My Golden Retriever jumps on me when I get home or when he gets out of his kennel. I have tried to just turn away and ignore him until he calms down, but he just jumps on my back. I try walking away, but he just follows and jumps more. Any suggestions?
Before I attempt to answer your query I would like to know how old your Golden Retriever is and what sort of training you have done with him thus far? I have one too (She is now a ten year old granny and is well past the jumping phase, haha). They make the best pets.
By 'basic training' I assume he knows how to sit, lie down and stay? If he doesn't know any of the above I would highly recommend training him to be obedient to those commands. Another good one to teach dogs is 'wait'. Just make him sit and then 'wait' when you place his food in front of him. He should be allowed to eat it only once you have given him the 'okay' command. Start this training with a 5 second wait and slowly build up the time he waits each day. Go to a longer time duration only when you feel like you have the previous one fully conquered. I suggest you read the bonus book on alpha training as well as it has a few other nifty tricks that will help you teach him that you are boss and what you say must be obeyed.
Now as for the issue at hand, since you aren't going to be able to get him to stay and wait when you get home right from today, I suggest that you just begin with telling him off as follows. The minute he jumps on you/anyone else, grab him be the scruff of his neck, look him in the eye and give him a deep-throated firm 'NO'. If he does it again in the same episode, repeat the above, but this time follow it by gripping his collar firmly, saying something like 'BAD DOG' sternly and leading him to a set punishment zone (this will need to be a room where not much else is going on, i.e. no people giving him any attention). Ignore any barking/howling etc over the next 10-15 minutes. After the afore mentioned time, you can bring him out again. Get him to sit and say hello to him on your terms. If he misbehaves, it will have to be back to the start- the 'NO' followed by the punishment room.
It may take a few tries for him to get the hang of being punished, but once he does, he should soon stop jumping on you. It is crucial that you stick to a set pattern of events/ tone of voice etc. and be consistent with what method you choose inorder for him to learn quickly.
All the best with training. Don't hesitate to write back if you have any other questions. It would be great if you keep us posted on his progress!
