Dog Training Tips from Parkland Florida about Jumping

We were at a new client in Parkand last week and were about half way through our initial canine behavioral review discussing rules and consistency.  She looked a little troubled, we we stopped the discussion and asked her if something was bothering her.  She replied “I hear what you are saying, but I really don’t mind if my dog jumps on me.  He did it since he was a puppy and it was no big deal.  We are having a bunch of friends and family over in a few weeks for July 4^th and I just don’t want him jumping on all my friends and their little kids”…

Things must be really simple when it comes to what you want your dog to do and what you don’t want your dog to do.  The instructions you give your dog must be absolute.  Saying that your dog can jump on you, but not your friends and their kids is not an absolute rule.  It injects logic and a level of problem solving that is impossible for your dog to accomplish.  If you don’t want your dog to jump, it must be that he can not jump on anybody, period.  Even if some of your friends like him to jump on them, he can not.  Here are some idea that will help you accomplish this:

• You must enforce the "cold turkey rule".  You must never suggest or encourage your dog to jump on yourself or anybody.  Tell your friends not to do the “jump on me pat” or encourage him to jump.  This undermines your authority and the effectiveness of the rule.
• If your dog approaches you and gives the appearance that he wants to jump, pay no attention and calmly walk away.  This passively removes you from the inappropriate moment.  Dont turn your back on him when you walk away.  Move diagonally from him, keeping him in your peripheral vision.
• If you miss the moment and he starts to jump, don’t turn your back on him or raise your knee.  I know that a lot of trainers say that you should do this.  Don’t!  Stand tall, face him, say “No” in a low, firm tone, and give a big clap of your hands.  As soon as he decides not to jump, praise him in a high toned “Good doggie!”
• When you have guests around, put a leash on him.  If he is starting to build adrenaline and jump, simply step on the leash at a point where he doesn’t have the ability to jump.  This passively takes his ability to jump away while you are staying calm and focused on your guests.  After a few failed attempts, you will find him calmly sitting at your side.

Follow these simple and consistent suggestions and you will have happy friends and a well behaved (not jumping) doggie..  For more information, please contact The Best DogTrainers in Parkland and South Florida.

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Dog Training Schedule With Your Dog

OK, I know all about the exercises and I do them with my dog every once in a while, but my dog just doesnt seem to get it!  What is going on here?

I am now going to show my age here, but remember Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy?  If you are familiar with TV cartoons in the 1960’s, you will remember the cartoons where Doggie Daddy was always trying to teach his son, Augie Doggie a lesson.  I know that many other dog trainers (and a lot of trainers in my own organization) will say it is crazy to try and associate actual canine behavior with children’s cartoons.  The answer is that Doggie Daddy was absolutely correct in his training methods of his son, Augie Doggie.

I am not saying that my methods methods are based on a 1960s cartoon show, it just so happens that the show mimics the proven methods we use to gain our great results.  So what happened between Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy?  It is real simple...

• YOU MUST BE CONSISTENT.  Dogs learn by doing the same thing the exact same way.  In order for us "humans" to accomplish this, we cant spend a whole lot of time every day working with our dog.  If we do, we will get sloppy and we wont be consistent.  That is why I suggest that you do not spend more that fifteen to thirty minutes per day performing exercises with yiour dog.  If you spend more time, you are only trying to build a Guinness Worlds Record of sits.  This doesnt work.  Remember, keep it short.
• YOU MUST BE REPETITIVE.  Remember how we learned our times tables?  Seven times Seven is Forty Nine.  Over and over again.  That is the same way that your dog learns his lessons.  ...Over and over again.  This means that you need to practice your exercises every day.  You cant just do it once or twice a week and think that it is going to stick.  It wont.

So remember, repetition and consistency with your exercises.  That is what is going to make it work!  For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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