Photo by Emery_Way
Fortunately, this is not an article that most hunters will ever need. Most of us don’t have dogs that routinely run over and jump at us, putting their feet on our chest. A well-trained hunting dog, trained by an experienced trainer, has already been taught that you NEVER jump up and put your feet on people.
Unfortunately, there are dogs out there whose owners or trainers seem to think that this uncontrolled behavior is “cute” or “cool”. They obviously haven’t stopped to consider what could happen when a hunting dog jumps up on someone who is holding a loaded gun. Best case scenario, the hunter absorbs the shock without dropping the gun, reprimands the dog and the hunt goes on. Worst case scenario, the hunter drops the gun, the gun hits the ground and discharges – hurting or possibly killing the dog, the owner or anyone standing within range. This scenario takes jumping up from being cute, cool or simply a bad habit to being one of the most dangerous habits a hunting dog can have.
Let’s start with your new puppy … the bad news is that it is natural for puppies to jump. They have an abundance of extra energy and they to run, play and jump – in the air, on their toys, on each other. They will also jump on you if you allow them to. The good news is that it is easy to teach a puppy not to jump on people. Puppies naturally want to please their trainer. The trick is to break the puppy of jumping on people early.
When your enthusiastic pup jumps up and put those adorable paws in your lap or on your legs in a bid for attention, don’t laugh or make excuses for his behavior. Instead, don’t speak to him or look at him – turn your back on him. If he comes around in front of you and tries to jump on you again, turn around. Try to watch him out of the corner of your eye or get someone to spot for you and as soon as he steps back or sits down, turn and praise him for it, “Oh – good sit,” or “Sit, good dog.” Kneel down and ruffle the fur between his ears or scratch under his chin. Anything that will show him you approve of him NOT jumping.
“The idea is to let him know that jumping gets him nothing, but sitting or standing back from you will get him your attention and a possible reward.”
If turning your back on him doesn’t work, try grabbing his front feet when he jumps up. Put them back down on the ground and say “no”. Speak softly, but firmly. Don’t yell or make a big deal of it, just physically correct the behavior and say “no.” If, after a few times, the pup doesn’t seem to have gotten the message, gently squeeze his paws when you grab them. The objective is to cause the pup just enough discomfort that he realizes he doesn’t like it, but not enough to hurt him. Squeeze the puppy’s feet until he whines, yips or tries to pulls them away from your grasp. Then make eye contact, frown and say “no”. Immediately let go of the pup’s feet and when he steps back or sits down, tell him “good dog” and scratch him on the top of the head. It may take a day or two (more if the pup is extremely stubborn), but this method will help most puppies learn what is expected of them.
But what if your dog is one of the dogs that are slow-learners or just flat stubborn. If turning your back on him or squeezing his front paws don’t work, try stepping on one of his hind feet while you are holding onto his front feet. Do not step down hard – again the idea to show him your disapproval of his behavior, not to hurt him. Grab his front feet, step gently on one of his hind feet, shake your head and firmly say “no”. When he pulls back or sits, then say “good dog” and scratch the top of his head.
If you’ve got one of the really stubborn pups or an older dog who has been jumping on people for years and gotten by with it, he can probably still be made to keep his feet off of you. If you’ve already tried all of the above ideas and your hunting dog is still jumping on you, it is time to move on to a more direct method of dealing with the problem. As the dog jumps at you, bring your knee up and knee him in the chest. Again, say “no” in a calm, low and firm tone of voice. You don’t have to bring your knee up hard – the dog’s momentum will do most of the work. Remember, you don’t want to hurt the dog, just make him aware that this is an undesirable behavior. You do, however, need to use enough force that the dog is knocked off-balance. Nearly all dogs will get the idea pretty quickly.
To make sure that the dog understands that jumping on ANYONE (not just you) is bad, it is necessary for everyone that works or plays with the dog to react to his jumping the same way. If even one person lets the dog jump, it can become his habit to try it on any new person that comes his way.
But what do you do if you’re out with a friend and find that his hunting dog exhibits this dangerous behavior? This is a whole different scenario. First of all, crate the dog for the rest of the hunt or offer to put the guns away and spend the rest of the afternoon making your friend’s dog into a safe hunting companion. If your friend doesn’t want to crate the animal or try to correct its behavior, excuse yourself from the hunt. There is no sense endangering yourself or your dog because of someone else’s stupidity.
A well-trained hunting dog is an asset in the field, however a dog that jumps is just bad news – no matter how well trained he is. Knowing how to break a dog from this potentially life-threatening behavior of jumping on people could keep someone from being hurt or killed. Think about it … The life you save could be your own.
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