The K9 Code

Jumping might seem cute when they’re puppies...until your 75-pound “puppy” launches at Grandma. 😅

The truth is, jumping isn’t usually about dominance. It’s often excitement, lack of impulse control, and a dog that’s been rewarded for getting into your space.

Here are 3 simple ways to start changing it:
✔️ Manage the energy. Your excitement matters. Ask family and guests to stay calm too. The calmer the greeting, the calmer the dog.
✔️ Own your space. Don’t back away or turn your back. Stand your ground and move confidently into your dog’s space if they jump. For larger dogs, bringing your knee up slightly can protect you. For smaller dogs, simply slide your leg out to block them. Stay calm, confident, and matter-of-fact—no anger or wrestling match required.
✔️ Reward calm, not chaos. Affection is a reward. Wait until your dog has settled before giving pets and attention. Calm behavior earns what they want.

Dogs repeat what works. If jumping gets attention, they’ll keep jumping. If calm behavior gets the reward, they’ll start offering calm instead.

Leadership isn’t about being forceful—it’s about being clear, consistent, and helping your dog make better choices.

🐾 www.thek9code.com
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🚗 Door manners don’t stop at your front door.

Your car door follows the exact same rules.

A dog that explodes out of a vehicle can be in traffic before you have time to react. They can knock over a child, pull you off balance, or disappear into a parking lot in seconds.

Teaching your dog to wait isn’t about obedience for obedience’s sake. It’s about impulse control, respect for boundaries, and keeping them safe.

The rule is simple:
The door opens. The dog waits. You decide when it’s time to go.

Calm dogs make safer decisions.

🐾 www.thek9code.com

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🇺🇸 Happy 4th of July from The K9 Code! 🐾

For us, fireworks are a celebration. For many dogs, they're confusing and overwhelming.

Remember: Fireworks are loud. Leadership is louder.

🐶 Stay calm—don't mirror your dog's anxiety.�🐶 Give their mind a job with a walk, training, or play before the fireworks begin.�🐶 Reward calm behavior, not panic.�🐶 Let them choose a safe space - don't force it.

Your dog doesn't need you to stop the noise. They need you to be the calm, confident leader they can trust through it.

Calm is contagious. Lead the way.
🌐 THEK9CODE.com

One of the most underrated things you can do during a walk is simply stop.

For 1-3 minutes, let your dog sit, sniff, and observe the world around them instead of constantly moving from one distraction to the next.

Why?

🐾 To lower arousal levels
Dogs can become overstimulated during a walk. A short break gives them time to relax and reset.

🐾 To process their environment
Dogs take in a huge amount of information through smells, sights, and sounds. Pausing gives them time to absorb it all.

🐾 To encourage calmness
Not every walk has to be about movement. Teaching a dog to settle and observe can be just as valuable as physical exercise.

🐾 To help with reactivity
For some dogs, quietly watching the world from a comfortable distance helps them learn that not everything requires a reaction.

🐾 Because sniffing is mental exercise
A few minutes of sniffing can be more mentally enriching than several minutes of walking.

The goal isn’t to make your dog ignore the world.

The goal is to teach them they can exist in it calmly.

Sometimes the most important part of the walk isn’t walking - it’s learning how to slow down, relax, and observe.

Resource guarding is an issue that I strongly recommend you work with a professional who understands Dog Psychology to overcome.

Some people adopt dogs who already have developed resource guarding, but for the most part, humans create this issue unknowingly with their dog.

Resource guarding stems from a relationship issue. It’s not generally about the item.

Think about it, why would a dog take food or objects and guard them from the human or humans they live with?

The dog believes that the food or object is theirs, and will guard it from those in the pack/family they see as weaker than them.

Where humans make a big error is all of a sudden trying to take leadership back by challenging their dog for the food or object they are guarding.

This can be dangerous because usually humans will try to get the food or object with tense and aroused energy, yelling at the dog, moving too quickly, etc.

Instead, humans should focus on the other signals they are sending to their dogs that have taught the dog that the human is not a parent/leader and instead more a of a friend/follower.

Things like allowing the dog to invade their space by jumping, climbing, or literally walking all over them, giving affection at the wrong times or excessive affection, coddling/babying the dog, giving the dog whatever they want when they whine, growl or bark to demand something, not providing enough structured exercise, etc.

That’s what needs to be focused on before we even think about focusing on resource guarding.

When dogs come here for our board and train program with an issue like resource guarding we focus on building a healthy relationship, providing structure, and fulfilling exercise needs before we work on the guarding itself.

When a dog sees you as a leader/parent figure, resource guarding doesn’t make sense to them.

All that being said, once the habit of resource guarding has developed, I again strongly recommend you seek a protessional who knows Dog Psychology for help.

Mistake 1: Pushing your dog off with your hands
Most people do this instinctively - but it’s one of the biggest reasons jumping continues.

Physical contact = attention.

For many dogs, being pushed, grabbed, or touched actually rewards the jump and can even turn it into a game.

Do this instead:
Raise your knee to block the jump.
No hands. No talking. No attention.
Four paws on the floor is what results in pats - not the jump.

Mistake 2: Not using a lead when guests arrive
This is the most common situation I hear about:
“My dog jumps all over visitors.”

Without a lead, you have no way to guide or block the behavior in real time - and you end up relying on guests to react perfectly (which they won’t).

Every jump that happens gets rehearsed and reinforced.

Do this instead:
Have a lead on when guests arrive.
Use it to block jumping, guide your dog, and set them up to succeed before excitement takes over.

Jumping isn’t a “bad dog” problem.

It’s a management, timing, and consistency problem.
If you want the jumping to stop without yelling, pushing, or hoping they grow out of it - I can help.

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People very often will not do the right things around dogs. Even when you tell them what to do. So the best option is to train your dog to do the right thing. To not overreact and match the energy of an excited person. Always trust in your dog to do what you taught them to do.

If you know dog psychology and pay attention to body language and cues, you can better understand what a dog needs in a given moment. What is this dog showing in her body language? What are the cues to what she’s trying to say?