Jumping on People
How to Stop a Beagle from Jumping on People
Overview
It’s not that uncommon for Beagles to be so excited about something or someone, that they jump up against people. And really, there is no thought that goes into this; a Beagle of any size may jump up against young children or even people that he does not know.
It is the instant excitement that triggers a dog to leap up like this, and for this reason training can be a be tricky. How do you train for something that is so basic and rapid? Luckily, there are some tips that can help if your Beagle is doing this.
Essential Basics for Jumping Behavior
Before we get into the actual jumping itself and how to deal with that, there are some guidelines to follow that may cut down on how often a Beagle jumps onto people. All of these tips will work in conjunction to help keep a Beagle a bit calmer, which will translate into less jumping.
1) Proper Exercise and Releasing of Energy
– When a Beagle’s body is holding any pent-up energy, that energy is going to eventually be released. And in many cases, all it takes is a trigger and all the oomph that a Beagle had inside him rushes out in one blaze.
It may be a visitors entering the house, you when you get home or even such things as a noise can set off a dog ready to burst, which can result in excessive barking, jumping up into the air, etc.
So, for this, there are 3 things that you will want to do:
Riley, at 8 years old
Photo courtesy of Sierra
1. Stay on track in regard to walking your Beagle twice per day.
These should be for 20 to 30 minutes, at a pace that is brisk for your particular puppy or dog. This is not a breed that should saunter along, Beagles trot very quickly.
2. Be sure to offer at least 1 cardio session per day.
Beagles love to run. It’s in their blood. Walks are important, however to keep a Beagle feeling satisfied, most often there needs to be a rousing cardio session in which the dog is engaged and running. Most typical would be a game of fetch, however running your Beagle through an obstacle course or other such guided outdoor activity can work as well.
3. If a Beagle is excessively jumping, the duration of the exercise (and sometimes the intensity) may need to be increased.
This is particularly relevant for growing puppies and young adults. As a Beagle grows, so does his need for activity.
A two-year-old Beagle that was walking the same distance and duration as his former 10-month old self, will most commonly be the one that is jumping around the house, leaping onto people and otherwise having a hard time keeping himself under control.
2) Eliminate the Novelty–
Many times, a Beagle will jump on a certain someone (or everyone) because they feel a rush of emotion (joy, surprise, excitement) and instantly act on that. The more that you can expose your Beagle to other people (and other dogs, if he acts too riled up when seeing them), the better he will handle himself when encountering them again (if you also follow the training rules). When something exciting transitions into something boring and quite dull, a dog’s reaction is going to be different.
3) And Tone Down the Surprise – Most Beagles will jump on people in one of two instances: Onto their owners when they come home and onto other people when greeting them (this includes both visitors to the house and people encountered along the way when outside).
So, the goal is to give a Beagle time to process that the interaction is about to happen, rather than it being a rush of surprise that triggers jumping.
When you come home – If you are coming home only to have your Beagle tackle you as soon as you open the door and if there is another someone in the house that can assist, try to have that person distract your Beagle with a toy
or treat while slowly enter the house. Make some noise, and approach your dog from blocked view if possible. For example, jiggle the door knob and position yourself so that your Beagle would need to navigate around furniture to reach you and greet you. More instructions are ahead for this, however creating a slower route allow for time in regard to giving a ‘No jump’ command.
For visitors
– Until a Beagle learns to handle himself, visitors to your home should not just pop up. If there’s no time to think, a dog will just lunge up to greet.
People encountered outside –
It’s great to allow a Beagle to meet and greet all sorts of people when out and about; it’s an important part of socialization, however the excitement of suddenly seeing someone can cause a dog to jump for a greet. A slow approach, that allows for rules and commands before the actual physical greeting will be beneficial.
Step-by-Step Training to Stop a Beagle from Jumping on People
Since jumping up on people is the most common type of jumping issue with this breed, we’ll go into the details for this behavior.
1. Teach your Beagle to ‘Sit’. While you may think that this won’t matter because your Beagle gets too riled up to listen to you anyway and that he won’t obey a ‘Sit’ when jumping, this is actually a very important part of this training. This is the most basic command and even young puppies can learn to sit on command.
2. When you are out with your Beagle, have him on leash and harness.
Using a harness not only keeps the neck free from possible injury, it allows for much better control any time that you need to physical guide your dog. If you are at home and are expecting a visitor, ready your Beagle by having him on harness and leash.
3. Have treats in a zipped plastic bag
(so that your Beagle cannot smell them) and readied in your pocket for quick, easy access.
4. As a situation presents itself
that would normally cause your Beagle to jump up, stop in place and command a sit. So, this could be seeing someone readying to pass by you, when you are purposefully approaching someone or if someone is coming into the house.
While you may not be able to catch all interactions before they happen, such as a child running up unannounced to pat your dog, be very focused that the goal is to stop and command a ‘Sit’ before jumping would otherwise occur.
5. The moment that your Beagle obeys you, immediately praise him (Good sit!) and give a treat. Importantly, reel in the leash so that as soon as your Beagle is in position, so that he cannot physically rise. Do not make the leash so taunt that he is aware of this restriction; but rather, this will be used in conjunction with the other components.
6. In a calm voice, keep repeating ‘Sit’ as the jumping victim comes closer. Calming tell the person that you are training your Beagle to stop jumping on people and ask that person to bend or lower themselves to greet your Beagle. Continue repeating ‘Sit’.
7. As your Beagle greets the person
in a sitting position, give more praise (Good sit, good boy) and a second treat. While you may consider that giving a treat to the other person may work, often it is best if a Beagle’s leader doles out praise and reward.
8. As the greet is ending, take a step backward while incrementally allowing the leash to unfurl. Each step back should equal the amount of slack given to the leash. If at any time your Beagle tries to lunge forward to jump, tighten the length of the leash and command another sit. If your Beagle remains calm, give one final praise (Good boy!) and a final treat.
You’ll find that if you and everyone that handles your Beagle follows these training guidelines, success can be had in 1 to 4 weeks; much of this depends on how often you have a chance to train and that depends on how often a Beagle is put into a possible jumping situation.
Max, Photo courtesy of JoyRuby
Tips
1. Reward it the form of treats is an integral part of any type of training.
They will need to be small (so that many can be given and the dog is still enthusiast about eating them). The chosen reward should not be a snack that is normally given.
Since you will be giving out a lot of rewards, it is suggested to offer something extra tasty, yet low calorie.
For example, Fruitables Pumpkin & Mango Skinny Mini Dog Treats
is a great choice as each piece is just 2 calories depending on the flavor, and these are wholesome, no-additive, made in the USA treats.
is a great choice as each piece is just 2 calories depending on the flavor, and these are wholesome, no-additive, made in the USA treats. Another great option
is Pet Botanics Training Rewards Treats
; these come in great flavors such as duck & bacon, salmon, chicken, and beef and vary between 1.5 and 3 calories a piece. These, also, are made in the USA.
; these come in great flavors such as duck & bacon, salmon, chicken, and beef and vary between 1.5 and 3 calories a piece. These, also, are made in the USA. 2. If your Beagle jumps up on people, the sooner that you train him to stop the better, because this sort of behavior does not often resolve on its own. In fact, it often gets worse; this is because each time a Beagle jumps and is not trained to stay down, he is essentially being taught that it is okay.
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