that you're brand new! Where are my manners!? Welcome! Start a thread in the new member's section and tell us all about Timber and I'll head on over there and ooh and ahh at pictures.


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## Davidrob2 (Dec 10, 2012)

I would like to second (or third) the "policeman" method. On our walks, Harry and I go by one particular house with large dogs who normally make a bee line for us. Most days all it takes is me extending my arm and putting my hand in the "stop" position for them to sit and just watch us as we walk by. Now, Harry on the other hand, is one of those young boys who will go right through it when we are outside playing.

... and welcome from me and Harry as well.


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## GoldensGirl (Aug 2, 2010)

I come to this thread with deep interest and no significant expertise - probably like a lot of other people asking for help. Our Sunny is a jumping girl and we fight the problem constantly. What seems to work best with her is telling her what we _do_ want her to do - Sit! When she sits, we praise like crazy and give her the cuddles she wants. She still jumps when she's excited, but that happens less and less often as she learns that sitting gets her the attention she wants. There is hope!


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## mayapaya (Sep 28, 2011)

tippykayak said:


> Well, a good rule of thumb is that if it's persisting, it's getting rewarded somehow. Jumping is a tricky one because the reward comes very quickly when the dog jumps. Jumping itself is already rewarding for many dogs because it's exciting. And if they can get nearer to a face even for an instant, it's socially rewarding. And if the people all react with noise and motion, that's a reward for many dogs too. Even a push is a reward for some highly social, contact-oriented dogs.
> 
> Either way, though, jumps need to either not happen in the first place because you've used the leash to make them physically impossible, or the jump needs to result in an incredibly boring situation for the dog. Jumping is social behavior (unless they're jumping for food or toys, obviously), so all the social energy needs to come out of the situation when the dog even thinks about jumping.
> 
> And don't forget to provide clear, mellow rewards for what you want the dog to do instead. Many dogs will quickly stop jumping once it "clicks" that a polite sit gets them more of what they want (attention, treats, etc.) than jumping does. A really, really common mistake with problem behaviors is this: when people are frustrated with a dog who's doing what they _don't_ want, they forget to reward the dog for what they _do_ want. The dog gets negative feedback for the jump, and when he finally stops for a sec, the people are too busy taking a breath to remember to reward. Nothing accelerates behavioral change quite like a clear, well-timed reward.


This thread got my attention as well, since I am dealing with a similar problem x 2. Having two very close in age, what I have found is that while Maya was getting much better with the jumping, once Payton started jumping, she was right back at it :doh:

There are some good tips here--thanks!


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## newport (Aug 8, 2011)

We adopted Lola at 11 months old. She did the jumping thing for the first year... now she is 2 almost 3 years old and no longer jumps on me. She is all filled out- fully grown and just stopped jumping- with a bit of repremanding.... putting out my knee to her chest and saying "NO" loudly. She was a bit of a wild child when we first got her. Now she is a very polite and sweet young lady with excellent manners... except when it comes to stealing slippers and socks secretly... THAT may just never change!


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## xoerika620xo (May 25, 2012)

I have a jumper. In the morning Chester gets so excited that he will jump up and while the turning around and folding my arms works he get's so happy he can hardly stay sitted while i pet him to say hello. When my boyfriend and I come home and he is out of his cage he will jump and jump and jump. I have a aunt that constantly doesn't see my point in things and alows him to jump on her. She says it doesn't bother her but it bothers me and each time i tell her she doesn't seem to understand why i do it. Chester is already 61 pounds and can knock down all the children in my family. I want him to be around everyone without my family being afraid hes going to jump on them. A lot of my family members don't visit anymore because of that, what can i do?


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Jumping*

Our Golden Girl, Smooch, used to jump. We took her to a trainer and the trainer suggested we fill an empty 12 oz. soda bottle, 1/4 of the way with pennies, and when she jumps up at someone, give it a few quick shakes of the wrist. This distracts the dog and interrupts their behavior. When your dog stops the behavior, give him/her a treat. Keep repeating this over and over-it worked for Smooch!


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## Anniesu (May 22, 2021)

GoldenBoyV said:


> I'm interested in hearing others' suggestions too!
> 
> My 1 year old does the same thing. We have tried to nip it in the bud since he was little but to no avail. We've been trying the cross arms/turn your back for months, but he doesn't get the hint. Plus, we tell others to do the same but sometimes we have to grab him. Not everyone can endure a 70 pound dog jumping on them.


Same! Turning their backs foes nothing


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