Jumping and greeting people on walks

[Dylansmum]

Our 5mth old Whippet is inquisitive, very excitable and happy. Can anyone help however with this when walking him. Any person approaching will be guaranteed to be jumped on by Dylan. Playing and happy, he will also likely pee on them.

When i see someone coming towards us i shorten the lead and talk to him. He still pulls to jump on them. He is a loverly young dog and people are always drawn to him.

How do i stop him wanting to jump up on people. Especially those just walking past him and not giving him attention?

 

[JoanneF]

He is young and impulsive, he just needs to learn some manners.

I would work out at what distance his excitement starts - how close the person is when he starts to get excited. Once you know that, prepare by getting him into a sit. Squeezy cheese is usually great for keeping focus on you, it's a good way of rewarding his attention on you while they get closer or pass. Ask people to ignore him unless he is in a nice sit - then reward him with a treat, as long as he stays in sit - you will need to have some people primed to help you. Get a few friends on board - it will be quicker and easier than trying to get strangers to assist.

 

[AdamYates]

Not just ours then :sweating: Kevin is just 6 months and still does that every time anyone comes home or visits no matter who they are, outside we have to do pretty much as JoanneF says and he is getting a lot better

I never knew that whippets had a reserve wee tank to make sure that no matter when they had last been or how many times they meet someone or they come home there is sufficient left in the tank :>

 

[gypsysmum2]

Some "stooges" help with this. Prime some friends and relatives with treats. Ask them to completely ignore him while he is jumping up. They should fold their arms and look away from him. As soon as he shows signs of tiring they should ask him to "sit" and feed him a treat for complying. Doggy people are best at this because they understand the concept of withholding the treat until bum has been of floor a few seconds rather than a "flying" sit.

Over time he will recognise who likes him to sit when greeting and he can be encouraged to interact with those people. If he starts jumping they should immediately fold their arms and look away.

Training classes are good because everyone is in the same boat. We used to play this game and some owners are very competitive about being the one person that every dog would sit for!