Puppy jumping up

[pongo111]

Puppy jumps up with her front paws on the table and on the kitchen work tops.

I've tried a firm "no"....a firm "down"....ignored her....shouted at her....closed her outside....closed her in another room.

What's left to try?

I don't want her on the surfaces as it's the only place we have left to keep thnigs out of the way and plus hygiene reasons.

HELP!

 

[JoanneF]

Take a lovely treat like frankfurter sausage when she has her paws up, and use it to lure her down while saying (cueing) the word "off". The word "no" is difficult for dogs - It's too loose, wide and random a concept. So, rather than telling them what not to do it is simpler for them to learn what they should do instead. So lure her down with the reward. If you use a clicker, click as her paws touch the floor - like a snapshot of the perfect moment - and reward with the treat. If you don't use a clicker any distinctive sound will do - mark (snapshot) the moment and reward. The idea of the clicker (or other sound) is to exactly pinpoint the behaviour you want so your dog recognises easily what she is being rewarded for; and will repeat on cue to earn that reward.

Keep repeating and she will learn the "off" cue brings her praise and lovely rewards. Over time you can downgrade the reward to an ear rub or word of praise.

 

[JudyN]

For now, management management management. Make sure she is never rewarded for doing this which I'm afraid means no food or anything else enticing on the table & worktop. Get yourself something like lidded plastic storage boxes, put them on the surfaces, and put everything in them. This is probably not for ever

Teach her 'off', or an equivalent command for four-on-the-floor and use this if she does jump up - then reward her when she does it. Make it a 'positive' thing - not a firm command, more a 'Hey, can you do that really clever trick where you put all four paws on the floor? Oh, what a clever dog! Have a treat!' If she's really crafty she might start jumping up just so you will tell her to get down again and give her a treat, but hopefully not.

Or you could calmly take her out of the room and give her a brief timeout. There's no need to say anything. In my experience, saying 'no' or shouting achieves the square root of zero.

Alternatively, you could simply have a 'No dogs in the kitchen' rule, or maybe a 'Dog only in the kitchen if she's on her bed' rule (depending on the size of your kitchen). If she is behind a stairgate she won't feel so shut off from the rest of the household as if she's behind a closed door.

Consistency is absolutely key, whatever approach you take. Finding food on the worktop will be so highly rewarding that training is unlikely to work, at least for dogs with larcenous tendencies.

My tall dog has decided that he's allowed any crumbs etc. on worktops if he can reach them with four paws on the floor. He has a long tongue too, so the front 4" of our worktops are lovely and clean

 

[pongo111]

Thank you very much for your replies.
I will try your suggestions.
It's a little hard to understand the treat for getting down as it almost seems to be rewarding the behaviour ....I know what you're saying, that it's rewarding for getting DOWN, but knowing her, she'll do it so she gets the reward!!!

 

[JoanneF]

she'll do it so she gets the reward

So start to pre-empt or. As she approaches the worktop call her back and reward. And as Judy says, make the worktops unattractive by having nothing on them to tempt her.

 

[JudyN]

You might also find that she'll stand in front of the worktop and look at you, waiting to be told not to jump up, and then expecting a reward. Personally I'd happily settle for that. My dog will hang around the kitchen door waiting to be told 'out of here' and rewarded, and if he hears OH approaching the front room will jump up on his sofa so he can get rewarded for getting off. It's debatable who is manipulating whom but it's an arrangement we're all happy with!