I've had Jerry for just over a month now; he's a 5-month-old Australian Shepherd x German Shepherd cross ^^
I did plenty of research before getting him, and his training was going brilliantly. He loves learning, going out, running, and playing, and he's very affectionate.
But there's a little issue I need to sort out as soon as possible. My mum is a childminder, so she looks after toddlers under 3 at home.
The problem is that my dog jumps up all the time. Let me explain: he’s constantly jumping on the furniture, over and over again. He's been doing this for the last 2 or 3 days; before that, his training was spot on. He won't stop putting his front paws up when we're eating, and on the worktops—actually, I've noticed he does it most where my mum is cooking x) I'll be honest, I'm stuck for ideas on how to fix this, other than pushing him away and saying "no", but I'm not really a fan of that style of training. I need to sort this out ASAP. I'm sure you'll understand that with young children around, this behaviour isn't ideal ^^'.
Do you have any suggestions to help me out? Thanks :)
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Whenever he jumps up on the furniture, I offer him his favourite ball and it does the trick. But he’s right back at it five seconds later. Then I offer him the ball again... it just never ends. And when we send him back to his bed, he won't stay put for more than two seconds... To be fair, I do get it—there are three kids playing right where he is, and obviously they’re fascinated by the dog, so they’re always going over to see him and so on. He understands the "on your bed" command and he'll go there, but he just won't stay for more than two seconds... I have to admit, my mum’s job definitely makes his training a bit of a challenge! ^^'
Actually, your dog is mainly jumping up on the worktop where your mum is cooking: it’s perfectly normal, it must smell great! Your dog has an inquisitive mind and seems quite clever; he’s jumping up to see what’s on the units because he’s too small to see without jumping. Once he’s fully grown, he won't need to jump to see while sitting down (given his breed)... have you tried sending him back to his bed when he does that?
Your dog is just lacking some basic training; you should head to a training club so both of you can learn how to sort it all out. These are things that can be taught, and your dog is still only a puppy after all.
As for jumping on the furniture, I can't really help you there as I'm going through the exact same thing at the moment! Jack thinks it’s great fun climbing onto the coffee table (luckily he’s still too small to get his paws on the dining table or the kitchen worktops). However, when it comes to jumping up at people, I’d recommend checking out this video made by the dog trainer where I go for puppy classes. It shows some methods that work really well:
http://youtu.be/lrBamuXkLjc
Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that too :/ I honestly don’t know what to do anymore... Some guests came over earlier and he kept jumping up at them... In a month's time, they really aren't going to appreciate it... And it’s just not working with the kids anymore; even at two years old they were being respectful with the dog, but he wouldn't stop jumping up, so we had to separate them... I don’t know if it’s just a phase, but one thing’s for sure: it can’t go on like this... :/
The "off" command is a useful one, and praising him is a good thing, but in this specific case I'm not so sure; he'll just end up jumping up so that you'll tell him to get down and give him a reward ^_^.
As soon as you give your dog any attention, he'll keep coming back for more. It’s a bit of a vicious circle because ignoring him isn't always the answer either.
Personally, mine wears his collar all day and night, and for walks, the lead is the signal that it’s time to head out (though everyone has their own way of doing things and their own little tricks).
I hope someone a bit more clued-up can give you some simpler guidance and some solid advice ;)
Actually, yeah, when I push him away he just takes it as a game. So I've started saying "off" and praising him when he gets down. But it hasn't made any difference, for today at least – I've had to say "off" at least a hundred times during the day...
I only put his collar on when we're out on walks. I'll keep doing what I've been doing until Thursday or Friday, and if the problem isn't sorted by then, I'll look for another solution. Worst case scenario, the "off" command will always come in handy ^^
Be careful with how you push him away; usually, pushing your dog back just reinforces the behaviour, as he’ll likely take it as a game.
Does he wear his collar all day? If so, simply taking him by the collar and making him sit while giving a firm "no" seems like a sensible way to handle it.
Mind you, I’m no behaviour expert; that’s just how I tell mine off when he’s being naughty—and even then, I’m lucky as he rarely gets into trouble x). In a few months' time, it’s quite possible he’ll start getting into all sorts of mischief ^_^. 5 months is a bit early for the "teenage phase", but it’s definitely not unheard of.
