Why “Ignoring Bad Behavior” Doesn’t Always Work

Your dog jumps up the second you walk through the door.

You turn your back, like the trainer said. Arms crossed, no eye contact.

But instead of settling down, your dog just jumps higher. Maybe they start barking or nipping at your clothes.

By the time they calm down, you feel like you’ve been through a workout.

Everyone tells you: “Ignore bad behavior and it will go away.”

But what happens when ignoring just makes things worse?

Here’s the truth—ignoring doesn’t teach your dog what to do.

It leaves a gap, and if your dog doesn’t know how to fill it, they’ll keep trying harder until something sticks.

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Why Ignoring Alone Falls Short

The idea of ignoring unwanted behavior comes from the science of extinction.

In simple terms:

Behavior that isn’t reinforced fades over time.

If jumping doesn’t lead to attention, eventually the dog stops jumping.

Sounds logical, right?

But extinction comes with a side effect—the extinction burst.

Before a behavior disappears, it spikes.

Your dog jumps harder, barks louder, and tries anything that’s worked before to get your attention.

It’s not defiance—it’s frustration.

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The Emotional Component

For teenage dogs, the urge to connect is powerful.

At this stage, social interaction is as rewarding as food or toys.

Ignoring them feels like rejection, and for some dogs, that creates more stress, not less.

Instead of extinguishing behavior, you end up with:

Heightened excitement.

More intense demands for attention.

A breakdown in engagement.

Ignoring can accidentally teach your dog that the best way to get interaction is to escalate.

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Attention Isn’t the Problem—Unstructured Attention Is

Your dog jumps because they’re excited, not because they’re trying to misbehave.

The issue isn’t that they want attention. The issue is how they ask for it.

Instead of removing attention entirely, redirect it.

Show your dog that calm behavior leads to connection, while chaos leads to nothing.

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How to Use Attention as a Teaching Tool

1. Catch Them Before the Jump

Dogs rarely go from 0 to 100 without warning.

Watch for the half-second before they jump—the moment when they start to rise.

Interrupt it gently. Ask for a sit or cue another behavior.

Reward the pause, not the leap.

Over time, this shifts the focus from excitement to self-control.

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2. Reinforce Calm Engagement

If your dog stays grounded when you walk in, mark and reward.

Even if they’re buzzing with excitement, reinforcing the choice to stay calm locks that behavior in.

The more you acknowledge stillness, the more they offer it.

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3. Use Low-Value Attention for the Jump

If your dog does jump, stay neutral. No excitement, no harsh correction—just calm disengagement.

But the second their paws hit the ground, engage immediately.

This creates a simple equation:

Paws on the ground = attention.

Jumping = nothing.

It’s not about ignoring them entirely—it’s about redirecting energy to what works.

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4. Create a Greeting Routine

Teach your dog that sitting calmly near the door predicts attention.

Leash them when guests arrive or practice short, structured greetings.

This reduces the chaos and gives your dog a framework to succeed.

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The Real Goal—Teaching, Not Suppressing

Ignoring unwanted behavior without teaching an alternative leaves your dog guessing.

Teenage dogs thrive when they know:

What works.

What doesn’t.

How to make good choices.

When you guide them instead of removing attention entirely, they learn faster.

And instead of escalating, they begin offering calm behavior without being asked.

Because at the end of the day, connection—not avoidance—is what shapes the dog you want to raise.