Jumping Up on People: Cute or a Dangerous Lack of Dog Training?
Why is jumping up on people such a pervasive dog behavior?
Because everything we naturally do to stop the behavior actually serves to reward it.
Dogs jump up on people because they are seeking social contact. They hope we will look at them, talk to them, and/or touch them. So, if we look at the dog, push them away, and/or say “no” or “off”… it actually rewards the behavior we think we’re punishing.
Once your dog has a strong understanding of greeting people without jumping up on them, you can teach them to jump up on you on cue. Think of this like Simon Says: when I give you the cue, you can jump up on me. But if I haven’t given you the cue, and you jump up on me, you lose the game – I am not going to pay any attention to you right now.
Here’s a video of me greeting our dog Wick. Notice that he may bounce, but he does not put his feet on me until he hears the cue “hop it up.” Then, when his paws are on me, I can tell him “off” when I’m ready to move on. “Off” is not punishment or negative in any way – it’s just information.
For more guidance on jumping up, check out our latest blog post: https://crossbonesdog.com/jumping-up-on-people-cute-or-dangerous/
Jumping Up on People: Cute or a Dangerous Lack of Dog Training?
Why is jumping up on people such a pervasive dog behavior?
Because everything we naturally do to stop the behavior actually serves to reward it.
Dogs jump up on people because they are seeking social contact. They hope we will look at them, talk to them, and/or touch them. So, if we look at the dog, push them away, and/or say “no” or “off”… it actually rewards the behavior we think we’re punishing.
Once your dog has a strong understanding of greeting people without jumping up on them, you can teach them to jump up on you on cue. Think of this like Simon Says: when I give you the cue, you can jump up on me. But if I haven’t given you the cue, and you jump up on me, you lose the game – I am not going to pay any attention to you right now.
Here’s a video of me greeting our dog Wick. Notice that he may bounce, but he does not put his feet on me until he hears the cue “hop it up.” Then, when his paws are on me, I can tell him “off” when I’m ready to move on. “Off” is not punishment or negative in any way – it’s just information.
For more guidance on jumping up, check out our latest blog post: https://crossbonesdog.com/jumping-up-on-people-cute-or-dangerous/
Jumping Up on People: Cute or a Dangerous Lack of Dog Training?
Why is jumping up on people such a pervasive dog behavior?
Because everything we naturally do to stop the behavior actually serves to reward it.
Dogs jump up on people because they are seeking social contact. They hope we will look at them, talk to them, and/or touch them. So, if we look at the dog, push them away, and/or say “no” or “off”… it actually rewards the behavior we think we’re punishing.
Once your dog has a strong understanding of greeting people without jumping up on them, you can teach them to jump up on you on cue. Think of this like Simon Says: when I give you the cue, you can jump up on me. But if I haven’t given you the cue, and you jump up on me, you lose the game – I am not going to pay any attention to you right now.
Here’s a video of me greeting our dog Wick. Notice that he may bounce, but he does not put his feet on me until he hears the cue “hop it up.” Then, when his paws are on me, I can tell him “off” when I’m ready to move on. “Off” is not punishment or negative in any way – it’s just information.
For more guidance on jumping up, check out our latest blog post: https://crossbonesdog.com/jumping-up-on-people-cute-or-dangerous/
Dan & Anthem’s run in the finals at the AKC National Agility Championship. 9th place of 200 dogs!
CGC Prep Class - starts March 28th!
Our next session of CGC Prep starts Thursday, March 28th! Crossbones co-owner Katherine Ostiguy will teach this class. If you've never worked with her before, prepare to laugh hard, improve a lot, and have a marvelous time with your dog. Curriculum includes 20' sit & down stays, supervised separation, greeting a friendly stranger, and a TON of loose leash walking around distractions.
Pre-registration is required, and it's not too late to sign up! Just 4 spots left. Will we see you there?
Our April Flex Classes are now open for enrollment! (But don't worry... we still have a few spots in some March classes, too.) There's no time like the present to teach your dog some basic (or advanced) manners. Will we see you in class soon? 🐶
https://crossbonesdog.com/flex-classes/
Visit us on Wednesday, August 30th to help us celebrate Strata’s 16th birthday! 16% off the whole retail store, one day only, 3-6:30PM.
This big guy has been Employee of the Month every month since September 2010. If your dog attended Puppy Day School, Strata helped raise them. OG clients remember Strata as a demo dog in our early group classes in Massachusetts or as a neutral dog in private reactive dog lessons! 🧡
{Fine print: sale applies to tangible goods in our retail store only - no services. In-store only.}
LAST CHANCE to register for the next session of Intro to Agility with Katherine! This six week class starts tomorrow, Thursday 1/12 at 4:30PM.
Whether you think your dog could be the next agility superstar or you’re just looking for a fun activity to build the bond you have with your dog, this class is for you. Come join us!
Curious about what dogs learn in our Intro to Agility class? Here’s a peek! Jumping, climbing, wrapping, wobbling, tunneling (…is that a word?) — this class is fast-paced and loads of fun. Each week, your dog will master new pieces of agility equipment. Meanwhile, you’ll learn fun ways to practice at home with stuff you already have around the house.
This class is taught by Crossbones co-owner Cat Ostiguy who travels across the country to compete in agility with her dogs. This is a rare opportunity to learn the sport safely and accurately from an expert!
Intro to Agility starts Thursday, June 9th at 4:30PM and runs for six weeks. If you and your dog have taken at least six classes at Crossbones, you’re eligible to participate in Intro to Agility. Have you taken classes elsewhere? Send us an e-mail - let’s chat and see if you’re ready.
Starring: Maze the Labrador Retriever, Strata & Kerosene the Shetland Sheepdogs, & Zipper the Border Collie 🌟
Today and tomorrow only: all bulk chews are buy 3 get 1 free! 🦴
If you’re shopping online for in-store/curbside pickup, order in quantities of 3 and we will add the free chew(s) when we pick your goodies. 🐶
New weave poles, who dis? 🐶
Our August agility class calendar is open for registration, including TWO Intro to Agility classes and the return of Performance Fundamentals!
How to Play "Two Ball" with Your Dog
Want to teach your puppy to play fetch? Does your dog have a tough time giving the ball up, or bringing it all the way back to you? Are you living the meme "no take, only throw?" Here's a quick video we put together on how to play "two ball" with your dog!
As the name suggests, you'll need two balls or otherwise identical dog toys to play this game. After your dog picks up the first ball, entice them with the second ball so they come back toward you and drop the ball they have. Then, throw the ball you're holding, and while they're chasing it, pick up the first ball. Repeat!
(We may put together a second video showing how to progress this game... this started as a quick reference video for a client and we turned it into a quick how-to guide for everybody!)
Our trainer Katherine is teaching her dog Ska to do the seesaw obstacle in agility! This is an example of one of the skills we teach in our intermediate level Agility Skill Building: Contacts and Tables class.
Learn more about our agility program here: https://crossbonesdog.com/agility/
Puppy socialization myths & misconceptions. You only have 1 chance to get it right! 🐶
17 seconds of really good dog training. Casey is teaching new pup Daisy how to lie down. This is her first session.
Casey lures Daisy with a good treat, moving the treat down to the ground, then slowly towards Daisy’s front feet. She clicks when Daisy’s bum hits the floor. (With dogs that are struggling, you can start by clicking when their elbows hit the floor - that’s the hard part.) Casey then drops the treat towards her body, so Daisy is now standing up, ready for another repetition. It’s a “clean training loop” - the moment Daisy eats her treat, she’s ready to start another rep.
In the very next training session, Casey will do the same motion with her hand, but there will not be a treat in her fingers. After Daisy lies down and gets clicked, Casey will take a treat from her pouch and drop it for Daisy to get. We want to eliminate luring as quickly as possible so Daisy doesn’t become dependent on seeing food to offer behaviors.
Behind the scenes at Puppy Day School... polite greeting behavior!
Casey is using “microshaping” to teach Roro the German Shepherd to sit politely for greetings. Over time, he will go longer and longer between rewards, eventually just earning one reward at the end of the greeting. We’ll also get the food out of sight in the next session or two. For now, it helps him be successful by reducing his focus on the person petting him, and our goal is always for the dog to experience as much success as possible!
Tormund, our current Intensive Training Program student, is hard at work staying on his mat while John preps food puzzles for the other dogs and to eat. 🐶
Mat work is a fabulous “incompatible behavior” compared to a lot of the behaviors that dogs do that bug us: stealing food off the counter, grabbing at our hands or clothes while we watch TV or read, jumping up on guests as they enter the home, pacing around frantically in the waiting room at the vet’s office... they can’t do ANY of these things while lying on a mat. One behavior to fix them all! 👍🏻
10 seconds of “awww” for your day: Chanel the Yorkie & Brenna the Shih Tzu, our two littlest students, having a good time together! 😍
