How to Train a Large Dog to Not Jump
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Introduction
You enter the house through the front door only to be greeted by your very enthusiastic--and large--Newfoundland, who nearly knocks you over in his excitement. Or maybe the family is coming over for dinner, but how can you prevent your sizeable Golden Retriever from knocking over grandma or the little kids? It’s lovely to have large breed dogs who love being part of the family, but no one likes being bowled over by a dog, even one who is happy to see you! How can you stop your large breed dog from jumping up?
By following the lessons below, your dog can learn to keep all four paws on the ground where they belong. It’s natural for dogs to exhibit their happiness at your arrival home or a new visitor, but that does not mean that jumping up on someone is acceptable behavior. It’s the exact opposite: disrespectful and rude. With patience and practice, your large breed dog can learn to greet you and your visitors with respect and calmness.
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Defining Tasks
It’s critically important for your safety that your large dog learn that jumping up is not appropriate behavior. But it’s also necessary to understand that just telling your dog, “Down!” or pushing him off of you does not adequately communicate to him how he should act. Jumping up gets your attention--precisely what your dog is looking for--and it also is a gratifying way for your dog to express excitement and burn off energy. What he needs to learn is what you expect of him so he can respond appropriately.
Proper management and training for this issue are necessary to curb this behavior. With consistent practice and a hefty dose of patience on your part, you can teach your dog not to jump up within a one to four-week time frame. The younger your dog, the quicker he is likely to pick up on the new rules. Older dogs who are more set in their ways may take more time to adjust.
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Getting Started
The following training methods simply require consistency, patience, and a willingness to repeat these steps regularly until your dog masters this skill. Keep the training segments short and maintain a positive attitude at all times. If at any point you become frustrated, stop training for the day and start over tomorrow.
With these methods in mind, your large breed dog will better understand what you are asking him to do, and not to do. Soon he will learn that jumping up is improper behavior, and with your help, he will learn the right way to behave. If your dog is heavily influenced by food, have a few treats in your pocket to reward your dog for a job well done.
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The Repeated Re-entry Method
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Enter through your front door
Walk into the front door of your home. When your dog jumps up on you, immediately turn around and walk back out the door.
Wait and see
Wait roughly 30 - 60 seconds, then walk back through the door again.
Greet your dog calmly
When you re-enter the house, be sure to greet your dog as calmly as possible. Don't add to his excitement by greeting him in an exaggerative way.
Repeat as necessary
If your dog jumps up on you when you walk back into the house, turn around and walk back out the door. Repeat this step until your dog doesn't jump up when he sees you.
Reward and praise
When your dog stops jumping up on you when you walk in the door, reward and praise him by petting him or giving him.a treat.
The Tether Method
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Tie your dog
To teach your dog not to jump up on guests or visitors, tether your dog to a tree, fence, or table, or hold onto your dog's leash.
Test your dog
Have a guest walk by your dog and greet him. If your dog jumps up, have the guest walk away from your dog.
Try a re-approach
Once your dog stops jumping up, have the guest walk back to him, thereby rewarding him for not jumping.
Repeat
Continue the process of approaching and withdrawing from the dog until the dog no longer jumps up on the guest.
Extend the practice to include others
Move from a guest to a passersby outside on the street. Give your dog as much exposure as possible to help reinforce that jumping up on people is not allowed.
The Treat Method
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Find some volunteers
Ask a couple of family members or neighbors to help your dog learn to not jump up when encountering people entering the house or walking by outside.
Toss some treats
Every time your dog wants to greet a person, toss a handful of small treats around 5 - 10 feet away from the person. Keep a small bag of treats near the door for quick access.
Wait for it
Repeat steps 1 and 2 a few times until your dog begins to associate the treats with avoiding the person walking in the door.
Reward and praise
Once your dog accomplishes this task, be sure to reward him with extra attention.
Repeat the process
Practice these steps with your dog repeatedly until you and your guests can walk in the door without having a dog jumping on them.
Written by Erin Cain
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 01/30/2018, edited: 01/08/2021
Training Questions and Answers
Roxie
Pyrenees and Anatolian
2 Years
Question
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She has lived with nine small dogs since a small pup. She's never been aggressive with any of them. When she leaves our property (six acres), she immediately and viciously attacks any animal she encounters. We have paid for vet bills twice ... two different dogs on two different properties. She has not been spayed yet.
Oct. 29, 2021
Roxie's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1133 Dog owners recommended
Hello Beverly, First, she is more likely to wander if not spayed. Spaying may not help the aggression but it can make the strong urge to wander less urgent. I would speak with your vet about spaying. When in heat the urge to wander is extremely strong. Her not being spayed will also attract a lot of other male dogs to the area, who she may be killing at the boundary line territorially. Second, I would work on boundary training so she is less likely to leave your property. For her, this will probably mean some low level remote collar training or investing in something like Halo, which is similar to an invisible fence but without all the buried wires, and for a property your size, will probably be hundreds or dollars cheaper than all that buried wire. I would look that device up and see if it seems like a good option for you. I would also take pup around your property line, where you set up the Halo boundary, mark it with those colored flags to remind pup and practice pup being told Ah Ah and corrected with the collar for crossing that boundary, and also told Good girl and rewarded when she moves away from the line. A line training leash can also be used to reel her back over to your side of the line if she crosses and is being corrected. Dogs need to be taught how to make that correction stop, so it doesn't seem random, which can be done using a long training leash that you can reel pup in with, to show pup repeatedly that coming back onto your property is how she makes the correction stop, and help her want to stay on your property with the treats. You could also work on teaching pup to avoid other small animals. You would need to go places off property if it only happens off property, use a long training leash, then locate small animals like rabbits in fields to practice remote collar avoidance training around. Check out James Penrith from TaketheLeadDogTraining. He has a Youtube channel. He works with dogs that chase and sometimes will kill livestock. To stop the killing you would need to pursue training like that, creating a strong avoidance the small animals. Day 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgNbWCK9lFc Day 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kpf5Bn-MNko&t=14s Day 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj3nMvvHhwQ Day 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxrGQ-AZylY If the issue is prey drive, avoidance training will probably be the most effective. If the issue is specific to other dogs, you could work with a trainer who specializes in behavior issues and has access to a lot of other well mannered dogs to practice counter conditioning. The issue may be territorial if not prey drive though, given pup's breed. Ensuring pup remains on their boundary and is taught to avoid small animals will be important for territorial behavior. Territorial behavior can be addressed in other ways, but that also requires your presence a lot more and pup having far less area to roam where you are not located. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Nov. 1, 2021