How To Stop A Samoyed Jumping
The key to solving any behavioral issue with any dog is consistency. All family members need to act the same way when the canine does something it’s not supposed to. Another key is activity. Take him on walks, jogging or bicycling runs, play fetch with him in the back yard. Just anything to wear him out. A tired dog is a happy dog! Take him to the vet. Often, there’s a physical reason for his bad behavior.
Every dog still has a pack mentality and every pack has a pecking order with no two dogs being equal and having an alpha, or leader. Make sure that you show him that you are his alpha by always being first. Like first out the door, first down the steps, first to eat or first to greet guests.
A Samoyed is highly intelligent. This makes them easier to train than many breeds. The fact that they are gentle and easy-going means that Sammies need positive reinforcement (praise after he stops the bad behavior) instead of only negative reinforcement (yelling at him after the fact.)
Sammies are very devoted.. This means they’ll do anything to make their owners happy. But, he has to know what is expected of him, first.
Here are a few things to try before you banish him to the backyard.
Ignore him when he jumps. This may sound like an easy solution, but it’s not and everyone needs to do it to be effective. Not just family members, but guests as well. They’ll have to be told ahead of time to wear old or dirty clothes and do NOTHING when the do jump on them. No admonishments (“BAD DOG!”) or even shooing the dog down with a scraping motion. No petting or attention of any kind–from anyone when the dog is jumping up. Simply accept his behavior and talk to the other people. Not until the dog gets down can you talk to him and pet him. OWNERS: Praise him when he’s down.
Get down on his level.. Have guests get down on all fours to greet the dog, AFTER the humans have been greeted. Sometimes, the dog is only trying to get onto eye level with people. This can be a dominance issue. If he thinks he’s alpha, he’s going to try to “own” more pack members and show them who’s boss. If you get into a staring contest with the dog, make sure he looks away first, as this could be a play for dominance.
Sidestep him. As the dog readys himself to jump, take a step forward and turn. You wont always see the jump coming, so you won’t be able to turn sideways. Don’t worry about it. The most important thing is to not lean back. Ignore him then. Actions speak louder than words and this action will confuse the dog and throw him off balance. Don’t be worried if this surprise knocks over the dog. Dogs are resilient. It confuses them, so he thinks about what just happened. This is what you want. While he’s doing this, praise him.
Jumping is usually a dominance issue. When the dog has a clear idea of who the alpha is, he will show you more respect and many of his bad behaviors will just vanish.