How To Stop A Wheaten Terrier Jumping Up
As with all obedience training for Wheaten Terriers, knowing the reasons behind a certain action or behavior is crucial in knowing how to stop or prevent it happening again. So what makes your dog jump up at you and/or other people? Most of the time, dog jumping is only a sign of happiness and being pleased to see someone. It is your dog’s way of showing their love for you and in return they expect you to show signs of your love for them – they seek attention. This type of behavior is particularly evident in puppies and young dogs – we accept it most of the time too as a small dog sat in your lap, snuggling up to your neck and face is an affectionate moment and we enjoy it.
The first few weeks or months after bringing our adorable puppy home, we even enjoy how they bounce on over to greet you and our initial reactions are to pet them and even pick them up in our arms. At this stage, we have no idea that our behavior is teaching the dog that their jumping up is acceptable. The problem comes much later when the dog is fully grown and their strength when jumping up is more evident. Little children can be knocked down and even others can be upset, afraid or become minor injuries if a dog is to jump up at them. For the owner, this action becomes tiring too and you no longer wish to accept this as positive behavior.
What must be understood when addressing the case of a Wheaten Terrier jumping up, is that they are not entirely in the wrong. They have learnt from a puppy that this excited and affectionate behavior is acceptable and even liked by humans. We should never punish in the way of hitting, isolation or harming them. As the owner, it is our duty to decide whether this behavior will be acceptable or not – it can’t be that one day you accept it and another you shout and bellow at your dog. It is also your responsibility to teach other members of your household how this behavior should be dealt with.
The best way to stop Wheaten Terrier dogs from bouncing all over and jumping up when they greet you is to offer an alternative. Teach them another way of greeting people. Be patient with their training, as the older the dog is the more time it will take to sink in. You might want to try and teach them to sit and stay when greeting someone – the exact opposite of running up and down and jumping. Once they learn the sitting position, you can approach them by going to their level and giving them a cuddle, kiss or a pat on the head.
Practicing this as often as possible is important if you want to see speedy results. It can be that you only ever enter the house one time in the day – when you return from work for example. This will not be enough practice. Set aside fifteen minutes each day where you just leave and enter the house (out the back door and in the front for example).