Dogs are very pleasing while they’re still puppies, but times comes that they become adult and loose that cuteness that once you admire
Training your puppy to be respectful to people is just easy. It’s much harder to convince an adult dog who’s been rewarded for jumping up that he should now greet people politely. Wouldn’t you rather try the easy way?
The “good stuff” Sparky gets for jumping up is attention. When your pup jumps up, you look at him. You pet him. You talk to him. Perhaps you even pick him up and cuddle him. He learns that “up” is a desirable place to be.
Then the time comes that your pup is too big to jump up anymore, but he doesn’t realize it. And when that continue to happen, it will be entrenched in his mind that it is the best way to get the good stuff.
You try to stop giving Sparky attention for jumping up, but every once in a while, when the mood is right, you slip and pet him when he puts his paws in your lap. Uh-oh, big mistake! You are not reinforcing the impolite dog behavior randomly. Sometimes jumping up is rewarded, sometimes it’s not.
It becomes very tough for a behavior that are randomly reinforced – it is hard to eliminate it because Sparky learns that if he just keeps trying, eventually the behavior will pay off, like a slot machine that gives up its fortune if you keep pulling the handle long enough.
You’re not the only one who unintentionally rewards your pup randomly for jumping up. Family members, passersby on the street who want to gush over your pup when you’re walking him on the leash, visitors to your home – the entire world is a potential slot machine for your pup. This is where you combine good management with assertive insistence.
Teach your pup that sitting in front of you politely, he will get your attention. Jumping up makes you turn your back, walk away, or even step over or through a baby gate (a great management tool!) if necessary, leaving your puppy behind. Show your family how to respond in the same manner so Sparky will learn that the only way to get anyone to pay attention to him is by sitting.
When Sparky has learned that sitting is a rewardable behavior, and if someone approaches him while your walking with him in the public, gently but insistently inform them that before they can pet him, he must sit first. Your leash is your management tool – restrain Sparky so he can’t charge forward and jump up. Instruct the person if Sparky jumps up, they need to step back until he sits again, then allow them to pet your dog.