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jumping and how to stop it

19 10:31:10

Question
hi jennifer,i have a wonderful boxer who just loves life.i'am pretty good at training myself but this 1 has gotten away from me.rocky is 13 months old and has high energy which i expect but the habit i'am having trouble breaking is his jumping up on us and anyone he comes in contact with.i see for him its playing and being happy but he's very persistant.any tips.and ty for your time.

Answer
Consistently is very important in correcting jumping and other problems. Quickly correcting him each and every time he jumps on somebody is very important. He must never get the affection he wants. A number of things have been used. One of the most gentle is to grab his front paws and hold him up. The traditional knee to the chest or step on his paws are fading from use. As part of the the trend away from negative methods, just step backwards leaving his front feet to fall to the floor. After a few tries, the dog may just stand there looking confused.

Good leadership will help too.  The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/ For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm