How Do I Get My Dog to Stop Jumping on People?

Jumping up to greet us is a natural behavior for dogs. What we humans do is reinforce the jumping by giving the dog attention for it by either petting or praising, or by getting upset or excited when the dog jumps. Either way, the dog is learning that jumping gets them attention, and attention is just what your dog wants. The solution to changing your dog’s jumping behavior is to teach them an alternate way to greet people and by not reinforcing the jumping behavior.

Why Your Dog Jumps

Puppies learn from being raised in their litter to greet their mother by licking her in the face, particularly on the chin and ears. When puppies get older and spend more time socializing with other dogs and people they will want to greet them the same way. As puppies, this behavior is extremely sweet and endearing but as the dog grows up it becomes unacceptable in greeting situations.

If you have recently acquired your dog or puppy it is important to set the rules and boundaries from the start rather than allowing your dog to practice behaviors that will not be acceptable in the future. If you allow your dog to jump up on you during greetings or during play it will likely be very confusing to your dog if you then do not allow them to jump on others. You must be the teacher for your dog to learn how to greet you and others the same way.

How to Teach Your Dog Not to Jump on People

• Reward your dog for keeping all four feet on the floor. If your dog jumps up, move your body out of the way so that their feet never make contact with you. If your dog’s feet make contact, move your body so that their feet fall off, then immediately pet and praise them for having their feet on the floor. After several practice sessions of this then you should require your dog to keep their feet on the floor for at least 3 seconds before they get pets and praise. You want your dog to learn that jumping up gets them nothing. If they do not grasp the concept after three tries in a row remove them from the area by putting them in a crate or in a room with a closed door or remove yourself. Repeat from the beginning at the next interaction.

• Teach your dog to sit. Practice sit for food rewards in a variety of locations, especially those places where the jumping takes place the most (by the front door, before setting down the food bowl, outside, etc.) Train your dog starting with as little distractions as possible and in a place where people will not approach your dog so that they don’t inadvertently get rewarded for jumping on someone before your training is complete. If someone approaches you and asks to pet your dog let them know that they are in training and is not ready yet.

• After your dog has learned to sit, repeat step 1 but require your dog to sit before he gets pets and praise. As your dog gets better, ask them to sit and wait at least 3 seconds before they receive any pets or praise. If you keep your dog in a kennel at any time you can also require that they sit before coming out of the kennel. By asking your dog to sit before getting attention you are teaching them to perform a behavior that is incompatible with jumping.

• Prevent your dog from jumping on other people. You can either leash your dog and keep them outside of jumping range from other people, or you can put them in another room or kennel when people visit so that they are unable to jump up on them. If your visitors would like to help with training you should put your dog on leash and instruct them to do step 1 and 2 with your dog. If you have trained your dog well enough before you start practicing with other people your dog might even learn that it is best to sit for all good things from people.

General Rules to Follow

• Reward them when they aren’t jumping up. It’s as important to praise for what you do want as it is to reprimand what you don’t. Any time your dog would be most likely to jump and doesn’t, give them plenty of calm praise in the way of treats, toys or voice.

• Make homecoming mellow. Your dog will be much calmer is you don’t make a big deal out of coming home at the end of the day. If you get excited with your dog when you come home, they’ll be much more likely to jump on you and associate people coming through the door with the dog thinking, “it’s time for me to get excited.” When you come home, ignore your dog for a few minutes giving them a chance to calm down, then give your dog attention.

• Have EVERYONE coming into your house ignore the dog when they arrive. Instruct people ahead of time to ignore dog completely when they arrive. Do not look at, talk to, or acknowledge in any way for the first 5 minutes they are there. This will greatly reduce the dog’s excitement level.

• Clear the decks. It’s difficult even for a well-trained dog not to get excited when company comes over. Put your dog away from the door by having hold onto their leash or put them in their kennel, when you initially bring your guests. Allow them to visit only once everyone has settled in.