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Continuation: How to Stop Your German Shepherd Dog, Adult and Puppy to Stop Jumping on You

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday’s discussion focused on how to keep your German Shepherd Dog puppy from jumping on you.  More specifically how not to inadvertently train your puppy to jump on you.

Today we will discuss how to stop your German Shepherd Dog adolescent or adult to not jump on you or other people.  This will not be easy and will require patience and persistence.  There are several methods to re-train your German Shepherd Dog from jumping on you and most require a certain level of physical strength and mobility by the owner.  I will provide the methods that I found to be effective.  For all these methods, you must be persistent and never allow your German shepherd Dog to jump on you without applying one of these methods.  In addition, these methods can be combined or each specific method can be used to fit the situation.

The first method requires the most physical ability by the owner and the most effort. When your German Shepherd Dog jumps on you immediately give the correction “OFF” then take your German Shepherd Dog to the ground laying on top of your German Shepherd Dog until he stops struggling.  This is the ultimate show of dominance and reinforces that the owner is the Alpha Dog or Pack Leader.  Once the German Shepherd Dog adolescent or adult stops struggling release them and provide praise and love.  This is done for two reasons, to reassure your German Shepherd Dog and to incite excitement that may cause them to jump on you again.  If you can get them to jump on you again then repeat the exercise.  For the more stubborn German shepherd Dog, you may have to repeat several times.  If you have small children or other family members that are not physically able to hold the German Shepherd Dog down, but nevertheless are a target of the German Shepherd Dog’s jumping include them in the exercise with you taking the dog down to the ground.  Once the German Shepherd Dog is released allow the child or other person to reassure the dog and possibly entice the jumping behavior to repeat the exercise.

Note: that the above method is not for German Shepherd Dog adolescents or adults that have aggressive behavior problems due to the chance of the owner or other participants being bit.  Consult your professional trainer if you are unsure about your German Shepherd Dog’s behavior problems or aggressiveness.

Another method that requires less physical ability of the owner is for the owner to grab the front feet of the German Shepherd Dog adolescent or adult when the dog jumps.  Immediately, use the command “OFF” while walking the German Shepherd Dog backwards.  Repeat the OFF command several times while you are doing this exercise. Again, if you have family members that are not capable of doing this exercise then do it for them by grabbing the feet and walking the dog backwards for three or four yards (9 to 12 feet) before releasing the dog back to the ground.  Once the exercise is complete reassure the German Shepherd Dog by using praise and love.  Repeat as necessary. You may also squeeze the front feet, thus increasing the discomfort to your German Shepherd Dog.

All methods can be combined, for example you may start the retraining exercise by laying on top off your German Shepherd Dog on Saturday when you are not wearing your best clothes and then the following morning on your way to church you may want to grab the German Shepherd Dog’s feet and walk backwards to keep your clothes from being soiled. The main point is no matter what method(s) you use, you must use a corrective exercise every time your German Shepherd Dog jumps on you or another person.  Persistence in these exercises will achieve the fastest and lasting results.

Tomorrow I conclude this discussion by providing another effective method to stop your German Shepherd Dog adolescent or adult from jumping on you and other people.

Ask me a question and I will provide my opinion.

Sincerely,

KeystoneGermanShepherds