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There are so many reasons why it's a bad idea for a dog to jump at the door, especially a glass one. From the large dog who accidentally smashes the glass to a small dog leaving paw prints, keeping 'four on the floor' and not jumping up is the best idea.
Sorting this problem requires a little lateral thinking. First, you must figure out why the dog jumps at the door. For example, is it his way of asking to go out to the toilet or does the dog get super-excited when the doorbell rings? Identify the role played by jumping and you can teach an alternative behavior that is both safe and acceptable.
As with many training issues, prevent the dog doing the unwanted jumping while you're retraining. This can be as simple as putting the dog in another room when visitors are due or leaving the door to the yard open when you're not training.
Jumping up is an action the dog teaches himself. He learns that jumping up makes the door open or visitors appear. This means the behavior is ingrained, which makes it harder to break. This is why it's important to reduce the opportunity for the jumping, while you retrain.
Successful trainers don't just tell the dog what not to do, they put an alternative action in its place. That way the dog knows what is expected in order to make the door open or the visitor enter.
Train little and often, say twice a day for 10 - 15 minutes at a time. Always used reward-based methods and keep the sessions fun. Last but not least, end on a positive note with a command the dog is able to do.
All you need are basics, such as tasty treats. In addition, you'll need props such as a mat (for the dog to lie on instead of going to the door) or a bell (to ring instead of jumping at the door).
- Treats
- Props, such as a mat or bell.
Be aware that punishing the dog for jumping at the door is ineffective and damages the bond between you. Instead, teach the dog the appropriate response so he knows what's expected from him.
The Stop Bad Habits Method
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Understand the idea
OK, so your dog jumps at the door when the doorbell rings. You open the door to let in guests who then give him a big fuss. In his mind, jumping at the door gets a big reward. To re-educate the dog, you have to stop those accidental treats. Think around your particular problem and see what you can come up with.
Visitors phone ahead
Get visitors to phone when they are nearly at the house, so you can put the dog in a back room. This removes the opportunity for the dog to jump at the door and reinforce his bad habit.
Leave a leash on in the house
Keep a leash on the dog in the house. When the postman knocks, grab the leash to stop the dog charging for the door.
Withdraw attention
If the dog jumps at the door, don't respond in the way he expects. If it is safe to do so, walk away and withdraw your attention. This means jumping up is not rewarded and becomes less attractive as an occupation.
No shouting!
Don't shout at the dog for jumping at the door (your attention is rewarding to dogs). Have visitors ignore the dog as they enter. Both of these strategies avoid rewarding the unwanted behavior.
The Teach 'Bark' Instead Method
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Understand the idea
Your dog has a habit of jumping at the door when he wants to go out. Try encouraging a different signal, which you reward.
Work with the dog's existing skills
Decide where the dog's strengths lie. For example, if his loves using his voice, then teaching him to bark as a signal works well. For the dog that loves scratching, consider a bell for him to strike with a paw.
Link 'bark' to the door opening
For the vocal dog, wait for him to ask to go out. Instead of immediately opening the door, encourage him to bark. Perhaps show him a favorite toy, one he'll bark to get hold of. Or talk in an excited voice, so he picks up the vibe and barks back.
Praise and reward
Immediately when the dog barks, praise him, give a treat, and open the door. Now he learns a bark is more rewarding than jumping at the door.
Be patient
It takes time but the dog learns that a bark unlocks the door and jumping serves no purpose. It can be helpful to do this in conjunction with the Stop Bad Habits method.
The Teach 'Mat' Instead Method
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Understand the idea
Let's move to the scenario where the dog jumps at the door to greet visitors. While retraining, plan ahead and stop access to the door when guests call. The plan is to teach an alternative action, such as lying on his mat, which you establish as the desired reaction.
Teach the dog to go to his mat
Next is to teach the dog to lie on his mat. It helps if the dog is already trained to 'stay'. You may need to teach this command in tandem if not.
Position the mat
Place the mat at a distance from the door. Place a treat on the mat and as the dog goes to the mat to eat it, say "mat". Now try standing a couple of feet away. Point to the mat and give the 'mat' command. You may need to toss a treat onto the mat to get the dog to respond.
Increase the mat's distance from the door
This teaches the dog that "mat" translates as "Sit on that spot to get a reward". This is easy for him to do, so he's likely to obey. Gradually increase the distance from the mat as you give the command.
Have the dog 'stay' on the mat
Once the dog is regularly going to the mat on cue, increase the amount of time he spends there with a 'stay' command. This will help your dog's self-control when visitors do arrive since he shouldn't move until released from the 'stay'.
Practice with visitors
Now enlist the help of a friend. With the dog regularly obeying 'mat', add in a knock on the door. (A knock only, the person doesn't actually enter.) By tossing a treat to the mat, you can override his desire to jump at the door--especially when there's no fuss from a visitor.
Come on in
Your final step is to have people enter while the dog stays on the mat. Have visitors completely ignore the dog but walk over to his mat. If he stays put, he gets a treat.
Written by Pippa Elliott
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 11/03/2017, edited: 01/08/2021
More articles by Pippa Elliott
Training Questions and Answers
Everytime we put our puppy outside he jumps on my French doors. He won’t stop. How do I break this habit?
July 11, 2023
Moose's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Good day, For the door jumping, work on teaching pup a sit command. Treat lure method for teaching Sit: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-sit Before you let them inside each time, have them sit. Open the door a bit and command Sit. If they obey, open the door all the way and tell them "Okay", then let them in. If they disobey and try to rush the door, close it more so they can't get through and wait until they sit before opening it again. That alone may be enough, but if not, when pup jumps on the door, open it slightly and spray a small puff of air from an unscented air canister at their side or chest - avoiding spraying them in the face, then close the door again - not letting them in yet. When they are calmly waiting at the door or especially if they sit to be let in instead, let them in or toss them a treat if it's not time to come in yet - to encourage the polite manners. Don't use citronella for this, only unscented air, and avoiding spraying in the face. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
July 17, 2023
How do I get Bear to stop jumping on the sliding glass door to want to come back inside?
Sept. 3, 2022
Bear's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello, For the door jumping, work on teaching pup a sit. Before you let them inside each time, have the sit. Open the door a bit and command Sit. If they obey, open the door all the way and tell them "Okay". If they disobey and try to rush the door, close it more so they can't get through and wait until they sit before opening it again. That alone may be enough, but if not, when pup jumps on the door, open it slightly and spray a small puff of air from an unscented air canister at their side or chest - avoiding spraying them in the face, then close the door again - not letting them in yet. When they are calmly waiting at the door or especially if they sit to be let in instead, let them in or toss them a treat if it's not time to come in yet - to encourage the polite manners. Don't use citronella for this, only unscented air, and avoiding spraying in the face. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Sept. 6, 2022
She jumps on the front door when anyone enters approaches the house, and the excitement gets our other shepherd going as well. When I'm home, I've taught them to go to their "place" and "stay". They're reasonably good at it, but when we're not home, the FedEx guy tells me they are maniacs, and my front door is absolutely ruined. How can I break this habit when I'm not home?
Aug. 12, 2022
Tilly's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello, Since this is happening when you are not around, this is going to take a bit more creativity. First, good job on the training with Place and Stay. I would practice having someone come to your door over and over again, commanding Place and rewarding obedience to commands, but ALSO rewarding any calm responses, like pup's not barking or rushing the door to begin with after the same person has gone back and forth from your door over and over again and pups find it boring - so stop rushing the door....You want it to be boring and to be able to start rewarding pups for not reacting at all. Have a friend or family member pup doesn't realize they know (someone they don't recognize or someone dressed up differently), go to the door, make noise there, then walk to the end of the driveway for a couple of minutes while you work on calming the dogs down, rewarding the Place and quietness, then come back and repeat being a "delivery person" again. Repeat this sequence as much as 10-20 times until pup starts to get bored with the process and isn't concerned about the person. Be sure to reward good behavior so pup doesn't feel overly suspicious of this person who is coming and going. Work on general desensitization like I described above often. Additionally, you will likely need to correct pup automatically while away. You can either confine pups in another room away from the door, or correct with a remote training collar on pup's "working level" while spying on pup from another location with a camera or through a window - research or hire a private trainer to learn about their proper use and fit first. Or use an automatic treat dispenser that you can monitor and reward via your phone app while away, to teach pup that the door is off limits even while you are away - until pups become convinced that training will be enforced even when you aren't there. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Aug. 12, 2022