When dogs jump up on people, it can aggravate or even injure or terrorizes people. Being tackled by a dog is an unpleasant, dangerous surprise. It’s also rude behavior that should not be allowed in polite human/canine society.
Key Takeaways
- Dogs jump up on people to greet or seek attention, but this behavior can be unsafe, especially for children and the elderly.
- To stop dogs jumping up on people, ignore the behavior and reward them for sitting instead.
- Use a command that encourages an alternative greeting and makes jumping up impossible, like fetching a ball.
- Reinforce good behavior with praise after the dog keeps all four paws on the ground during greetings.
- Training requires consistent practice until sitting becomes more rewarding than jumping up.
Why Dogs Jump Up on People
Dogs instinctively lick each other’s faces as a greeting display. Younger canines show deference by slurping the mouth and eyes of the “boss dog” or you, the human. Since most dogs can’t easily reach us, they leap to offer their version of a polite canine “howdy” and solicit attention.
Many folks think jumping up is cute, at least when the pet is a pup. That attraction wans when the St. Bernard grows, and the leaps knock us down, tear clothes, or frighten strangers. It becomes a safety issue around children and elderly people who can be seriously injured by a jumping dog.
You can teach dogs a more people-friendly way to greet. Once she realizes her behavior offends you, she’ll strive to find another way to say hello.
What to Avoid Teaching Jumping Dogs
Don’t step on her toes, and don’t knee her in the chest. Either action can be painful, which tends to prompt avoidance behavior or even aggression. That can make your dog fear your homecomings, instead of being happy to see you.
Do NOT reward the jumping up with petting or playing or any sort of reciprocal greeting. Instead, teach her she only gets attention when she doesn’t jump up. Here’s how to do that.
How to Stop Dogs & Puppies Jumping Up on People
- Dogs want to greet or stop you from leaving. Any attention can make the behavior worse, so ignore the pop-up pooch. “Ignore” means make no eye contact, say nothing, and stand still like a boring zombie and offer no reaction for idiot behavior.
- Have a family member help you with the training. As Pete enters the front door, he should stand still and greet the dog with, “Cricket, COME!” followed by “Cricket, SIT!” or “GET YOUR BALL!” Use a command the dog already knows, that both distracts her from jumping up, and also prompts a contradictory behavior. For instance, Cricket can’t get her ball and jump up at the same time. With enough repetitions, your smart canine starts to associate your arrival with a “sit” or “go find” instead of jumping up.
- When Cricket sits as requested, Pete should offer his hand for a sniff (very important to dogs in greetings). Once Cricket sniffs the hand, Pete can stroke her cheek or neck, saying “Goooood Cricket,” to reward the behavior.
- If the dog still insists on jumping up, Pete should step backwards so the dog’s feet miss—and at the same time, turn away from her. That interrupts the canine “howdy” because a dog can’t properly greet a person’s back. Cricket learns that if she wants to receive a greeting, she must keep all four feet on the ground and plant her furry tail.
- Once the dog’s paws hit the floor, again give the “sit” command and repeat the exercise. After this social greeting has been exchanged, Pete can then walk into the house and take a seat. The dog will likely follow—have other family members waiting in the room to reinforce her good behavior with “good dog!”
- Drill with your dog, until a sit prompts more attention for her than jumping up ever did.
- For hard-case dogs, especially adults, refer to this post on dealing with jumping-jack dogs.
If a wet slurp across the mouth doesn’t offend you, then you kneel down on your pup’s level to put yourself in range of her kiss, so she doesn’t have to leap. And remember, there’s nothing to stop you from training your extremely well-behaved dog to jump up—but only on your command.
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