Jumping Up

Probably one of the most annoying traits in a dog is jumping up. As with every other canine problem you must understand how it started before you can solve it.

Watch a wildlife film on any pack animal and you will see on returning to the pack how the Leader stands tall and aloof ignoring the lower ranking members who fuss around him/her. The Leader pays no attention to them whatsoever until the ritual is over and the pack calms down. This confirms his /her leadership status.

But what do most dog owners do the minute they come home? They fuss their dog in an excited manner and what message does this give? Your dog is the Leader of the family pack. He must be, your behaviour tells him so. Pack Leader can do whatever he/she likes and jumping all over you is perfectly fine.

So whenever you greet your you must change the message and confirm your leadership status by ignoring him completely: no talk, no touch, no eye contact.(You may want to raise your knee to protect yourself). Once he calms down you can resume normal CALM relationships.

Once you begin to act like a Pack Leader you will see a major improvement.

If you have a dog problem e-mail Vic at vicb4sport@aol.com