# Training to not jump on us?



## JLeigh (Jul 15, 2012)

I think I would be having some success if it weren't for the fact that Alice has some separation anxiety. When we come home, she goes berserk. She cries and barks and literally tries to leap into our arms over and over and over again --which would be kinda cute if she wasn't 53 lbs LOL. We've tried "no" and "down" and ignoring her until she calms down a bit. Nothing helps. She's so beside herself with joy at seeing us that she just goes crazy. She isn't left at home alone all day every day. Both my husband and I have very flexible schedules, so the longest she has been left completely alone has been about 5 hours, and that has only happened about 3 times in the 4 months we've had her. I know this has something to do with the anxiety, but I'm just not sure how to properly address it. She gets VERY upset when she knows she is about to be left alone, and we practically have to sneak out of the house. We can't and won't use any techniques with a crate because most of her life was spent sitting in a crate. If we even close her off in a room away from us, she goes off the rails. Any suggestions? Thanks!


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

How long do you "ignore" her for? 

What does she do when you ignore her?


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## Maxy24 (Mar 5, 2011)

Have you tried asking for a sit? Then rewarding it with what she wants....attention (relatively calm attention since she's so worked up).

She sounds like Tucker, who also has SA, and also leaps to about face level when we come home. He is also amazing as finding the place behind our knee and bouncing off of that. Ignoring him calms him down the fastest, but does not prevent the painful bouncing off our body greeting in the first place, just keeps it from lasting very long. Asking for a sit prevent the painful greeting but DOES require us to manage him for longer after we come in the door because he is still very excited. So after he's sat once and gotten his pets he may spring up and try jumping again so you'd need to watch for that and be ready to tell him to sit again before he starts jumping again. Or after you've stopped petting walk a few steps, pet her again for being able to walk those few steps without jumping, walk away a few more steps, stop and pet, etc. Another thing that is great for Tucker is that he knows we go to the couch after we walk int he door usually and so now after I've had him sit and I stop petting him he'll spring up and run to the couch. He can't jump up when he's lying on the couch, so he gets petting while he lies there. So perhaps teach the dog to go lie somewhere comfy for petting. Petting should be very calm. For Tucker a lot of times I just hold my hands out and he rubs himself all over them. We have never done anything consistently, but I do think the sitting would eventually work very well for him if my family stuck to it.


But make sure the dog does have a good strong sit command on her beforehand and try to keep comings and goings very low key. Ask for the sit BEFORE you get jumped on. If the dog breaks the sit stand straight up/stop petting and ask again.


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## JLeigh (Jul 15, 2012)

DaneMama said:


> How long do you "ignore" her for?


Until she stops jumping and calms down a bit.



> What does she do when you ignore her?


She jumps on our back and then when that doesn't work, she looks around for the first thing to grab, then prances around the house with it in her mouth. Yesterday it was a 5 lb bag of potatoes lol. 





Maxy24 said:


> Have you tried asking for a sit? Then rewarding it with what she wants....attention (relatively calm attention since she's so worked up).
> 
> She sounds like Tucker, who also has SA, and also leaps to about face level when we come home. He is also amazing as finding the place behind our knee and bouncing off of that. Ignoring him calms him down the fastest, but does not prevent the painful bouncing off our body greeting in the first place, just keeps it from lasting very long. Asking for a sit prevent the painful greeting but DOES require us to manage him for longer after we come in the door because he is still very excited. So after he's sat once and gotten his pets he may spring up and try jumping again so you'd need to watch for that and be ready to tell him to sit again before he starts jumping again. Or after you've stopped petting walk a few steps, pet her again for being able to walk those few steps without jumping, walk away a few more steps, stop and pet, etc. Another thing that is great for Tucker is that he knows we go to the couch after we walk int he door usually and so now after I've had him sit and I stop petting him he'll spring up and run to the couch. He can't jump up when he's lying on the couch, so he gets petting while he lies there. So perhaps teach the dog to go lie somewhere comfy for petting. Petting should be very calm. For Tucker a lot of times I just hold my hands out and he rubs himself all over them. We have never done anything consistently, but I do think the sitting would eventually work very well for him if my family stuck to it.
> 
> ...



We have done that, too. I'll tell her to sit and she does it immediately. I then reward her by petting her. The instant I release her, she starts leaping into the air again. The whole jumping and over-excitement cycle lasts for about 3-4 minutes.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Can she be crated when you're away?


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## Tracy (Aug 11, 2012)

I've had really good success using a baby gate/dog control gate. It's not as confining as a crate, it's just a good way to teach her how to be confident on her own, when you are there. I use stuffed kongs/clicker training/treat dispenser toys to teach confidence about being in a different room to me. It's done very gradually, 5 to 10 minute sessions a few times a day. If it's made the norm to sometimes be in a different room away from you, then leaving her may become easier for her. The clicker training has the beauty of marking all calm behaviours without you having to speak, which may escalate her anxiety.

I've also dropped tasty treats on the floor when entering a room. You could also practice this yourselves as a family. The food needs to be scattered before she gets a chance to wind up. It may not work, as if she's too wound up on seeing you, then she wont be interested in the food. If this is the case, then the baby gate is a better option, as she can't have free access to you and you can still reward calmer behaviours from the other side of the gate. If I think of anything else, I'll let you know.:thumb:


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## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

When I first got Dozer, he was a jumper. 

A MASTIFF! 

Anyways, my husband encouraged him to do this. So first, I had to train the husband. The most important thing is that everyone is on the same page. If even one person lets the dog get away with being naughty, it really holds you back from progress. 

The way I got Dozer to stop was to turn around everytime he jumped up. They do it for attention. Its a "hey., you! Look at me! Love me!" Ignoring the behavior is the goal but you should turn your back to it too and only reward the dog with your attention and facing the dog when it calms down. Does the dog get regular exercise?

You have to be patient with this too. It won't happen right away. But if every single time you come home and do not touch her, acknowledge her, look at her, and Turn your back to her when she does this, she will come around. If she is parading around with potatoes, I would ignore that too (Unless she starts carrying the cat, a baby, a lit candle, ect.)


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## JLeigh (Jul 15, 2012)

Crating isn't an option. It was overused with her for the first 9 months of her life, so she goes crazy. We also have no need of it for potty training purposes, etc. We were shutting her up in a room when we were gone, and she would completely tear it up. On a (crazy) whim, we wanted to see what she would do with free run of the house when we left. MUCH better. Nothing is destroyed when we get home. She can be in a room away from us; the problem starts when she knows she _can't_ get to us. We've discovered that once she thinks we've actually left in the car, she calms down, climbs onto our bed, and goes to sleep. But when we get home, she goes crazy with joy. I do appreciate the input so far! Keep the suggestions coming!


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## Tracy (Aug 11, 2012)

If she's fine when you leave her the run of the house, then there's no need to change this. Working on the being in another room when you're in would be my choice. If she can learn to be in another room when you're there, then the frantic jumping when you return should calm itself down, as she becomes more confident in herself. Practice entering the room she's in and reinforce the not jumping. The more you practice, the more it becomes normal for her not to jump.

When she's in another room at the moment, is this her choice or yours? If it's hers, then definately working on gradually teaching her to be away from you for short spells will help with the hyper attachment/separation anxiety problem. Keep ignoring jumping and keep reinforcing 4 on the floor. Consistency is key. Good luck.


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## JLeigh (Jul 15, 2012)

Tracy said:


> If she's fine when you leave her the run of the house, then there's no need to change this. Working on the being in another room when you're in would be my choice. If she can learn to be in another room when you're there, then the frantic jumping when you return should calm itself down, as she becomes more confident in herself. Practice entering the room she's in and reinforce the not jumping. The more you practice, the more it becomes normal for her not to jump.
> 
> When she's in another room at the moment, is this her choice or yours? If it's hers, then definately working on gradually teaching her to be away from you for short spells will help with the hyper attachment/separation anxiety problem. Keep ignoring jumping and keep reinforcing 4 on the floor. Consistency is key. Good luck.


Thanks very much for the tips! 

It's her choice when she's in another room. She doesn't insist on being in a room with us. It's when we are leaving the_ house_ without her that she gets upset, and coming home from being out of the house that she gets overly hyper.


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## Georgiapeach (Jan 24, 2011)

I have a boxer, age 5, and he's the same way when I get home. I consistently turn my back on him when he jumps, which drives him nuts (boxers can't STAND to be ignored - lol!). He'll run around to my front, so I have to continually turn my back on him. I also cross my arms over my chest so that he can't touch my hands, arms, or fingers. Sometimes this takes several minutes, but you have to be consistent. I refuse to pay any attention to him until he stops touching me. 

We've only had him a month, and he's slowly coming around. He's now to the point that he'll still jump, but straight up and down next to me, without touching me - like a kangaroo - SO funny! He goes outside as soon as I get home, and he knows that his butt has to be on the floor, waiting to be released (even with the door open) before he can go outside. I firmly believe in NILF (nothing in life is free). Same thing is required before eating.


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## Sarajls (Oct 1, 2012)

This is off topic a little bit but have you tried a Thunder Shirt? It is supposed to help dogs with anxiety issues and might keep her more calm when you are away from her, Thus possibly helping you to calm her and have more of an influence on her when you come home. 

The Thunder Shirt is designed to hug the rib cage and chest of the dog making them feel more at ease.


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## JLeigh (Jul 15, 2012)

We have actually been looking into the Thundershirt, so we may very well be trying that.


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