Jumping Up When Playing

[BearMartin]

Bear is ten months and generally behaves very well on leash. However, sometimes when he is off leash (in a fenced in park) he will jump up at me, especially if I begin to run around. How do I cure him of this habit?

[Judi W]

You are inviting play and that is one of the things that includes play for him. You wouldn't like it much if he body slammed you like he might do another dog, so you must either stop soliciting play, or give him an alternate way to interact in play with you. Use a tug, throw a ball or something. I don't mind jumping when I instigate a good game, but that is personal preference. If you use a tug, make sure you have it where he can grab it, or you compound the problem if you hold it up out of reach. If you want to stop the game, freeze. Freeze tag in one of the games I teach children to play with the dogs so they won't get jumped on.