Jumping, nipping, darting through doors, oh my! These puppy antics can keep even a seasoned pup parent on their toes! Here are some simple training techniques that will help you get these behaviors under control!
The Puppy Academy student, Bentley!
No matter what breed, new puppies are seemingly full of boundless energy, and when left unguided, can get up to all sorts of mayhem! Some of those staple “bad” behaviors include jumping up, nipping (bare feet beware!), and darting through any doorway. But these aren’t really bad behaviors as much as they are natural puppy development stages that need the appropriate leadership and training! In short, by learning some common puppy behavior causes and applying just a few tried and true training techniques, you will be able to transform your pup into a well-mannered member of the family!
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#1. Stop Jumping!
By far one of the toughest puppy behaviors is jumping up! Whether it’s standing up to get closer to their food, water, furniture, or even your guests, puppies just seem to want to jump on everything to get to what they want. And from a puppy’s perspective, they don’t understand the difference between when jumping is okay or when it’s not, until we teach them.
If your puppy received attention for jumping up on you or someone at home, even if unintentionally like a head pat to acknowledge them, or if they jumped up and grabbed a special “treat” left on the coffee table, they’ve been rewarded for their jumping and it’s actually encouraged them to do it again – so they can get that reward again.
This is why puppy-proofing is so essential to eliminate anything that may entice your puppy to jump and grab. But what about the jumping on people part?
Puppies learn fast that if they jump up when you’re walking through the door, for example, they’ll get a response from you. And your attention is all they want! So now the goal is to redirect that impulsive energy and train them to do something else instead. Having a solid "Sit" command is a great go-to command to gain back control of a situation. It also acts as your puppy asking "Please" before you give them something they want like food, water, a toy, or some rubs from you.
Regardless of what your puppy jumps up for, you'll want to teach your puppy to "Sit" first!
To teach Sit, you can do this by bringing a treat close to their nose and then guide it upwards over their head so they naturally follow the treat with their nose, and their backside should automatically touch the ground.
As they are sitting say “Sit” followed by “Good!” and reward them with a treat (or toy, depending on what your pup responds to) when their butt hits the floor to mark the correct behavior!
Repeat this training exercise often so your puppy learns to Sit really well and gets used to it.
Next, start asking for a Sit each time you’re about to give them something to play with, to chew on, to eat, before you bend over to pet them, etc. to create the association that they receive the reward they want for calm behavior they show. Keep practicing and soon this will become an automatic habit for them to Sit calmly and wait!
Impulse control training like this starts small such as asking your puppy to Sit and wait when giving them their food and water bowls. The most important takeaway is to continue to regularly practice this training routine in any situation where your puppy may be templed to jump up!
#2. Ban Door-Bolting!
Puppies are curious about everything so an open doorway is an invitation to a whole new world for them to run and play in! The problem with this behavior is that it poses a risk to their safety and yours. As your puppy grows into an adult dog, they may continue to think it’s fun to run out any chance they get and could potentially run into a busy street or yank suddenly on the leash and cause you to fall.
A large part of training your puppy good manners is establishing good communication and your role as your pup’s leader early on so they continually look to you for guidance. By establishing threshold boundaries and having your puppy learn to wait patiently and check in with you before crossing doorways, you are building upon that relationship and their trust in you. Training your puppy to be calm in thresholds involves asking them to sit, wait, and make eye contact with you, not bolting through ahead of you!
With your puppy in a harness and leash, ask your puppy to Sit at your doorway, and get them to check in with you (ie. make eye contact). Call their name to get their attention, or use a treat to lure their nose up to your eyes to create the habit of establishing eye contact.
Slowly, start opening the door a little bit, and if they start to get up or try to lunge out, close the door again and reset. This may take a few times to get so remain patient and take your time! Repeat this training exercise over and over, until your puppy understands that at an open door they remain in Sit until you give them the next command to move through the threshold with you, like Heel!
Practice this in different settings too, not just at home, and make sure you lead your puppy through the doorway, not them leading you!
#3. Nip Nipping in the Bud!
Nipping, especially during play, is a natural way for pups to learn how to test boundaries and their own strength. The problem is when they decide to make your hands and feet their favorite target! If left without the proper training, some puppies may even continue to mouth and play this way later into adulthood when this behavior could result in more serious harm and habits.
Luckily there are certain ways to manage your puppy’s nipping and discourage it from escalating. These can be:
Using a toy to play with your puppy instead of your hands
Giving them a calm “time out” when their nipping increases (which can often mean they’re overtired)
Reducing how much time they spend in your arms and are being pet (puppies often nip out of frustration)
Having chew toys to redirect them too when needed so they understand the appropriate thing to nibble on (instead of you!)
For more details on these tactics and more, check out our blog: How to Stop Your Puppy from Nipping!
Get Hands-On Help From Our Trainers!
Jumping, nipping and calm thresholds are all a major part of the training we do with our students at The Puppy Academy. But you can learn the same things we teach and have our same trainers guide you through each step right from home with our Online School so you can have the same results asap (and not have to suffer through all these any more!).
You can “jump” right to our specific classes to help you curb these habits and speak with our trainers directly to help you fine-tune anything extra. For more info, check out The Puppy Academy Online School and you can even enroll today!
TRAIN YOUR PUPPY GOOD MANNERS RIGHT AT HOME WITH OUR ONLINE PUPPY SCHOOL! START TODAY!
More Ways to Teach Your Puppy Good Overall Manners:
We covered the major 3, but what about just teaching a puppy overall great manners so they’re polite no matter what situation you find themselves in? Watch our video for more tips you can start implementing now!
If you have questions about what to do about your puppy’s nipping behavior, ask our trainers! Join our live Q&As every Wednesday at 1 pm PT on @thepuppyacademy Instagram!
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