How To Get Your Dog To Substitute Good Behaviors For The Bad Ones
One way of training your dog to stop an annoying behavior is to use substitution. One kind of substitution is to put an activity you approve of in the place of one you do not. For example, teach the dog who jumps up on people that sitting, not jumping, gets her the attention she's looking for. And be consistent. If you don't want your dog to jump up in greeting, don't ever let her.
You can help steer your dog away from inappropriate behavior by making the objects you want to protect do their part to discourage your dog. You can do so in three ways:
1. Make the object taste bad. Coat the object with something dogs find hateful, such as Bitter Apple, available in any pet-supply store. Tabasco sauce is another disagreeable taste to dogs.
2. Make the object startle him. Balloons and mousetraps make sharp noises that startle your dog and help him decide that maybe he'd better leave the booby-trapped area alone. Some products give off a piercing noise when motion is detected near them, and these can work, too.
3. Make the object shocking. Vinyl mats and strips that give off a tiny static shock can be very effective in teaching dogs to stay off furniture and counter tops.