# Two-year old rescue GSD continues to jump up on us when she wants attention.



## JoshMing (Feb 17, 2019)

Hi all. My GSD rescue has come miles from last February when we rescued her. However, there are a couple of stubborn behaviors we've had a hard time eliminating. I'll save those for other forums, but the one I could use some help with is her insistence on jumping up on us when we are in our recliners and getting in our faces. We could be relaxing for the evening, streaming a show, etc. and she decides she wants attention. My trainer (who is currently out for a few months with an injury) says she wasn't properly socialized as a pup, so she gets in our faces and/or "paws" at us. She has scratched my lip a couple of times. Any ideas to break this habit, or anyone else dealing with a pup who lacks those social cues other dogs intuitively pic up on? Thanks.


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## Chip Blasiole (May 3, 2013)

Get several spring loaded mouse traps and put them on the recliner where the dog is likely to to put her feet. You can also use duct tape turned inside out so that the sticky side will stick to the dog's feet when she gets on the recliner. Often dogs don't like the tape stuck to their feet. Another option is to keep a prong on her with a short line when she is supervised in the house and give her a correction. But that requires a certain skill set.


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## Pawsed (May 24, 2014)

Maybe, Chip, you should read the OP's post again. They are sitting in the recliner at the time the dog jumps up on it.

Our dog does this, but doesn't scratch us. He does usually wash our faces pretty well, though. We have no problem with his asking for attention this way and it's a welcome thing around here, but he's not quite so aggressive about it. Perhaps if you gave the dog what she wants, some attention, she wouldn't feel like she had to get so physical with asking for it?

If this is not something you can tolerate from your dog, put her down and tell her no. If possible, block the move to keep her from jumping up in the first place. If need be, don't let her sit in front of your chair and teach her a place command to go to when you don't want her near you.


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## Chip Blasiole (May 3, 2013)

I understood they are sitting in the recliner. They can still put the traps and tap on the arms of the recliner or in their laps or wherever the dog is likely to place her feet. I agree that solid obedience would allow them to give the dog a command for an incompatible behavior such as sit or down and to teach the dog what "no" means.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

I wouldn't use traps and sticky tape is awkward. My dogs will do this on occasion but we personally don't mind too much. In our house we tell the dogs that we understand and give them a bit of a ruffle in the fur and then ignore them. If we reward them by getting up it will encourage it even more. Having a good place command and a predetermined spot to send your dog can help. 

If we have guests over, who don't want to be climbed on, my dogs know NO, and Down (which in our house means feet on the floor, not to lay down). I also try to make sure that my dogs get time to run and play throughout the day, and that helps quite a bit.


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## NCShepherd (Nov 18, 2019)

Eva would nonstop jump on us and when we went to our training on Monday, the trainer taught us a good way to stop this. Essentially you command "off" and push her away. If she keeps doing it, do it more forcefully next time and say "off" sterner and louder. You can use this for food, biting, anything that's yours. When she stops doing this, you praise her when she's sitting on the ground. So she learns to come over and sit. It hasn't even been a week and we've seen big improvements. We tell her "off" and usually she go in the other direction. Although I'm not the most experienced nor qualified to give training really good training advice . This has significantly helped the jumped and biting in our house.


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## 4K9Mom (Jun 19, 2019)

This is fixable but it will take some time and mostly consistency.

First, let me explain to you something that humans tend to get wrong when we train dogs. We tend to label the behavior we DON’T want. Rover doesn’t have a good recall. He is running away from us. Regardless, what do most owners do? They call “Rover, come!”

Rover learns “come” means run away from my human.


“Off” suffers this fate even worse than “come.” Dog jumps on human. Human says “off.” Dog leans “off”’ means jump on human.

Make sense?

First, we train the recall behavior (running to us) then we label it. When the dog is running toward us, we happily shout “yes, Rover! come!”

We should be training “off” the same.

Couple issues. If you’re using “Down” for lie down and “off,” (quite a few owners do without realizing it) you’re confusing the dog. Pick new cues (commands for one or preferably both.

If you’re using “off” (or whatever cue) but you’ve accidentally trained it to mean jump up on me, you need a new word. “Floor” works well enough. Pick whatever you’d like. Heck, “raspberries” works. It’s a cue, that’s all. 

Ok, now we have a young dog that has no clear idea what you want.

You probably don’t really know _exactly_ what you want to train either. (I’ve had this conversation with many pet owners and they’re always surprised when I point it out to them).

You need to _train_ four paws on the floor.

That means ( this works best with a clicker, but you don’t need to use one), every time your dog is standing, relaxed _doing nothing_ four paws on the floor, you mark that “yes!” And reward it with a tiny high value food. Normally, we’d also have the option to reward with play, but we really want to keep those 4 paws flat on the floor. Lots of loving petting is good.

You need to do this throughout the day and evening. I carry around string cheese in my pockets so I’m always prepared. 

Pretty soon, you pup will realize, my person likes it when I just stand here. I petting. 

It’s easy to overlook a dog that’s doing what she’s supposed to be doing. You and other family members need to make a point to notice her.

Once you think she’s getting it, then, you can swap out your “yes!” For your new cue (command) “floor!”

When you see her just standing there, you happily announce “Floor!” And give her her treat and petting.

This is how she learns what you want.

Don’t try this while you’re sitting in your recliner. She’s doing that for attention. If she jumps on you on the recliner, put your hands up, stand up and turn your back. Jumping up gets her zero attention. Don’t yell. Don’t push off. Whatever you do, don’t use your new cue until you’re positive she has it down cold (a couple months most likely). 

Entinguishing bad habits always takes longer than training new habits. Here, we’re doing both, getting rid of jumping up and training an opposing behavior (she can’t jump up if she’s four feet on the floor). We do the two simultaneously, but we have to allow time to extinguish the bad habit. Please keep in mind that punishment (even if they seem bothersome more than severe. Punishment causes stress that interferes with learning and our whole point is train the new behavior. 

Stick with this and once you have this new cue/skill trained, this will be a dog you can call off of a kitchen or bathroom counter from across the room, redirect from chasing a squirrel a tree, or even putting a paw on a little dog or child (because it’s FOUR paws on the floor). 

It's one of the most useful skills I train my dogs. The first thing I train my new dogs is their new name (takes about 3 hours). Then we work on recall for a couple days. Then I train Off. That’s how important I think this cue is. 

(I typed this on my phone while I was texting back & forth with my vet. If anything isn’t clear, just drop me a PM)


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## 4K9Mom (Jun 19, 2019)

4K9Mom said:


> This is fixable but it will take some time and mostly consistency.
> 
> First, let me explain to you something that humans tend to get wrong when we train dogs. We tend to label the behavior we DON’T want. Rover doesn’t have a good recall. He is running away from us. Regardless, what do most owners do? They call “Rover, come!”
> 
> ...


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

4k9 makes some good points. often we aren't very clear about exactly what we want our dogs to do.
I use Nein as a No Reward Marker...it means "you won't get a reward from me for that behavior". It encourages the dog to try something else to get the reward. Sometimes that Something else isn't what you want either so it is best to follow your No (or Nein nor Niet or Uhuh) with something you do want. No you can't jump on me, yes, you can go lay on your place for few minutes and then I'll call you over for loving.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Why is she jumping on you? You need to know the cause before you try to fix it. Ask what is she missing, what does she need and how often it happens. is it every night or some nights? Is it once or continuous? My dogs only jump on me when they need to go outside and I am ignoring them or if they are very excited about something and they want to let me know. A few questions...

How much exercise does she get during the day and what type?
What jobs (things she is bred to do) does she do each day?
Do you take her out or let her out before you get comfortable?
Is she hungry or thirsty?
Does she have a toy or a few to play with?
Are you giving her any attention before you recline? If she is worn out and has had enough, she won’t need to seek more attention.

If none of the above, teach her a Place command and teach her to calm herself. Before she ever launches of the ground, stop her. If you don’t allow her to jump, she won’t jump. That means paying attention to her.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

JoshMing said:


> My trainer (who is currently out for a few months with an injury) says she wasn't properly socialized as a pup, so she gets in our faces and/or "paws" at us.


Attention seeking behavior doesn't have anything to do with proper socialization, or lack thereof. Dogs do what works, so if jumping on you gets your attention, she's going to keep doing that.


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## JoshMing (Feb 17, 2019)

Cassidy's Mom said:


> Attention seeking behavior doesn't have anything to do with proper socialization, or lack thereof. Dogs do what works, so if jumping on you gets your attention, she's going to keep doing that.


Thanks all for the advice. We've been doing the "off" command, as well as "go lay down" in place of the "place"command, and it works occasionally. I think the advice of really focusing on the positive, and rewarding four on the floor is great and we will try it.

BTW, trust me, she gets PLENTY of attention. We don't ignore her AT ALL. It is just over the top behavior like scratching my arms and face that is why I posted in this forum. We have a collie rescue as well, equally demanding for affection and attention, but more polite about it.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

JoshMing said:


> BTW, trust me, she gets PLENTY of attention. We don't ignore her AT ALL. It is just over the top behavior like scratching my arms and face that is why I posted in this forum. We have a collie rescue as well, equally demanding for affection and attention, but more polite about it.


Of course, I didn't mean to imply that you ignore her or that she's not getting attention. It's more that when she wants something she knows how to get it. My girl seeks out engagement a lot, and while that's a good thing, I want her to value engagement with me, sometimes she can be a pest about it. I want it to be on my terms, not every time she demands it, so sometimes I_ do_ ignore her so she doesn't learn that any time she wants to play all she has to do is annoy me enough that I pay attention to her, lol.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

JoshMing said:


> Thanks all for the advice. We've been doing the "off" command, as well as "go lay down" in place of the "place"command, and it works occasionally. I think the advice of really focusing on the positive, and rewarding four on the floor is great and we will try it.
> 
> BTW, trust me, she gets PLENTY of attention. We don't ignore her AT ALL. It is just over the top behavior like scratching my arms and face that is why I posted in this forum. We have a collie rescue as well, equally demanding for affection and attention, but more polite about it.


I am sorry, I did not mean to imply you weren’t giving her enough attention. She might be getting too much or the wrong type. Even a look is attention. If you can reward only for positive behavior and remove her for bad behavior, she will learn quickly. If she can be crated, I would be vigilant about removing her every time she jumps or scratches you and crate her until she is calm. Or use the commands that keep her on the floor. The problem is, you must be consistent. If you let her come to you for attention, you are rewarding attention seeking behavior. She should only seek attention when you call her to you. You should initiate, not your dog. If she wants attention, don’t give it to her until after she does what you ask her to do. Then give her some attention but not over the top. Attention from you should be her reward for giving you a calming behavior, not her right just because she wants it. I hope this makes sense.


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## GI_Joe88 (Jan 4, 2020)

JoshMing said:


> Hi all. My GSD rescue has come miles from last February when we rescued her. However, there are a couple of stubborn behaviors we've had a hard time eliminating. I'll save those for other forums, but the one I could use some help with is her insistence on jumping up on us when we are in our recliners and getting in our faces. We could be relaxing for the evening, streaming a show, etc. and she decides she wants attention. My trainer (who is currently out for a few months with an injury) says she wasn't properly socialized as a pup, so she gets in our faces and/or "paws" at us. She has scratched my lip a couple of times. Any ideas to break this habit, or anyone else dealing with a pup who lacks those social cues other dogs intuitively pic up on? Thanks.





JoshMing said:


> Hi all. My GSD rescue has come miles from last February when we rescued her. However, there are a couple of stubborn behaviors we've had a hard time eliminating. I'll save those for other forums, but the one I could use some help with is her insistence on jumping up on us when we are in our recliners and getting in our faces. We could be relaxing for the evening, streaming a show, etc. and she decides she wants attention. My trainer (who is currently out for a few months with an injury) says she wasn't properly socialized as a pup, so she gets in our faces and/or "paws" at us. She has scratched my lip a couple of times. Any ideas to break this habit, or anyone else dealing with a pup who lacks those social cues other dogs intuitively pic up on? Thanks.


Mine does this when he wants to either go outside to pee, if he needs food or water I can tell by his body language how he reacts and after that if he doesn’t seem to be to interested in those. I’ll be like no you ain’t getting more treats. In my case that’s his way sometimes of testing his luck to get one or two more. You can’t blame em for trying especially if they had a good day and you called them a good dog a bunch of times. This is where you set limits though. Stern voice and eye contact always worked for me.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Here is the world's easiest exercise taught by my trainer to fix jumping (which IS attention-seeking):

Put on a long sleeve shirt and pants -- you're going to let it happen and don't want to be scratched.

Stand tall. Cross your arms. Take a deep, calming breath and straighten up. Let the dog jump -- don't ask for it, just let it do whatever it normally does that you don't want. Then calmly, silently slide your feet into the square foot of space on which it is standing. Claim it without saying a word! The dog will move. It will jump at you from a different angle -- usually from the side, but sometimes from the back. Expect it. Repeat the slide to take that space next. This is silent, calm, and gentle--no kneeing or even saying "no." It's no fun to constantly have to yield space so after 3-4 rounds of this dance, the dog will give up -- the instant it does, put it in a SIT and lavish pets and praise THAT behavior, for as long as it holds the sit. When it stops sitting, stop petting/praising.

Repeat, several times daily when the dog is trying to get your attention by jumping. ALWAYS pet and praise the sit -- effusively. What the dog will eventually connect is that coming and sitting in front of you will get pet-praise attention that it seeks -- give it consistently once it starts doing this. Voila! You now have a dog that sits politely for attention rather than jumping -- all without yelling, kneeing the dog, or doing any of the old, toxic stuff that you sometimes see people recommend.

I've done this with countless foster dogs. I don't want to send them home jumping, because doing that to a child or senior could get them bounced out of an adoption home. I do have to sometimes remind adopters not to encourage the jumping by "sometimes" rewarding/playing -- it's not fair if you "sometimes" get mad after encouraging that. You have to be very clear that the sit is what will earn your attention, and once the dog gets that, it will do it consistently.

By the way, I _want_ my dogs to feel at ease getting my attention -- I just want them to do it politely. They all often come and sit or lie down next to me, asking me for a rub or a snuggle -- it's a gentle, peaceful way of doing that. When they're on a bed, they're good chilling on their own. I personally don't want to send my dogs away when they want to be close, so I'm not one to teach "place" or something like that to say "get out of my space." I'd prefer to share my space when they feel like they need me, but gently. YMMV.


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## djohn1 (Jan 5, 2020)

4K9Mom said:


> This is fixable but it will take some time and mostly consistency.
> 
> First, let me explain to you something that humans tend to get wrong when we train dogs. We tend to label the behavior we DON’T want. Rover doesn’t have a good recall. He is running away from us. Regardless, what do most owners do? They call “Rover, come!”
> 
> ...


Excellent advise. Thank you!


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