How To Stop Your Australian Kelpie From Jumping Up
All dog owners want their dogs to be well behaved. One of the most unwanted behaviors a dog can develop is jumping up on people or furniture. Unfortunately, more often than not one of the first things new dog owners do is teach their dogs to jump up both on people and the furniture. New owners of Australian Kelpies often make this mistake with a new puppy, simply because of it’s size and it’s newness.
Our natural instincts when we get a new puppy is too baby it. We do this by picking it up and putting it on our laps or on the couch beside us when we are relaxing. When our new Kelpie jumps up seeking our attention we respond to it’s demands much like we would a human baby’s never for a moment stopping to think that we are inadvertently teaching our new Kelpie puppy that jumping up is a good way to get our attention. Then suddenly, we are faced with a grown Australia Kelpie that wants to jump up on the furniture to be near us, or jumps on us and others when they want attention. Now, we decide that this trait is no longer cute and want it to stop.
The best way to stop your Australian Kelpie from jumping up is to not allow it to start jumping in the first place. When you first bring it home and want to hold it or spend time with your new puppy do so on the floor not on the furniture. By not allowing your Kelpie on the furniture to begin with, he will soon learn that the floor is where he is supposed to be. The same goes for when your new puppy jumps at you to get your attention. Instead of giving in and giving him the attention he is seeking turn away and ignore him, once he stops jumping then give him attention he will soon learn that if he wants attention he will need to keep all feet on the floor. Be consistent and it won’t take your new Kelpie long to learn that if he wants attention he should not jump.
However, some people may already have sent their Australian Kelpie the message that jumping is okay and if you have you will now need to retain your dog so that he understands that jumping up is no longer acceptable. Start by teaching your dog the basic training commands such as “sit and stay” Once he has learned these commands and obeys them without question you can use them to start keeping him from jumping. The moment your Kelpie starts to jump up, quickly command him to sit and stay and then give him attention.
Of course these commands only work before he has actually begun the jump, that is why it will be necessary to teach him another command, which is “off.” The moment your dog begins to jump on you, turn your body away from him and issue the command “off” and then ignore him until he obeys. If you are consistent he will soon learn that jumping won’t get him the attention he craves.