One of the smartest breeds, Poodles are quick to figure out how they can get things they want. This includes jumping on people for attention, treats, toys, or maybe even to go outside. This behavior is learned – the dog does it a few times, gets what they want, and so repeats the behavior even more. Luckily, we can use this same methodology to un-train it. The following is how to teach your Poodle to stop jumping on people.
Why Your Poodle Jumps On People
Dogs are opportunistic creatures. This means if they can do something to get what they want, they will. As mentioned above, jumping up usually starts when your Poodle was a puppy and he put his cute little paws on you to get your attention. Understandably, you couldn’t resist. But, your puppy just learned that putting his two front paws on you gets him what he wants and he will do it more in the future. So unless your Poodle is jumping on people out of fear or aggression (in which case you should seek a professional dog trainer for help), he is doing it because it gets him what he wants – attention, a toy, food, etc. The good news is that this makes it easy to stop the behavior. All you have to do is make sure your Poodle is not being rewarded for it. Then, give him another behavior to do instead that is rewarded. Problem solved.
3 Steps To Getting Your Poodle To Not Jump On People
#1 – Stop Rewarding The Jumping
Every time your Poodle jumps on someone that person needs to ignore her completely. The best thing to do is turn around and walk away. Even if they shout “down,” “no,” and/or push her away – negative attention is still attention. The trick is that every single person, 100 percent of the time, needs to do this. One person saying “oh, I don’t mind” and then giving your Poodle what she wants will make the behavior stronger. So insist upon your rules.
#2 – Ask For A Conflicting Behavior
Most people ask for a sit. Your Poodle can’t sit and jump up at the same time. There are two ways to do this: wait for your dog to offer a sit, or give the cue Sit and then reward her when she responds. The reward should be whatever your Poodle was jumping on you for in the first place – petting, a toy, a treat, even his food dish! Anything your Poodle normally jumps up on you for, she now only gets if she is sitting. If your Poodle is very young or really overzealous, you may need to start by rewarding a calm “four on the floor” first, then work towards a sit as your Poodle learns self-control. You will wait until she is standing quietly and then reward. This takes some training and patience, but it will work because dogs repeat behaviors that get them what they want.
#3 – Management
This is the last piece of the puzzle and it’s what you have to do while your Poodle is learning to sit for things, which won’t happen overnight. You can help your Poodle by holding them lightly when greeting new people, as long as they are comfortable with that and the attention they are receiving. Having your Poodle drag a leash off his harness can also help with jumping for a couple reasons. It’s useful when you meet that pesky person that lets (or worse encourages!) your Poodle to jump on them – you can just step on the leash so he can’t physically practice the behavior. Or maybe you are in a situation that is just too exciting for him at this point in his training to remember his manners. Again, stepping on the leash can help. Or, you can lead him away from the person altogether, let him calm down, and then bring him back to try the greeting when he is more settled.
Feature Image Source: Jay Whitmire via Flickr
