Dog Training for Excessive Barking & Jumping in Royal Oak, MI

Dogs often jump on people when they enter the house as a natural reaction to excitement. They’re thrilled to see you and want to express that excitement physically. The behavior is commonly seen when dogs have a lot of energy, which often happens after being separated from their owners for a period of time. The greeting may feel like a big event to them, and jumping is their way of showing joy and enthusiasm.

Additionally, some dogs have learned to associate the arrival of people with attention, even if it’s not the kind of attention they should be getting. Without guidance, the jumping behavior becomes ingrained over time.

To help your dog overcome jumping, it’s important to socialize it properly around the door and change how you handle greetings. Treat your comings and goings as no big deal—this will help your dog learn that there’s no need to get overly excited.

Don’t rush in with hugs or treats immediately after coming home, as this can encourage the behavior. If your dog jumps, calmly redirect it with the “sit” command, rewarding it for keeping its paws on the ground. Your dog will learn to stay composed and greet people more politely by staying calm and consistent with boundaries.

When barking and jumping, the key is using the right reinforcement methods based on how your dog responds. For example, focusing on positive reinforcement is likely the best strategy if your dog is highly food-motivated. That being said, the most effective strategy often combines positive and negative reinforcement, making it the best way to communicate with your dog.

At Connected Canine Academy, we understand that every dog is unique, so we take the time to truly get to know each dog before developing a training program. Observing their behavior and personality can determine the best approach to address barking and jumping issues.

Whether it’s through reinforcing positive actions or providing mild corrections when necessary, we tailor our training methods to suit your dog. This personalized approach ensures more effective, lasting results, helping your dog become more well-behaved and better equipped to handle different situations.

Dogs have a lot of energy, and they’ll find a way to release that energy. A lack of exercise can absolutely lead to excessive barking and jumping, as dogs often have a lot of energy that needs to be released. When they don’t get enough physical or mental stimulation, they can resort to bad behaviors like jumping on people or barking out of frustration.

Without exercise as an outlet, dogs’ anxiety can build up, which may lead to more destructive behaviors like chewing furniture or digging. Remember that dogs are descendants of wolves and were then bred for specific jobs. Wolves are constantly moving, and the jobs dogs were bred to do require a lot of energy.

It still depends on the dog, though, on how much exercise they need. Each breed requires a specific amount of daily exercise to stay healthy and calm. For example, with its hunting background, a Basset Hound needs regular walks and playtime to keep its mind and body engaged. But given its background and small and long body, it doesn’t need as much as a Border Collie. As one of the most energetic breeds, given their herding background, Border Collies need hours of exercise and mental stimulation each day to prevent undesirable behaviors.

While not every owner has the time for hours of play, finding ways to incorporate more exercise into your dog’s routine, whether through shorter but more frequent walks, games, or training sessions, can significantly help curb behaviors like barking and jumping and improve your dog’s overall behavior and well-being.

The best way to calm an overly excited dog starts by focusing on you. The first thing to do is calm yourself down and manage your own energy. Dogs are highly sensitive to their owner’s emotions and energy, so if you’re calm and composed, your dog is more likely to follow suit.

Start by creating a calm environment—avoid high-energy greetings, and instead, teach your dog to settle down by using commands like sit or place. Consistency is key here; rewarding calm behavior reinforces the idea that staying composed gets them what they want, like attention or affection, and correcting negative behaviors communicates to them how they shouldn’t act.

Another important method is providing a positive outlet for their energy. A well-exercised and mentally engaged dog will be less likely to become overly excited, as they will have expended the energy they would have otherwise used for jumping or barking. With calm energy, consistent training, and plenty of exercise, your dog can learn how to stay relaxed and controlled, even during high-energy moments.

Yes, barking can potentially lead to aggression and reactivity in dogs, especially when they can bark without correction or guidance. Dogs think heavily in terms of “cause and effect,” meaning that even seemingly harmless barking, like barking at a passerby through the window, can reinforce undesirable behaviors.

For example, if your dog barks out the window at a person walking by with their own dog, they might think that the person walked away from their home because they scared them off. This behavior can escalate as your dog begins to associate barking with success or control over the situation.

If left unchecked, this pattern of behavior can lead to reactivity, as the dog may feel empowered to act aggressively in future situations where it feels it needs to protect its space or assert control. Over time, the dog may become more reactive to other dogs or even people, thinking that their barking or growling will lead to the same “success” as before.

Training is crucial in breaking this cycle. Communicating to your dog that barking without cause does not get them the desired results helps prevent the development of aggressive tendencies and reactivity in the future.