My hyper dog jumps on guests and kids. How do I stop this behavior?

Question

I adopted a 5 year old German Shepherd mix 3 weeks ago. She was rehomed because her previous owner had to move and couldn’t take her. She’s very smart and is very well behaved.. when it’s just the two of us. We go for runs and walks and she does good on the leash. However, she is extremely hyper when company comes over. She tries to jump on people, including my grandchildren who are toddlers and she weighs 83 pounds so this is dangerous. We try ignoring the hyper behavior but it won’t help. Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Female | spayed | 83 lbs

Ana M, DVM · Accepted Answer

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Marley. Congratulations on her adoption! You can try a couple of things to improve her behavior. A simple solution is to crate her or to keep her in a separate area of the house when company arrives. Then let her out after everyone is settled and keep her on a leash to control any jumping. I have found it more successful though to work on obedience training. Ensure that she knows how to sit. When company walks in, ask her to sit. Again, keep her on a leash while she is learning to control the jumping. Once she sits, provide her with a very high value treat that she only gets when someone comes over. You can use a food puzzle toy, rawhide or anything that will be time consuming for her to consume. The goal is for her to anticipate the treat, sit when someone comes in and then take the treat to go enjoy by herself. Good luck!

My hyper dog jumps on guests and kids. How do I stop this behavior?

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