Not only is dog obedience training a rewarding activity for both you and your dog, but it is a great way to teach your dog to behave and properly socialize. The first question that most dog owners ask themselves is: When is the best time to begin dog obedience training? Well, here is the answer: Dog obedience training is something that should begin the first day you bring your new best friend home. Whether you are starting with a puppy or an older dog, it’s never too late to begin dog obedience training.

One of the most annoying behaviors that a dog can display is jumping up on you and your guests. This can be a very frustrating habit and can seem like an impossible one to break. Well, today my friend, you have found the answer you have been looking for. Today will be one of the last days your dog jumps on you! Are you excited yet?

Ok, before we can solve the problem we have to understand it. So why do dogs jump?

There are 2 reasons dogs jump up:

1. Some dogs jump up in order to greet people. These jumping dogs are just extremely excited to see you, they are literally jumping for joy! And, can you really blame them? The greetings that dog’s give each other includes licking of the face and so in order to give their human friends that same friendly greeting they have to jump up to reach our faces to greet us.

And what’s even worse is that we are actually positively reinforcing the behavior when we try pushing them off of us. However, to the dog, this is seen as more of a playful act rather than a punishment.

2. The second reason a jumping dog is much less common. These dogs jump to prove their dominance. This act is known in the dog world as “teeing off”. When a dog is trying to prove his/her dominance over another dog they jump up placing their front paws on the dogs back and then pushing down. They are trying to put the dog into submission, in essence teaching the dog who’s boss.

This can be a little harder with a human, but the message is still the same. If your dog is jumping up on you and pushing then they may be trying to show YOU who’s boss.

Today, I will provide you with a dog obedience tip that will cure for the more common reason that dogs jump up.

If your dog is jumping up in order to say hello here’s what you do:

But first, before we learn what to do, we need to learn what NOT to do. You must make sure that you don’t give your dog any accidental positive reinforcement for jumping up. This means that when your dog starts jumping up, you must COMPLETELY ignore them. By ignore, I mean turning your back to them and let them jump all over it until they give up and calm down.

Once your dog has calmed down and stopped jumping up it is time for the praise, you know what to do, lots of pets and high pitched praises should do the trick. However, if your dog begins to jump again, give the back again and ignore them until they stop; then hit with the praise again. Continue repeating this method until your dog learns that they will only receive attention when they keep all four paws on the ground! This method can be very effective, very quickly if done correctly. Consistency is key with this dog obedience tip, your dog will test you for wiggle room on this rule and you can’t give them any! You have to stay firm, No attention when they jump! If you can do that then your dog is guaranteed to stop jumping in no time.