My 9-month-old German Shepherd jumps on me and barks. I know he is playing but it's annoying. Do you have any suggestions?

I have a 9-month-old male GSD, he is from German show lines. He has a really nice temperament. But at this age he is fresh, he thinks its fun to jump on me. He rarely did this when he was 5 months. old. I know he is just playing with me but it's annoying. He's very gentle when he puts his feet on me, he jumps back then barks at me. I don't want him to think this is OK to do.

I have tried the squirt bottle and the sports drink bottle with water it didn't work so I added a little bit of vinegar to the water. He thinks its a big joke and that I am playing with him.

When I have him on the leash in the house (which is most of the time, he drags it around) I grab the leash and correct him by saying No Sit and pull up on it. I have to watch him constantly so he doesn't chew the leash. Yes, he has Nylabones and Kongs to play with but I seem to be more fun.

I am hoping you have some suggestions or do I have to wait until he matures some?

Cindy's Answer

Have you taught him how to lie down in a designated area on a bed? I like to give dogs a behavior to do INSTEAD of the one they choose (like jumping up)

If he is lying on a bed, he can't jump. I pick behaviors that are opposite. If he wants to jump up, have him go away from you and lie down. Here is a video showing how we begin teaching it.

At some point he's going to need to understand that it's not ok to put his feet on you, it may take some redirection or correction but I choose to teach alternate behaviors first so the dog can find success, attention and rewards from an activity of my choosing.