Helping an Excited Goldendoodle Dog With a Jumping Problem

By: David Codr

Published Date: May 24, 2024

dog with a jumping problem

For this Omaha dog training session we tackled some challenges with 1-year-old Goldendoodle, Honey, a sweet dog with a jumping problem and a tendency to mouth when excited.

Just before this in-home training session started I called Honey’s family and gave them a few instructions to set up the technique I use to stop a dog from jumping up on people. You can watch me apply this approach and how quickly it helped settle Honey down in the video below.

How to Fix a Dog with a Jumping Problem

If you have a furry friend with a jumping problem it’s important to note that they often do so because they are over excited, and that clearly was the case with Honey. I made sure to point out that any behavior Honey displayed while being petted was being reinforced. It’s crucial to refrain from petting a dog when they’re excited to aid in their rehabilitation and training.

Teaching Honey to stop jumping on guests was at the top of her guardians list of dog behavior problems they wanted to address. But as you saw in the above video, Honey also liked to mouth people’s hands. To help stop this dog behavior problem, I shared a few tips to stop Honey’s mouthing.

Why do Excited Dogs Jump and Bite?

Next I dug a little deeper to determine what kind of structure was in place. In my experience as a dog behavior expert, I find many times people accidentally reward undesired behaviors which confuses the dog and sometimes trains them to act out as those actions get the human’s attention.

Turns out Honey didn’t have many rules and was accustomed to mouthing people to ask for attention or affection. This likely confused her into thinking she had the same authority as the family members.

Excited dogs jump and bite simply because they do not know how to control their emotions, but they know they want attention, and they want it now.

When puppies and adult dogs don’t have enough structure, they have a hard time regulating their excitement levels. When dogs get excited, they may jump, bark loudly, and sometimes try to bite to get attention. This behavior often stems from their instinctual urge to keep their mouths occupied and self-soothe as their excitement levels rise.

Since Honey’s family has young children, I showed them my trick to motivate the kids to interact with the dog in a positive way. This will help the dog get used to listening to the kids which will build respect for them as authority figures.

Helping a Dog with a Jumping Problem

By the end of this session, Honey was showing respect for people’s personal space and was able to calm down much faster, even when grandma came to visit. Honey’s family started to feel like they now had the tools to teach her to behave as they want, fix the dog jumping issue and eliminate the mouthing. I love sharing tips to stop dogs from jumping as this is a common problem that many people deal with.

Training an excited dog with a jumping problem requires patience, consistency, and understanding of your dog’s behavior. It’s essential to establish clear boundaries and provide positive reinforcement to encourage desired behaviors. With dedicated effort and regular practice, you can effectively shape your furry friend’s behavior and eliminate these unwanted habits.

Every dog is unique, so be patient and tailor your approach to suit your dog’s temperament and needs. By investing time and effort into training, you can build a strong bond with your pet and enjoy a well-behaved companion for years to come. And remember, excited dogs jump and bite when they’re full of energy and enthusiasm, it is not because they’re aggressive.

To help Honey’s family remember all the dog behavior secrets I shared with them in this in-home training session, including helping their dog with a jumping problem, we shot a roadmap to success video that you can check out below.

Need help with your dog’s jumping problem? Click here
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This post was written by: David Codr