Dog behaviourist shares easy method to stop pets jumping up

If you’re struggling with the persistent problem of your dog leaping up at you, you may wish to take note of the advice of a canine behaviour expert – who says he has the answer.

Will Atherton turned to TikTok to offer his professional guidance on the matter. “If your dog is jumping, depending on their size it can vary from being really annoying all the way up to downright dangerous – and there is no excuse for allowing it,” he stated in a video.

Using a Chihuahua as an illustration, Will highlighted that breeds shouldn’t be “forgiven” simply because of their diminutive size, and ought to be corrected in the same manner as you would a Great Dane.

So, what’s the solution? Thankfully, Will reckons it is amongst the simplest problems to tackle.

He said: “If you want to stop your dog jumping up, you need to teach them what to do instead. Shouting ‘off’ or pushing them away doesn’t teach clarity, it teaches confusion.”

Will proceeded to emphasise the significance of training dogs to sit rather than jump.

He added: “When I address jumping, I interrupt the undesirable behaviour early with the lead – a simple slip lead or a little bit of lead pressure.” This also requires communicating appropriately.

“Not aggressively,” Will noted. “Just enough to break the pattern. Then I immediately redirect the dog into a sit.”

The effort doesn’t stop there, of course. As Will elaborated: “The moment they choose calm behaviour, they get heavily praised and rewarded. Over time, the dog learns that jumping gets interrupted… but calm behaviour gets reinforced.

“What your dog wants from you is probably attention. The treats and praise they used to get when they jumped up, they now get from sitting down. You’ll be shocked that if you do this well with good timing, those bad behaviours can be removed from the rest of the dog’s life within a one-hour session.”

Will concluded by emphasising that such training won’t just improve your dog’s conduct, it will also deepen your bond with your four-legged friend.

It’s clear that many dog owners found the video useful because more than 400 people liked it. So will you be giving the method a go?