S/O Dog Behavior and retraining

[mom2myboys]

From past threads, I know that there are some people here who are very knowledgeable about dog behavior and training. I am hoping that you all will have some advice for me. And/or resources. I am happy to do some reading myself, just need some direction on what is a good resource. 

 

We have a 2 year lab mix. He is well-behaved and listens well with most things (sit, stay, lie down, come, leave it, etc.) However, he gets excited and jumps on company when they first arrive. After everyone is settled, he is usually fine, but I don't want him jumping up. I tell him to sit and stay while people enter, but that is the one situation where he doesn't hold the stay for long and will jump. How can I train him out of this behavior? And what cues would you suggest I use?

 

When he was a puppy, we trained him with a clicker (click and treat). I still have the clickers, but we haven't used them since he learned the basics. Cam I still use the clicker with him? 

 

Thanks in advance for your help. :)

 

 

[Guest]

With our dogs, when they would jump, we would put our knee up.  Not enough to hurt them, but when they would jump, their chest would be at the level of our knee. It was enough to be an uncomfortable feeling, and it only took a few times before they got it.  At the same time we said a simple "no jump".

[Laurie4b]

You can modify this for when company comes. Make sure you have your clicker and high status treats for when company arrives. It's nice if you can practice with a friend or neighbor.

[hornblower]

You can use the clicker forever if you like. A clicker is used to train any new behavior or to fine tune an existing behavior.  & you can teach any dog - no matter how old!

here is an article laying out the basics of getting polite door behaviors: http://www.clickertraining.com/how-to-keep-your-dog-calm-when-the-doorbell-rings



there is a tool called a Treat N Train which is a bit expensive but can be useful exactly for this sort of thing. You can see it in action here:

But the tool is not necessary if you're patient. You have to build up their capacity for being excited & settling back quickly. So for example, watch this video  Towards the end, you'll see Sophia do exciting things, trying to get the dog to ramp up & then settle again. You want to do this & gradually increase excitement. Fake knocking at door & door bells etc.

Here's another video, this time from kikopup. You'll see at the end she recommends a technique of keeping the dog interested in the ground while you're greeting guests.

Tab289 uses a baby gate/playpen tool to get a calm behavior. Here's his video. Eventually you can fade that tool & have the dog settle on a mat & wait to greet.


Just keep in mind that this is very hard for dogs so be patient & try to set him up for success. It's very arousing for dogs to have company & sometimes what helps is to let them run in the yard for a bit & then have them come in when they've got their happy zoomy out.

 

[mom2myboys]

Thank you! 

[texasmama]

Subbing because this is our dog's most problematic behavior - jumping up. Will watch linked videos later.