Hey everyone...I don't post a lot in here b/c I don't have any pets at the moment but here goes. I have a wonderful new man in my life and it hasn't been very long yet so we're still just taking it slow and seeing where it goes. He has a very cute 1 1/2 yo black Lab and she is very energetic and friendly. We even took her hiking earlier in the fall before the weather got too bad and I got to take her for the last leg of the hike...so fun! So here's the deal. The dog is well behaved and all, but she LOVES to jump up on me. And as much as I am sheepish about posting this in THIS particular subforum, the truth of the matter is I am just not fully comfortable around dogs of any size. I didn't grow up with dogs and very few of my friends have dogs. My ex BF didn't have pets and my BF prior to that was a few years ago and he had the most gentle rottweiler (sp?) of all time. New BF is very aware of me not being fully comfortable...we've talked about this and I have also told him I DO want to get more comfortable around the dog but it may take time. He does NOT let her rule the house and I'm VERY glad for that. She can't be on furniture and she doesn't get table scraps, for example. Sorry about the ramble, but is there a quick command or tone to tell a dog to NOT jump up on you? I know she's happy to see me and friendly but honestly this REALLY bothers me. New BF is very aware of this and is constantly pulling her away from me. So...help me out here, dog lovers! TIA!
This isn't a command but a loud "AHHHHH, NOOOOOO" stops them in their tracks, I know from experience, LOL. Not sure if your bf will like that though. :shame:
Hi pursegrrl! Congrats on your new relationship...it sounds like you are very happy with this new man! When we were in puppy kindergarten classes, the trainer told us that the best way to teach a dog not to jump up is to turn around when then are coming towards you so that your back is facing them. They may end up jumping on your tush at first, but should be discouraged after a bit because they are jumping up to greet you and kiss you! And always reward good behavior with a "good girl" and a treat!
Hello Pursegrrl! What I did to train my husky was similar to Smallfry's solution: I would yell 'NO!' in a stern voice, gently but firmly push her off of me and turn around and ignore her. Dog's don't like to be ignored. They will do just about anything for attention so if you don't 'reward' her with attention, she will hopefully get the point. Good luck and congrats on your new relationship!
The trainer told us that as well- and to say "off" very sternly when they still jump at your backside. The "off" command will work for furniture and the like too, if they learn it for people.
When my husband was training our 2 german shepherds and doberman pinsher as puppies when they would run up and try to jump on him her would put up his knee and say no in a stern tone so that they jumped into it. After a few times they stopped jumping. Now they don't jump on anyone, which we are all grateful for because they are all quite big now.
Saying off and turning around is good advice. If she only jumps on you when you first come over have your BF try this. Make sure she is on a short leash when you are ready to walk in the door. Have him step on her leash so she is unable to jump up. When she tries to jump have him tell her OFF and give her a small treat. Even though she tried to jump she was rewarded for not jumping. It sounds strange but it will work.
Wow, thanks everyone for all your advice and suggestions! joann, interestingly enough my brother gave me this same advice and he says it works like a charm too. He and I are of the same cloth (not used to dogs). My brother married a wonderful girl (my fab SIL!) who was raised around dogs and her dad breeded dogs amongst many other hobbies, so when they got married they got two purebred Pointers right off the bat. So, my bro learned quickly how to handle dogs. He also suggested the 'knee up' approach along with a firm "NO." It may sound a bit cruel, but dogs HATE being on their backs and if that happens as a result of your knee going up they won't ever jump up on you again.
We train people to use "Off" as well, most people use "down" for lay down and that only confuses the dog. The reason the dog is jumping on you is because they want attention, if you turn from them they lose that attention. If they learn that the unwanted behavior gets them no where they will stop, and VERY IMPORTANT, if they approach you and they don't jump up make sure you give them lots of praise and petting(attention) to let them know that this is the behavior you want.
when my dog does that, I always say "uh uh" and push her down to her place. Congrats on your new relationship. It is very nice of you to want to take the time to be more comfortable with the dog. I hope it will be accomplished and the three of you can have all the fun in the world.
I was raised with dogs growing up, but never knew how to train them. My husband on the other hand trained with LAPD and bred and raised rottweilers. When he first started training our dogs I thought the knee up approach seem cruel as well, but I saw the results and I never questioned his methods as all three of our dogs are off lead trained and understand hand signals. Good luck.
I use OFF and the knee up, too. I joke that my dogs think their name is Off Dammit. It works very well, except one of them is too smart and she knows she can't jump on me in front, so when I turn around sometimes she misbehaves. I live in the country and they get dirty playing outside - I check my shirts before I go out to make sure I don't have two perfect pawprints on my back!
I read about the knee up thing in "Marley & Me." If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it - it's a funny and frighteningly true story of a yellow lab. A sweet dog, but a terror. The book soooo closely mirrors our relationship with DF's dog, Harley, a golden retriever. Harley is a maniac. He's 3, lovable, sweet, affectionate, and HUGE. He's a beast. He barrels into the backs of my knees on my way down the stairs. I joke with DF that the silly dog thinks he weighs 10 lbs and is invisible. He really thinks he can fit anywhere my 20 lb Schnauzer can. And what happens if there's no room for him? He MAKES room. Dining room chairs tumble over. The couch MOVES. He sweetly puts one paw on the furniture next to me to get my attention, and then ever so sneakily, before you know it, he's got his whole body stretched across me - sweet, right? he's giving me a HUG. Yeah, a hug from a 100 pound dog who drools and sheds on my clothes and shoes and bags is REALLY sweet. Anyway, read the book. It will make you laugh. Oh, right, the knee up thing - it worked with Marley. I didn't try it with DF's dog because I was shy. I thought I could tell him nicely and Greg would eventually stop him. Nope, he thinks it's cute. So we've been together for 2 years, we're getting married in 2 months (!), and the maniac dog still jumps on me. Assert yourself NOW. And did I mention that our sweet, big, dumb dog SNORES? He's like a freight train.
