Weimaraner Owner

Weimaraner Jumping Up

A weimaraner that jumps up all the time is not being wilfully naughty, he is just pleased to see you. He wants attention, and the bit of you that tends to give him that attention with kind reassuring words and gestures, is the head and face. His only way to get to that part is by jumping up.

He must be taught that this is wrong. You may not mind when he is a clean puppy, but when he is a dirty grown dog stopping him from jumping up is considerably harder, as well as being confusing to him because you are changing the rules.

The best way to teach a weimaraner not to jump up is to get hold of him firmly and make a definite action that puts him on the floor. For instance, firmly take hold of the skin on each side of his neck and physically put him down or lift your knee into his chest. As you are performing this action, say very firmly in a stern voice, `NO, DOWN'.

While you are holding him down, tell him what a clever puppy he is, pet and praise him. It won't take long for him to realise that you are pleased when he stays down but not when he climbs up. If he jumps up and you wave him to one side, flapping your arms about, he will not understand the command and will react accordingly.

Friends and neighbours can be a problem in training the weimaraner not to jump up. They must respect your wishes in training the pup or all your efforts will be in vain. Your weimaraner should be able to meet strangers without becoming over-excited. If you have to put the dog in another room, it will only make the problem worse. Therefore, ask nicely but firmly that people do not encourage him to jump up.
This can be achieved by visitors ignoring the dog until they are settled in the house, with you restraining him. Position yourself between him and the visitor, and give the weimaraner a short, sharp smack and firm "NO" if he misbehaves.

When the excitement of the arrival has subsided, let the weimaraner puppy go and say hello sensibly to the visitor. This procedure becomes very time-consuming, but if done properly and consistently you will reap the benefits.

When he has said hello and the visitors have petted him for a while, ask the puppy to come away and settle down. Perhaps a good way to do this is for you to sit calmly on the floor with him and stroke him gently; carry on the conversation with the visitors, ignoring the puppy, and let him settle off to sleep.

If you can persevere with this calming approach when people come around, you will encourage your weimaraner not to become too excited.