My dogs are jumpers. I’m not talking about over fences or on the counter. I’m talking about on humans, and furniture, and more humans. I brought Ares home when he was just a six week old little black and white ball of fur I could hold in one hand. He was the one gentling pawing at the crate and whining while one of his sisters ran around barking and jumping and the others were up against the gate crying loudly. Back then it was just Piper and me and Ares was my first dog. Apparently that little act was all just a part of his master plan and he’s been trying, and sometimes successfully, manipulating me and everyone else he meets ever since.
Of course I’m biased but everywhere we took Ares and everyone he met agreed that he was an adorable puppy. He was fawned and fussed over and spoken to in that high pitched happy voice and loved every minute of it. Very early on he figured out that running up to people and jumping got him a lot more of that attention. So he kept doing it. When he was big enough to jump on couches and chairs and beds he learned that people would pet him and invite him to snuggle so he kept doing that too. Hindsight is 20/20 and I know I should have nipped that in the bud but I didn’t. Today he loves being the center of attention more than ever so it’s a continuous struggle to teach him how to behave properly and keep four paws on the floor unless asked otherwise.
Chaos came into the picture just 4 months after Ares when he was almost 8 weeks old. He was scrawny with this skinny rat tail and all these wrinkles on his face but also adorable none the less. He was given attention the same way Ares had been and although he loved being loved on, he was always more relaxed about it. Chaos isn’t high energy all the time like his brother. Don’t get me wrong, he will go tearing through the house knocking things over and running into things in his path playing with Ares, but usually he does not instigate this level of play. If it were up to him, he’d spend most of his time laying around and snuggling with whoever would be his cuddle buddy. Being a bully breed, Chaos has a strong love of being around humans, even more so than animals. We always call him a people dog because he’d choose humans over dogs any day of the week. He didn’t jump as a puppy but being a follower of his older brother, he learned from Ares that when he jumped on people, they’d pet him and cuddle him. So he started jumping on people and furniture too.
Enter the “Place” command. This command is to help dogs calm down and learn appropriate places they can go to and stay whether inside or outside the home. Thanks to my mom we have 2 big dog beds in the living room. We have designated these as “places” for the boys.
Step 1: Show your dog the place – put on a leash and walk him over to the place and give treats
Step 2: Lay down in place – once the dog has learned this is where you want him to go, get him to lay down in the place – do not use your command for “down”, simply move the treat until he is in the down position and then give him the treat
Step 3 – Add the command – once your dog lays down on his own when you bring him to the place, give him a treat and say “good, place”
Step 4 – Stay in place – after the dog learns where to go and to lay down when you give the “place” command he needs to learn to stay there until he is released – do not use the “stay” command but hold up your hand and take some steps back – count to 5 and then release him using your release word of choice - if he gets up do not correct him but instead just bring him back to place and start over
Step 5 – Add distance – once your dog can reliably go to the correct spot when you say “place”, lay down and stay put, start giving the command further away from the place – gradually add more distance once he becomes reliable at each point
Step 6 – Add duration – now that your dog understands to go to his place when you give the “place” command, lay down and stay from anywhere in the house, teach him to stay for longer time periods – if he gets up before being released start over and shorten the time until he is reliable before adding more time
Step 7 – Add distractions – our biggest problem is that we have a door buzzer so when people come over, that is the boys’ trigger to run to the door and then immediately jump on whoever walks through it – teaching them instead to go to “place” when they hear the buzzer will keep them calm and well behaved when guests come in – the same would apply other types of distractions when your dog gets too excited
Step 8 – Repeat steps 1-7 but use a “portable place” like a mat, towel or blanket that can be taken anywhere with you and practice in different situations – this will teach your dog that no matter where he is, if you tell him to go to his place he has a spot to go to and to stay there
We have been practicing this for about a week now and Chaos has progressed quickly. He knows where place is and will go to it and stay from anywhere inside the house so now it’s time to add in that door buzzer sound. Ares on the other hand, is not a pleaser like Chaos. He’s stubborn and likes to do things on his terms so it’s been more difficult with him. He clearly understands the concept, his problem is that he doesn’t want to stay in his “place” and keeps releasing himself. What Ares doesn’t know is that mommy and daddy can be more stubborn than he can and eventually we will win out.
Do you have this problem with your dogs? Have you tried the “place” command? What other ways have you taught your dog not to jump on people and furniture? Or did you know to teach them this before it became a problem?
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