This is part 2 of our advice on how to prevent dog jumping. For part one see stop a dog from jumping up.
In order to prevent dog jumping it is important that you and your family members are consistent in reacting to your dog when he jumps up. It’s not fair to your dog to expect him to work out when its acceptable to jump up at people.
Use Body Language To Communicate With Your Dog
One of the best training methods is to ignore your dog when he jumps up at you. This can be difficult to carry out as its natural for us to either pet the dog, or if it’s really inconvenient, to push him away or scold him. In some ways either response (positive or negative) is a form of attention that may encourage the dog to carry on jumping.
Therefore try instead to turn your back on your dog when he jumps up at you. It helps if you can also fold your arms and avoid any eye contact. This is sending your dog a clear message through body language that his behaviour is not acceptable. Do not carry on doing what you were doing, which could be seen as ignoring your dog’s jumping, but actively ignore him until he calms down. Body language is very important in the dog world, and is often a more effective way of communicating with your dog.
Once your dog has all his paws on the ground praise him enthusiastically. This might seem odd to us as only seconds before we were giving our dog the cold shoulder, but your dog will associate each reaction from us with the particular behaviour they were showing at the time. Perhaps the hardest part of this kind of training is being able to use it consistently. It won’t magically cure your dog of his jumping habit overnight, but if used every time he jumps up it will allow your dog to gradually learn that jumping up is not OK.
For more detailed advice on preventing unwanted dog behaviour such as jumping and great practical advice I highly recommend Secrets to Dog Training. I truly believe that it will help you develop a better relationship with your dog.