How to Break Your Lab of the Jumping Up Habit

Is There A Habit Of Jumping?

Does your dog jump up on you or others that come to your house?? Worried about an accidental injury? Dogs often learn this habit as puppies, but you will soon end up with 70+ lbs jumping up and knocking you or someone else right over!

If you praise your puppy for jumping up on you because it’s “cute”, you’ll only confuse them when you become angry that they jump up on your when they’re covered in mud, or 50 lbs or more…  The other concern here is, of course, to have a grown dog jumping on a small child.

To begin to curb this behavior, there is a simple exercise that you will need to reinforce repeatedly and consistently until the behavior changes.  This is something that you will have to be patient with… you will not always see change immediately.  Begin by approaching the dog or puppy in an excited mood, thus stirring his energy.  As he gets excited and begins to jump up, use your knee (or foot for a small puppy) to bump him back with enough impact to upset his balance.  Each time you do this, use a firm “No” or “Eh-Eh”.  Be sure to not confuse this with kicking the dog, as that would obviously not be acceptable…

You will want to repeat this exercise several times a week for a few months, and alternate different people doing the exercise.  Be sure to praise your dog, physically and verbally, heavily when he shows improvement in his manners!!! 🙂