Episode #225 The Jump Sit Treat Theory

Have you ever noticed your dog jumping on you, then quickly told them to sit and rewarded them with a treat? You might be inadvertently teaching them that jumping is the first step in getting what they want.

On the Puppy Training Podcast, dog trainer and therapist Amanda Crosland introduces us to the jump-sit-treat theory—a fascinating insight into how dogs learn patterns and how we often accidentally reinforce the very behaviors we're trying to eliminate. Dogs don't analyze our intentions; they simply recognize cause and effect. When jumping consistently leads to interaction followed by rewards, the jumping behavior becomes cemented as part of their successful strategy.

The solution lies in becoming proactive rather than reactive trainers. By anticipating situations where your dog might display unwanted behaviors and preemptively redirecting them, you can break these cycles. Amanda draws compelling parallels between these canine learning patterns and similar cycles in human behavior—like how we procrastinate, panic, succeed, and then repeat the pattern because the reward reinforced the entire sequence.

Perhaps most importantly, Amanda reminds us that dogs are emotional mirrors, reflecting our energy and states back to us. "If we're anxious, they get anxious. If we're calm, they settle into calm." This insight shifts the training focus from simple obedience to a deeper understanding of emotional regulation and mindfulness from both ends of the leash.

Ready to break unwanted behavior cycles with your dog? Subscribe to the Puppy Training Podcast for more insights, and visit BAXTER and Bella online for additional training resources to help you build the relationship you want with your canine companion.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Today we're going to talk about the jump sit treat
theory.
If you don't know what that is,hang on, we're going to teach
you all about it.
I think you're going to likethis one.
Welcome to the Puppy TrainingPodcast.
I'm Amy Jensen, founder ofBaxter Bella, the online puppy
school.
Here we are all about helpingyou create the best possible

(00:21):
experience raising a puppy, fromtraining tips to practical
tricks, all aimed at fostering ahappy, well-behaved dog who
truly feels like part of thefamily.
So if you are ready to enjoythe journey and strengthen the
bond with your dog, let's getstarted.
Hello everybody, welcome to theshow today.

(00:43):
I'm so glad you're here.
I hope you're doing well.
I hope you're enjoying life.
I hope you are finding fun intraining your dog.
I know training sometimes canbe monotonous, it can be
frustrating, but it can also berewarding, so hopefully you're
having a good time Now.
Here's a tip for today.
This is that jump sit treattheory.
Sometimes our dogs get into apattern that we don't love and

(01:06):
we want to change it,recognizing that dogs learn by
patterns and that they're reallygood at finding patterns.
Sometimes it works to ouradvantage, other times it
doesn't.
So today on the podcast, I havemy trainer, amanda Crosland,
here.
She's going to teach us allabout this theory, what it is,
what it means and if you seesimilar patterns forming in your

(01:26):
dog's development, how tochange it.
All right, you guys enjoy.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
My name is Amanda, I am a professional dog trainer
and a therapist, and today Iwant to talk about something I
call the jump-sit-treat theory.
Let me ask you this has yourdog ever jumped on you and,
instead of reacting withfrustration, you told them to
sit and then rewarded them witha treat?
Does this sound familiar?

(01:52):
What if I told you that bydoing that, you might actually
be teaching your dog to jump orbite, or bark, or lunge more, or
lunge more?
Here's how it works.
Your dog jumps on you, younotice.
You ask them for a sit.
They sit.
You give them a treat.
In your mind you rewarded thesit, but in the dog's mind the

(02:15):
jump started the whole chain ofevents.
So now your dog learns jump,sit, treat.
Jumping becomes part of theprocess.
It's not an unwanted behavioranymore, it's a required step in
the routine.
And here's the key Dogs aremasters of patterns.

(02:36):
They thrive on routines andsequences.
They aren't analyzing your toneor logic the way a human would.
They're thinking in terms ofcause and effect.
If jumping consistently leadsto a sit cue and then a treat,
then jumping is a necessaryfirst move.
Let's say, your dog jumps whenyou come home.
You're tired, so you pet themquickly to calm them down, or

(03:00):
you ask for a sit and toss acookie.
In both cases, the dog justlearned when I jump, I get
attention or snacks.
Perfect, I'll do that again.
Even negative attention canreinforce a behavior.
If you push the dog off or yellno and then ask them to sit,

(03:21):
that interaction still feelsengaging to them.
They got your energy.
That matters to a social animallike a dog.
To break the pattern, we haveto shift our response.
Ignore the jump, wait for calm,reward only the absence of the
jump or, even better,proactively cue a sit before

(03:45):
they jump.
Teaching your dog to replace animpulsive behavior with a
thoughtful one takes consistencyand timing.
It's not just about obedience.
It's about reshaping theirentire understanding of what
behavior gets them what theywant.
And a dog will always do whatworks.
So if jumping works, they willdo it.

(04:07):
If sitting works, they will doit.
Be proactive and think ahead ofyour dog.
Get one step ahead of them,proactively, jump in and ask for
the behavior you want when youanticipate an undesirable
behavior coming around thecorner.

(04:29):
Now let's bring this into thehuman world, because I'm a
therapist.
I see this all the time.
We go through our own versionsof jump sit treat.
Let's say you procrastinate ona big project, you panic, then
finally focus, pull anall-nighter and you get it all
done.
Your boss praises your work.
Guess what your brain justlearned panic, work, reward.

(04:52):
Now panic becomes part of yourprocess.
Or maybe you snap at yourpartner I see this one a lot.
Then you have this heartfelttalk, you reconnect, you forgive
, you say sorry and you feelclose again.
The argument got you theconnection.
Now your nervous systembelieves react, repair, reward.

(05:16):
We teach ourselves emotionalpatterns the same way we teach
dogs behavioral patterns.
We react first and fix later.
The truth is, you guys this iskey If we want to change our
dog's behavior, we have to startwith our own.
Dogs are emotional mirrors.
They feel our energy.

(05:36):
If we're anxious, they getanxious.
If we're calm, they settle intocalm.
So if your dog is jumping,barking, biting, lunging, it's
not just about obedience, it'sabout impulse control, theirs
and ours.
We can't expect our dogs toregulate their emotions if we
can't regulate our own.

(05:57):
Start noticing your own triggers.
When do you go into jump mode?
What makes you reactive?
Practicing calm, intentionalresponses teaches both you and
your dog new ways of being.
So here's your takeaway Nexttime your dog jumps, take a
breath, pause, ask yourself whatam I rewarding right now?

(06:19):
Am I reinforcing a habit Iactually want?
And then ask the same thing toyourself Are you jumping
emotionally only to reward therecovery?
When we become mindful and lessreactive, we become better dog
handlers and more emotionallygrounded humans.
And remember dog training isn'tjust about reacting to

(06:40):
misbehavior, it's about beingproactive.
We teach this so much at Baxterand Bella.
If your dog tends to bark atthe door, lunge on a leash or
get mouthy with excitement,start thinking ahead.
What triggers those behaviors?
What can you do before theimpulse kicks in?

(07:00):
Can you redirect, interruptearly or teach an alternative
behavior?
Being proactive means preparingyour dog for success, not just
correcting failure.
It means managing theenvironment, reading their body
language and staying one stepahead of the behavior you want
to avoid.
So remember to train your dog.

Speaker 1 (07:25):
Start by training yourself.
Thanks for tuning in to thePuppy Training Podcast.
I hope today's tips help youfeel more confident and excited
about raising your dog.
Remember, with a littlepatience and consistency, you
can create a loving bond and awell-behaved pup who's a joy to
have in your family.
If you found this episodehelpful, be sure to subscribe,

(07:46):
leave a review and share it withfellow puppy parents.
For more resources, visitBaxter and Bella online.
Until next time, happy training.