Pets
Sit Politely for Petting
A very common behavior problem many of you are dealing with at this stage in your puppy's life, is jumping up on people.Most puppies and dogs jump on people out of excitement, friendliness, and as a greeting or means to seek attention. Inadvertently, people pay attention to a jumping puppy by making eye contract, by pushing him off and petting him. Most of your house guests are being polite by telling you they "don't mind", when, in fact, they really do. You must teach your puppy that jumping is not a way to greet humans or get attention.
Start off by always asking your puppy to "sit" before you pet him. Most puppies will always sit for a treat and sit before they are fed. Why? They have been patterned by you to do so in order to get an expected reward. Being touched by people is a reward for most dogs. Therefore, if you teach him that he will never get attention from people unless he is sitting, he will begin to automatically offer a "sit" for the reward of being touched.
Obviously, this is not an easy task. Begin with family members first. Do not allow anyone in your family to pet your puppy unless he is sitting. If you can begin to teach him yourself, it will be easier when dealing with guests. If your pup jumps for attention, turn your back on him and walk away. Wait for him to have his feet on the floor and then pet him. If he begins to jump while you are petting him, stop your petting, turn your back on him and "wait" for him to "sit". Keep working on this. You must be consistent. Do not allow him to jump some times and not others. Also, do not push him off with your hands. This is interpreted by your puppy as attention or an invitation to play and only makes the situation worse by intermittently reinforcing the jumping behavior.
Once he is consistent with family members, you can begin to work with guests. Do not allow friends to pet your pup unless he is sitting. Eventually your puppy will learn that if he wants attention from humans, he must "sit"!
To further encourage this behavior, use a visible reward to reinforce your puppy's "sit". This method is especially helpful with problem jumpers. Whenever you enter the room or take him out of his crate, show your puppy that you are holding a treat and ask him to "sit". If he jumps, turn your back and walk away with the food reward. Say nothing. Your withdrawal of the food reward and of your attention is the punishment. When you pup's feet are on the floor, turn back to face him and cue him to "sit" if he hasn't already done so Continue working on this step until he comes up with the idea to "sit" for the treat even without being asked. When he does, lavishly praise him and give him the treat. He will eventually learn that when food is visible in your hand, it is useless to jump since it will only be taken away. Sitting is the magic response! Once he is willingly sitting for you, have other family members work on the same exercise. Then begin to do the same exercise with guests. Have a basket of treats outside your door. Have every guest who rings your bell hold a treat. Soon your puppy will run to the door and slide into a "sit" when he hears a knock or the bell, in hopes of getting a reward when he "sits"! The sound of the doorbell, and the appearance of the visitor become the cue for him to sit, so that he will do this automatically, without your guests having to tell him to "sit".
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PETsMART Accredited Training Instructors, in addition to their previous experience, receive a minimum of 120 hours of training in a curriculum which includes: Canine Behavior, Learning Theory ("How Dogs Learn"), Problem-Solving, Classroom Management, Equipment, Handling Skills and more. Where possible, hands-on training is completed in partnership with local shelters, using shelter dogs to demonstrate training methods, behavior assessment and handling skills. This enables us to accredit our instructors while contributing to the community, as we help to make these dogs even more adoptable.
Suzanne Hetts Ph.D. is certified as an applied animal behaviorist and co-owner of Animal Behavior Associates, Inc., in Denver, CO.
Terry Ryan is the well-known author of training books such as The Toolbox for Remodeling Your Problem Dog and The Bark Stops Here.
Pia Silvani is the Director of Pet Training and Behavior at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Madison, N.J.
Mary Lee Nitschke, Ph.D. is a Professor of Psychology at Linfield College, an Animal Behavior Therapist and the Director of Training for Animal School in Portland, OR.
Trish King is the Director of the Animal Behavior and Training Department at the Marin Humane Society in Marin County, CA.
Pamela J. Reid, Ph.D. is a certified applied animal behaviorist and assistant professor at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, where she teaches veterinary students courses in Applied Ethology and the Principles of Learning.
Information and advice contained on this site is for your consideration only. Please consult your veterinarian for specific advice concerning the care and treatment of your pet.
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