# Dog jumps at the door to come in. MUST STOP NOW!!!



## xxxxxFrancisRoch

My wife and I have a 9 month old black lab/Rott mix. She's 60 lbs. We just adopted an 8 week old yellow lab. The black lab likes to jump at the back door to let us know she wants to come in. 

Today she landed on the little one and hurt the little one's leg. I've tried commands and treats, etc., but the big dog just won't stop jumping at the door. 

I'm two seconds from investing in a shock collar. Any ideas?


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## TooneyDogs

Jumping on the door has worked in the past....she jumps and you open the door.
The question is what would you like her to do instead and then you'll open the door for her? Would you like her to ring a bell, sit politely, bark, lay down by the door? Those are all doable training options.


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## xxxxxFrancisRoch

I'm always terrified that she'll crash through the door one day. 

Sit politely and bark would be great. I don't mind her bark outside, and I'm pretty attentive to it. The bell would be a great idea too. 

How do I teach her?


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## Erick Aguilar

Firs, you must make her stop that jumping behaviour and redirect it..

Place balloons in the door, when the dog jumps it's nails will blow up the balloons and the dog will recoil at the unfamiliar explosion, that would be a starter..

As for the bell training, i really don't know how to do so, but i'd be glad to know aswell


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## TooneyDogs

Start with a behavior that seems to come naturally for her or is easy for her.
For example if she also barks while jumping I'd start with the bark. If she uses her paws alot for checking things out I would consider a bell.
Barking is fairly easy to teach. Here's a quick rundown. She's out there jumping on the door. Go out to her and close the door behind you. While standing with her get her worked up/excited about going in....get her to bark....even one bark will do at first. The second she barks....praise, quickly open the door and walk through. Praise again as she goes through with you....tell her how smart she is.
You're teaching her a new behavior that opens the door. From now on the door never opens when she jumps....only when she barks. Others might chime in about extinction bursts (the possibility of making the jumping worse) but, in this case, it takes much less effort for her to bark as jumping is a very high energy expender.
She won't waste that energy if a simple bark will accomplish the same thing.
Quick question for all the dog trainers out there on this......Pavlov found the optimum time to rehearse a new behavior. The best time to repeat this new barking behavior/door opening is: (answer is at bottom)

A: 30 minutes later
B: 1 hour later
C: 2 1/2 hours later







Answer: C: 2 1/2 hours


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## Cheetah

> Answer: C: 2 1/2 hours


Hmm... you learn something new every day lol...


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## rosemaryninja

A shock collar is not going to help things. She's not jumping because she thinks you want her to, or because she's being defiant. She's just jumping because she doesn't know any better; jumping is the only way she knows how to open the door. Imagine if, for six months, you had been turning the doorknob to open the door. Every time you wanted to open the door, you would just turn the doorknob and it would open. Suddenly, one day, every time you turn the doorknob, you get an electric zap. That might frighten the bejeezus out of you, but it sure wouldn't teach you anything.

No offense to Erick, but I would not try the balloons solution either, for the same reason.

Instead of just telling her what you DON'T want her to do (ie using the shock collar), you need to tell her what you DO want her to do. Dogs will repeat behaviours that work. Make jumping not work and make barking work. Tooney's suggestion will work well. The main thing right now is to make sure you don't give in to her jumping; remember, dogs will repeat behaviours that work, so if jumping works, jumping's what she'll do.


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## xxxxxFrancisRoch

I try to get her to sit, both with voice and with hand cues (which she obeys in the house). It seems that the glass between us makes her stubborn. She thinks I'll open the door, so she stops jumping. When I walk away, she starts jumping again.


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## TooneyDogs

FrancisRoch said:


> It seems that the glass between us makes her stubborn. She thinks I'll open the door, so she stops jumping. When I walk away, she starts jumping again.


You both need to be on the same side of the door to teach this. When she sits or barks or whatever, walk through the door together. Once she learns that barking or the sitting opens the door then you can be on the other side.


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## xxxxxFrancisRoch

I started working with the dog to teach her to sit when she wants to come in. Last night when I came home, she was standing with her paws on the door, but sat when she saw me. 

More training and repetition and hopefully she'll get it.


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## rosemaryninja

FrancisRoch said:


> Last night when I came home, she was standing with her paws on the door, but sat when she saw me.


Good sign.


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## Chris F

I'm having a similar problem that I haven't seen addressed anywhere else. Two of our dogs (one taught the other) jump / scratch / destroy the front door when there is any distraction outside. This could be a mailman coming in our gated yard or someone talking while walking by on the sidewalk. The door has glass on the upper half. Any ideas on training them to stay off?


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## TooneyDogs

Chris F said:


> I'm having a similar problem that I haven't seen addressed anywhere else. Two of our dogs (one taught the other) jump / scratch / destroy the front door when there is any distraction outside. This could be a mailman coming in our gated yard or someone talking while walking by on the sidewalk. The door has glass on the upper half. Any ideas on training them to stay off?


You teach them that the door is off-limits....back away from it...don't touch it...don't even look at it! Step in front of your dogs and the door....make them back away....the door is yours/you own it....they can't have it. Everytime they get within 3 feet of the door (or whatever distance you want)make them back away.


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