JUMPING

Before you get too mad at “Fido” again for ripping your clothes, getting dirty paw prints all over the kids, or even knocking down Grandma, realize that jumping is normal for dogs. Nature taught puppies to jump up towards adult dogs’ mouths to lick off food scraps, and to say “HI!”. Your dog is probably jumping on you to show how excited they are to see you and how much they want your attention. Even negative attention is better than no attention, so avoid trying to push them off or telling them to “GET OFF!”, because this has no meaning to them. Instead ignore the jumps as best you can and as soon as all four feet are back on the floor, ask your pet to “sit”, and reward them. With enough consistency your dog can learn that jumping gets them nothing, but sitting to get your attention means rewards!