My Pit Bull Jumps Up

There are many dogs, no matter what the breed, who have a problem jumping on people. They get excited; they're not trained otherwise; and it's generally a rewarded behavior.

What you may have realized is that bully breeds are rather strong, and even though your dog may jump on you without harm, he may jump on a stranger, child, or another unsuspecting person and could accidentally hurt them. You don't want your dog to send your grandmother flying across the room.

The key is going to be consistency. If you do not want your dog to jump on you or anyone else, you'll want to create a consistent rule that everyone is aware of, even those who don't mind your dog jumping up. You don't want to confuse the dog. If you've made the decision of keeping all fours on the floor, then everyone must abide. If someone tells you that it's ok that he jumps on you, you want to respond with, 'please do not pet him until he sits. I would rather teach him to wait to be petted.'

Perfect sit to be petted

When teaching your dog to keep his feet on the floor, you'll want to make sure that you know the signs before he goes to jump. Because each dog has different signs, you'll want to pay attention to yours. Once you've figured out the behaviors, you can try a few different things to help discourage your dog from jumping up.

• When you know that you're dog is going to jump up, move slowly away while yawning or just looking away. 
• Turn away when your dog is about to jump, showing him your back, and praise when he stays on the ground. Ignore him until he calms down.

What you're going to have to do when working on this, is entice the dog to jump so that you can correct him. I know it doesn't sound fair for your dog, but he's got to learn somehow. Have the dog on the leash and invite someone over (make sure they're aware of your training); when the dog tries to jump, give him the command to ''sit" before he can attempt to jump. Praise the dog and have the newcomer treat and pet the dog. You want the dog to realize that he gets lovin's and treats when on the floor, not standing up.

You can also get the dog excited, when just you and him. Have him run around and play-play-play, then stop. When the dog continues to try to play with you, he'll probably try to jump up, walk away and ignore him.

You can also implement the "off" command, which is different than "down," which tells the dog to lay down. You want to keep doing this over and over, rewarding the dog with treats, toys, and/or pets when he stays on his fours.

Some people will gently knee the dog in the chest as he jumps up, which will cause the dog to step back. Or, others may step on the dog's back toes as he goes to jump, causing him to step back. If you choose this method, use the 'off' command as he's on his way back down, and always remember to praise the dog once he's on the ground.

NEVER PET YOUR DOG WHEN HE JUMPS UP ON YOU! This entices the behavior, as you are rewarding him for jumping. Always wait until the dog sits before petting.