JUMPING
What an obnoxious and, sometimes dangerous behavior! My goodness my german shepherd keeps jumping on people! Knocked over my kid and grandma. Knocked me over coming through the door and spilled my coffee all over the front of me! I am at my wits end, what do I do?
Well the steps are simple! What do you do when your dog jumps on you? First thing we do is, look. Now the dog has all my focus. Dog says “ aha, I can get your attention this way!” Second thing we do, talk. We say “stop it, down, no! GET! AAAAUUUUGH!” The problem is, my dog does not speak english. All my dog knows is, “My human is looking at me and barking! They must be as excited as I am!” Finally, number three, we push. Now while our instincts are telling us to push the dog away, body bumping is play behavior. Your dog is now going “ Oh my human looked at me, is making noise, and wants to play!” The jumping continues and escalates. This is where things get hairy. If you get frustrated you might, knee your dog, smack your dog, yell at your dog. Now your dog goes “AH! I thought we were playing, wow that human is really unpredictable.” We are sending mixed signals that are very clear to us, but confusing for our dog. More frustrating for them is the days we come home and they are so excited to see us, and we are excited to see them, and they jump and frantically lick. When they are puppies this is so cute! We love the puppy's attention and encourage it. Sometimes we do this when they are adults. The day we come home when we are in a great mood we may come home and greet them with as much excitement as they offer. This means on the days that we don’t, our dog is confused. When he jumps on grandma, it’s because that is how he knows how to get attention. Your dog is not a bad dog, it is simply a dog.
WHAT DO YOU DO? You actively ignore your dog when their feet are off the floor. No touch, no talk, no eye contact. Turn your back, cross your arms and ignore that dog. When all four feet are on the floor, “Hey nice to see you!” Affection happens when all four feet are on the floor. This is the part we often miss. Give attention in the moments they are doing the right thing. Wiggling around near my feet! “Oh who’s so good” no, they don’t understand what you said but, “My human is talking to me! This is how I get your attention!”
EXTINCTION BURSTS - What in the heck is that? Well this is when your dog has been getting attention for jumping and now suddenly, they are not. Why? Did I not jump high enough? Did I need to bark at the same time? HOW DO I GET YOU TO LOOK AT ME! Naturally this means the behavior may escalate slightly. However, if you stick to your guns, the dog will give up. When they give up “Good job buddy”. Dog says “YAAAAY” and probably jumps on you again. Immediately stop the attention. Create a strong pattern “If you jump you lose my attention, Four on the floor earns love and affection.”
Now you may be thinking, ya but what happens if I get frustrated? Leave the room. Do not risk giving up because now, escalating works! Exit for a few seconds then try again. Remember that your dog is trying to solve the puzzle of how to get your attention. Like a password on a computer. No matter how many times I type in the wrong password, the computer will not let me in. The wrong password is feet on people. If I type in the right password I gain access to what I need. The right password is four on the floor.
Good luck, happy training!
Kelsey Caviezel of KC’s K9’s Positive Reinforcement Training
Find the Place Where Training Meets Freedom
Socialization
Let’s Talk About It
I’m sure you have heard about socialization in dogs. But what is it? Why is it important? How do I do this effectively? With all the information out there it’s hard to know if what we are doing is the correct move for our puppies.Never fear, I am going to break this down for you Barnie style.
When I was teaching group classes I would ask my students, “What does Socialization mean to you?” Most of the time I got the same answer. Meeting other dogs and people. It makes sense in human vocabulary to say socialization is the act of being social. Now, this is correct but is missing SO much more information. Socializing your dog, in simple terms, is getting them used to things they will encounter in the real world. In training terms I would say; Socialization is the act of habituating your dog to everyday stimuli. Sciencey jargon aside I plan to make this simpler for you. Let’s dive it.
WHEN
The “when” is so important. Growing puppies have a specified socialization period. During this time their brain is constantly taking in new information and noting if it is dangerous or not. It is not a large window ending at only 16 weeks of age. Once we pass this precious 4 month mark we are no longer socializing. We have flipped the switch into counter conditioning. Set a goal for when you bring puppy home to introduce them to one new thing everyday. Put on your sunglasses and toss some treats or play. Go for a walk with an umbrella. Meet different people, different ages, colors and maybe even that nice man in the wheelchair. Sit at the park and just watch. Get that pup used to the sights and sounds of living with humans. It’s a busy world out there.
HOW
It is very important to make sure the puppy isn’t becoming overwhelmed or building a fear of everyday items. If someone comes to greet your pup and they hide, or seem uncomfortable, we should not force this contact. Instead, politely decline pets and offer the stranger a treat they can TOSS to your puppy. Handing it to them is just a way to trick the puppy into touching someone they are wary of. Let the pup make the decision to say hi. This may seem counterintuitive but this will help build your pups confidence in themself, and their trust in you. When you notice puppy is scared of the can on the street, don’t scold them for barking or trying to get away. Instead reward them for bravery. Took a step towards the scary garbage, “Good dog”. Sniffed an object with ALL their weight shifted backwards, “Oh what a brave puppy! Here’s a treat.”
Allow them to sniff!
We are too caught up in rushing through a walk. Let me change your goal for you. Instead of your goal being a lap around the park your new goal is, enrich your dog's life. Every time you let them get a good sniff you are achieving this goal. The older they get the more boring those everyday smells will become. They are less likely to obsessively sniff as adults if they have already ruled out that the smell is, in fact, from a bird, and move on quickly. You are seeing your world with your eyes. Your dog is smelling the world with their nose. We can look at numbers and data, but there is no way to truly comprehend how sensitive the canine nose is to information. So let them sniff!
WHERE
Everywhere you go! Your puppy is constantly taking in new information. It is asstounding to see how fast young minds decide what is safe and what is not. If your pup is not fully vaccinated you can do exercises at home or put pup in a wagon to keep them off the ground. Always remember your treats and your poop bags. Taking some cleaning wipes is a good idea as well. Taking a trip to home depot? Plop that puppy in a cart! Headed to PetSmart? Drag that pup along for the ride.
SOUND
I do want to briefly touch on socialization to sound. I really enjoy having dog tv for my pups. This may seem a little silly to some. Hear me out though. Dog tv plays a variety of sounds. It has images of dogs doing different activities and has a multitude of different items on screen. Such an easy way to expose pup from home when you can’t get out. I also like to play sounds on youtube. Horns honking, cars, thunder storms and different barks. If we know our neighbors blow off fireworks at different times of the year, I might venture as far as to play explosion sounds. If your puppy is overwhelmed by any played sound effects, turn the volume down and try again. You can bump the volume up over time. Our goal is that they don’t care about the sound at all.
TOUCH
Humans are handsy things. We want to touch all the things! We have to make sure pups are used to being touched and handled. Touch a paw and couple it with a treat. Touch an ear and give a favorite toy. Never hold on for the rodeo. If the puppy wants to pull away, let them. Try at a lower intensity next time. Puppy pulled away from holding its tail, next time I’ll just touch it for a second. Build on these skills as you go. Your veterinarian and groomer will thank you.
The End is Here
This was a very brief overview of what we really mean when we say “Socialize your dog.” It is not just learning to be friendly. It is learning to cope with everyday life. To be calm around new things and to accept that the man in the sunglasses is not some other worldly being who has come to take away everything you love. That the wind in the trees is not a threatening display from an enormous creature. Most importantly, when done properly, it teaches your dog that you will control their environment so they don’t have to.
If you enjoyed this read and want more information, or help, socializing a new pup please contact Kelsey Caviezel with KC’s K9’s Positive Reinforcement Training
Find the Place Where Training Meets Freedom
