Four on the Floor

C'mon, we all thought that it was cute when our new puppy jumped up to greet us. The very first time that happened, we created the reinforcement of a bad habit. That jumping has now developed into an annoying habit that you don't know how to end.

Let's first ask, "Why do our dogs jump?" Jumping is an attention seeking behavior. Who decides when our dogs get our attention? The answer should be, we decide when we want to give them attention. Negative attention is just as good as positive attention, so when you are telling your dog to "GET DOWN", "OFF" or other negative words, what is your dog truly hearing and what is your dog doing. I suspect that your dog isn't staying down for long.

Remember my training motto…."CATCH YOUR DOG DOING SOMETHING GOOD". Try looking for the positive behavior that your dog is giving you, such as "Four on the Floor", meaning four paws on the floor, and praise and treat. Patience and consistency…soon your dog will see that good things happen when all four paws are on the floor.

For more training information contact Barbara Johnson