How Do I Get my Great Dane to Quit Jumping?
We all love our Great Danes, but when they jump, they jump! What’s truly cute, playful behavior when these dogs are puppies won’t be as cute when they’re big dogs that can knock you down.
How to train a Great Dane not to jump? Several methods can teach your dog that this behavior is not okay but in a more positive, proactive manner. Read on to learn about some of the ways you can use to curb your Dane’s jumping.
Take the Fun Out of Jumping for Your Great Dane
One of the things you can do to stop your Great Dane’s jumping is to make jumping a non-fun thing. This is a neutral, reinforcement-based method.
When your dog starts to jump, grab his front paws before he makes contact. Keep holding the dog’s paws in this position until he begins to tire and gets down on his own. Making a special effort to remain standing takes away some of the thrills.
The next time you notice your dog starting to jump, step forward so you make contact with him. Your dog will lose his balance and return to having all four feet on the ground. He’ll realize that jumping up isn’t all that fun after all.
Repeat these moves as often as it takes for your dog to realize he’s doing something that he shouldn’t. Whenever you use this method, make sure you don’t scare your dog in the process. Also, make sure you don’t end up hurting your dog.
Using the Extinguish Method to Stop Great Dane Jumping
Ensuring that your Great Dane jumping results in your dog getting ignored is an excellent way to extinguish this behavior. Dogs are sensitive to social stunning, and Danes are particularly sensitive to being ignored.
When your dog starts jumping, cross your arms and turn away from him. Don’t yell at or even speak to or acknowledge your dog. Ideally, it would be best if you were as unresponsive as a tree or a post.
If your dog continues trying to jump, leave the room for a few minutes to give your dog time to calm down. Continue to ignore the dog if he resumes his bad behavior. Reward your dog with praise, attention, and treats if he starts staying grounded.
This method will need to be repeated over several days for most dogs to get the gist of what you expect. Always offer praise when your dog stays down if you approach.
Teach Your Great Dane to Sit Instead of Jumping
One effective way of modifying a Great Dane’s behavior is to teach him to substitute one behavior for another. In this case, treating your dog to sit instead of jumping on you is the behavior modification that you are looking for.
For this method to work, your dog will need to know “Sit,” property reinforced using treats as a type of reinforcement. Getting your dog to “Sit” and rewarding him for different situations helps teach him that good things come from sitting.
Your next step will be to tell your dog “Sit” whenever you notice him jumping. Every time your dog sits, being generous with praise and treats will help reinforce this command.
Removing your dog from the situation for a few minutes if he’s not inclined to listen is a good idea. Taking this step will reinforce the idea of sitting when told even further. After all, no Dane enjoys being excluded from what’s going on.
Why Do Great Danes Jump on People?
One thing that is very important to remember is that Great Danes and other dogs engage in opportunistic behavior.
In short, opportunistic behavior means that dogs are highly motivated by what they get from specific behavior. For example, if a dog jumps a lot and gets rewarded with play time or food, he will want to repeat the behavior.
Sometimes, aggression or fear motivates jumping. An aggressive dog might snarl or bark while jumping, and a fearful dog may show submissive behavior, like tail-tucking. If either aggression or fear are issues, consulting with a trainer may be in order.
Are You Rewarding Your Great Dane for Jumping Without Realizing It?
The most important thing to remember when your Great Dane jumps on someone is that he needs to stop getting attention for jumping. We’ve highlighted how effective walking away from the dog can be when he starts jumping, and this often works.
To a dog, it doesn’t matter whether the attention is negative or positive. It is negative attention when you push your dog back down or yell. Either kind of attention will entice a dog to continue with bad behavior.
When you’ve decided that rewarding jumping is unacceptable, everyone in the household needs to be consistent about showing the dog that jumping is intolerable. If guests don’t assist, consider confining your dog during their visits.
Why Your Great Dane’s Age May Make a Difference
Sometimes, even older Great Danes have issues with jumping on people. If your older dog has joint problems that make sitting painful, “Four on the floor” might be a better command. Rewarding your dog if he remains standing provides reinforcement.
When you have a puppy or young dog that is especially overexcitable, “Down” might be a better alternate behavior to teach your dog. When you get your dog to lie down, he will have more difficulty trying to jump up from this position.
Are There Times You Should Leash Your Great Dane to Prevent Jumping?
Because Great Danes are such big dogs, keeping your dog leased in some situations can make things much more manageable. If you’re interacting with anyone new to your dog, leashing is a good idea, especially if it inadvertently encourages jumping.
If visiting children or elderly relatives are visiting, leashing your dog might help prevent accidental injury. A person who doesn’t live in the house may trigger overexcitable behavior in your dog, which makes leashing an intelligent choice.
How Do You Teach Your Great Dane “Sit”?
Teaching your Great Dane “Sit” before receiving any attention or treats is a good idea.
Simply put, your dog will learn that a butt on the floor means rewards, while jumping means no rewards. The easiest way to teach your dog to “Sit” starts with tethering him to a piece of furniture or a doorknob.
Ask your dog to “Sit,” then start approaching calmly. Go to your dog and pet and praise him if he stays sitting. Turn around and leave if your dog starts getting up.
After your dog has been good about sitting and staying, start adding more excitement to your approach. Your goal is to keep your dog sitting as calmly as possible, no matter how exciting your approach is.
Once your Great Dane has started sitting quietly as you approach, you will want to have your household members approach the dog. Being consistent will teach your dog to expect this behavior when someone approaches.
Practicing “Sit” as often as possible makes it easier for your dog to follow this command in the long run. You’ll want to ensure that the environment is as distraction-free as possible. Your dog will realize he must sit if he wants something.
How Do You Teach Your Great Dane “Four on the Floor?”
This command is as it sounds, encouraging your dog to keep all four of his paws on the floor. Your goal in teaching this command is to prevent your dog from jumping in the first place.
As with teaching “Sit,” you must leash your dog. You’ll want to have whoever started approaching your Great Dane greet and pet the dog while he eats. While someone is approaching your dog, toss several treats on the floor.
You’ll want your helper to back away before your Dane finishes eating, then approach again. Use several repetitions of this exercise, lengthening the time on each attempt. Watch for signs of your dog keeping all four feet grounded.
After you notice your dog keeping all four feet down, allow him to greet your helper before he gets the first treat. Once your dog has reached this point, you will need to start reducing the number of goodies available to your dog.
Your goal after removing the treats will be for the dog’s only reward to be the greeting. As with any command, repetition is key to ensuring you have the necessary impact.
When you’re allocating treats, being as fast as possible is critical. You’ll need to predict when your dog will likely jump for this technique to work as anticipated. Walking away is the best strategy when this scenario occurs.
With enough consistency, your dog will associate sitting or standing quietly with getting a reward. Great Danes are very responsive dogs and are also very intelligent.
