When Pigs Fly_ Training Success With Impossible Dogs - Jane Killion [69]
2. Build up by increments to where the person is standing in front of the dog— as long as the dog remains seated he is click/treated and receives attention and patting from the friend. If the dog breaks position, the treats go away and your friend turns away. It will not take long at all until a person approaching becomes a cue for you dog to sit politely and wait to be patted.
3. Remember why your dog is jumping in the first place—he wants attention. You will get the best results if you ask everyone to please pat your dog while he is sitting nicely. It will prove to him that sitting nicely is the key to getting what he wants—attention.
Nicky is obviously excited to see a friend, but he has learned that the way he will get attention is to sit down politely and wait to be petted.
4. Alternatively, you can have your friend approach and, as she approaches, give the dog the cue to sit and click/treat. After 20 or so reps, your dog just might start offering the behavior on his own. If the dog breaks the position at anytime do not say no or offer any correction. Ignore the dog for a little while, repeat the sit command, and try again. Ignore what you don’t want and reinforce what you want.
Now greetings with your dog can be a bonding experience instead of a clash of wills. Even the smallest or weakest person is safe around a dog that has been trained this way. Simple, elegant, and it actually works.
Piggy Pointer
You can also stop your dog from offering appeasing behaviors like jumping up on you instantly by offering the correct calming signals. If you simply stand or sit up very straight, cross your arms, and turn your head away with your nose held high in a snooty attitude, your dog will almost instantly calm down. I first learned this bit of dog management when reading Patricia McConnell’s The Other End of The Leash (see Resources). Obsessive licking (dog licking you, that is) can also be stopped in this way. Dogs respond so well to correct body language in humans that if you could teach everyone who comes in contact with your dog to behave “correctly,” you would never have any problem with your dog jumping up at all. The reality is, however, that not only do people not respond in dog-appropriate ways, most people (especially children) will unwittingly and unerringly display the most antagonistic/arousing behavior possible. There is nothing for it but to teach your dog to respond to this craziness in a way that the human world will find acceptable.
All you need is the correct body language to keep a dog from jumping up on you.
Disarming Your Dog’s Alarm System
Going Crazy When the Doorbell Rings
Many people are bothered by a dog that goes ballistic when the doorbell rings. I think barking at the doorbell is a useful behavior, but some people would prefer that their dogs not bark in that situation, and I respect that. For those of you who so desire, I’ll show you how you can change this behavior.
This is what you probably have now:
A. Doorbell rings.
B. Dog goes crazy barking.
C. New person comes in the door (Very Exciting!).
Now think for a moment. What would you like to see under “B” instead of “Dog goes crazy barking?” You could pick anything—i.e. down in the kitchen, come over to you and nose touch your hand, sit quietly in the middle of the living room and wait to be greeted. How about “dog runs to his crate and lies down?” Wouldn’t that be nice? The crate behavior is great because you can also manage his greeting behaviors that way. Until he is fully trained to sit politely in greeting, you can close him in his crate and keep him from practicing the “wrong” behavior. Right now the doorbell predicts the entrance of a new person or stranger, and that is pretty hot stuff as far as your dog is concerned. You need to re-program the doorbell