Huskies are energetic, fun loving dogs that have a zest for life that can’t be equaled. This zest sometimes manifests itself in the inability to keep paws on the floor when interacting with humans. Whether he is just so happy to see you or wants the toy in your hand, this behavior is annoying and can even cause injury.
So how do you get your Husky to not jump? It may seem like a big task, but if you know some canine psychology, it’s actually pretty easy. The hardest part? Getting humans to follow your rules! Check out this easy way to get your Husky to stop jumping on people.
Why Your Husky Jumps On People
Dogs are opportunistic creatures. This means if they can do something to get what they want, they will. And then that behavior will be reinforced and they will be more likely to do it again. So unless your Husky is jumping on people out of fear or aggression (in which case you should seek a professional dog trainer for help), he is doing it because it gets him what he wants – attention, a toy, food, etc. The good news is that this makes it easy to stop the behavior. All you have to do is make sure your Husky is not being rewarded for it. Then, give him another behavior to do instead that is rewarded. Problem solved.
3 Steps To Getting Your Husky To Not Jump On People
#1 – Stop Rewarding The Jumping
Every time your Husky jumps on someone, that person needs to ignore him completely. The best thing to do is turn around and walk away. Even if they shout “down,” “no,” and/or push him away – negative attention is still attention. The trick is that every single person, 100 percent of the time, needs to do this. One person saying, “Oh, I don’t mind” and then giving your dog what he wants will make the behavior stronger. So insist upon your rules. Due to their size, this can be hard. It’s best to keep a leash on your Husky so you can gain control.
#2 – Ask For A Conflicting Behavior
Most people ask for a “sit.” Your Husky can’t sit and jump up at the same time. Then reward for the “sit” by giving your dog whatever he wanted. This can be petting, a toy, a treat, even his food dish! Anything your Husky normally jumps up on you for, he now only gets if he is sitting. This takes some training and patience, but it will work because, as mentioned above, dogs repeat behaviors that get them what they want. For some really excited young Huskies, you may find a “down” works better because it’s hard for them to “spring up” from a down position.
#3 – Management
This is the last piece of the puzzle and it’s what you have to do while your Husky is learning to sit for things, which won’t happen overnight. As mentioned above, strength can be an issue if you are working with a large Husky, so keeping him on a leash can help. It’s also a useful tool for when you meet that pesky person that lets your Husky jump, or you are in a situation that is just too exciting for him to remember his newly learned skills. In these cases, you need to manage the behavior. If your Husky is wearing a leash, you can walk him away, step on it to prevent him from jumping, and/or put him in a different room to calm down and try again in a bit.
