We are pleased to present the next in our series of TRAINING TIPS provided by our training partners Crawford Canine Connection. Mary and Kimberlee have done wonderful work with our very own Troy and BT using their positive reinforcement training techniques. Thank you Crawford Canine Connection for your support! Please check them out at www.crawfordcanineconnection.com
The days of shoving, kneeing, yelling and even turning your back on a jumping dog are going away. In its place, is a training method based on the science of applied behavior analysis and how animals learn. Not only is the method more effective, it is also more humane as we have come to a greater understanding as to why dogs jump up in the first place.
For any behavior an animal does, ask yourself—what is reinforcing the animal to continue to do the behavior? By nature, even as humans, we do not usually continue to repeat a behavior if we are not being reinforced, or even worse, punished for doing it. So what can you do to help resolve the jumping behavior?
The first step in the training is to determine what it is that you want the dog to do instead of jumping up. Do you want 4 paws on the floor, do you want the dog to touch your hand, do a spin or twirl, go to a dog bed or another room and and lay down? All of these behaviors are either incompatible with or an alternative to jumping up. Once you establish the desired behavior, you begin to train that behavior instead of focusing on not jumping up. In the video, you will see Tipper who is a notorious impolite greeter, go from persistently jumping up on one of his favorite people one week to the next week responding to the touch cue with 4 paws on the floor and touch of the hand.
At Crawford Canine Connection, we specialize in problem behaviors and can help resolve this and many other concerns you may be experiencing. If you have questions or need help, please contact us at [email protected]
