The Best Way to Stop a Dog from Jumping on You and Your Guests!
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Why dogs jump
Imagine yourself standing a foot or two off the ground on four legs and the people you want to greet standing above you 5 or more feet. How would you get to them to greet them, in all your slobbery exuberance?
You'd probably jump!
All dogs do. They jump to get closer to our faces to greet us, get our attention and interact with us - because they like us!
But in our human society we find this obnoxious, at least when we're all dressed up to go out.
No kneeing necessary
Oftentimes people are of the mistaken idea that they need to knee the dog in the chest or perform some other maneuver that causes the dog pain or discomfort to stop jumping. They often shout, "No!" or "Down!" or "Off!" but if any of these commands worked, we wouldn't need to keep repeating them, would we?
The American College of Veterinary Behaviorists advises against hiring a trainer that recommends kneeing a dog in the chest or abdomen to manage behavior.
Stop rewarding the behavior
To stop jumping in the most effective and humane way, it is necessary to take a two-fold approach: 1) Stop rewarding the jumping, and 2) Teach the dog what to do instead.
Dogs jump, or do anything for that matter, because it has proven to be rewarding. They repeat behaviors they find rewarding and cease to repeat behaviors that are not rewarding.
If a dog gets attention, even in the form of commands which tell him to stop jumping, he is rewarded for his efforts and the behavior of jumping is reinforced, or made stronger.
If, on the other hand, the dog is ignored and doesn't get the attention he desires, he will learn that jumping does not work to get him the attention he wants.
To stop rewarding the behavior, simply avoid eye contact by looking away while saying nothing.
Teach what to do instead
Responsible training teaches a dog what to do, rather than what not to do. To totally eliminate jumping it is necessary to teach the dog a replacement behavior, something to do instead of jumping.
This can be either standing or sitting. If a dog is sitting - or standing, he cannot be jumping at the same time. Sitting provides additional anchorage and is a useful skill to teach a dog to use as a default behavior which he will fall back on when he doesn't know what else to do or wants something, be it attention or his food bowl.
To teach a dog to sit when greeting we need only to reward the dog when he sits while ignoring the dog when he is not sitting. At first the reward can be food treats paired with attention. Once the dog has learned that sitting gets him the attention he wants, food treats can be phased out and given only occasionally.
Training tips
To prevent teaching the dog to jump up for a food treat, deliver food at the level of your dog's mouth, like a bowling ball. If he gets up from a sit while bending down to give him attention, withdraw attention until he is sitting again. One way to prevent this is by stooping down to pet your dog, but if he jumps, stand up and withdraw attention.
It is not uncommon for animals to revert to what worked for them in the past, especially if they are occasionally rewarded for the behavior. Consistency is key in teaching any behavior. Friends, family and strangers all need to know that your dog must sit to receive attention.
To stop jumping up on your lap while sitting, simply stand up so that your lap goes away. Reward the dog for attention when he is sitting!
Win-win situation
By teaching your dog to sit for attention while not rewarding jumping your dog will learn how to get what he wants while you and your guests get what you want!
What Do the Experts Say?
- American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB): For the Public
Provides a link to recommendations about how to select a trainer, which include a recommendation against kneeing a dog in the chest or abdomen as a way to manage behavior
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Welcome to HubPages. Nice article. The jumping tips is definitively going into action with my dog, I hope it works
Thank you!
I love Boxers!
Very good advice. My sister's golden retriever was bad about jumping a couple years ago but has settled down some now that she is older. Two years ago I got a bad bruise on my breast from her jumping on me and even had to have an ultrasound to make sure it was only a lump caused from a bruise. Everything checked out fine, but I was lucky.
How awful ! Diana,mine jumped up at me and it hurt,
glad you're okay,
thanks for nice article, Dubuque
Thank you, Jandee. Yes dogs, especially large ones that jump can cause harm. I have a Golden Retriever that I took in a little over a year ago that had a terrible jumping problem - I can't tell you how many times she knocked me over! All puppies need to learn to sit for attention instead of jumping.
This is great I hate dogs to do that and most owners just seem not to care!
Very good advice! Make sure your guests don't come over your house and undo training by egging jumping with holding treats up above the dog's head.
Informative article. I will try your suggestions to my dogs. They are kinda naughty. Thanks!
This is a great article. My vet taught us this at Puppy School. Luckily my dogs sit when they want a treat or to be "good". The most annoying thing I ever taught them was to shake hands as now they claw at our legs trying to "shake hands" to get a treat when we are eating. Barking is something very annoying that my dog does to get attention/food. I will try this technique to stop that! Thanks and voted up!
Welcome to HubPages, Dubuquedogtrainer! I think you're going to like it around here ;) I really appreciate your advice and knowledge. It's important for dog owners to learn how to stop their dogs from jumping up. I will share your tips with my followers, thank you.
Voted up.
Thank you - that's a great article! I'm going to try it on both our dogs who tend to be extra friendly and extra welcoming!
Thank you, Shalini!
Thank you, Cloverleaf!
This is great advice. Luckily my dog stopped jumping right away, but I do have guests who say that they are perfectly all right with the dog jumping on them and try to get him to come up.
Thanks for the great article. Will the same method work for a dog that barks like crazy when he hears the doorbell ring?
I have an unusually large labrador/golden retriever mix who loves company, and he's learned that the doorbell ringing means that someone's come to visit. The only problem is that if you're afraid of dogs or aren't familliar with him, he'd really scare you, even though he just wants to play.
I've started keeping doors shut so that he can't charge downstairs and knock over our guests, but he's so big and has such a deep bark, that you'd hear him all over the house. Should I just ignore him and wait for him to calm himself down?
By the way, I've voted this up, rated it useful, awesome and interesting, and am sharing it with my followers. Thanks.
Thank you, Vendetta. Funny you should ask -- I just came from an appointment where I had to get on my soapbox about how to effectively change behavior using the principles of applied behavior analysis - a opposed to "beating the crap" out of the dog. I think I may have at least gotten through to the kids. The way to change any behavior is by ignoring and withholding reinforcement (rewards)for the undesired behavior while teaching and rewarding an alternative incompatible behavior. For your dog, the cue, which is an opportunity for reinforcement, is the doorbell. If this were my dog what I would probably do is teach the dog that the doorbell ringing means to go to a designated place and wait to receive attention. This may be a topic for another hub...Then, when he is lying down on his place, visitors may approach to give him the attention he craves. Alternatively you could simply require him to sit when the doorbell rings and make it a requirement that he must be sitting to receive any attention.
Thank you very much, Dubuquedogtrainer. I'll give it a go. Admitedly, I haven't tried much other than shouting at him before now (I'd never ever hit him - he's so innocent and loveable) but what you're saying really does seem to make sense. Thanks for the advice.
I wouldn't say no to that hub. It seems to be a common enough problem, judging by the amount of dogs I've had yelp at me in greeting when visiting people. Maybe it could be a kind of fall-back idea, for when you're not sure what to write about?
Anyway, you're work is top-notch. You're going to be incredibly valuable for many a confused and exasperated dog-owning hubbers.
Thank you, again, Vendetta.
Some good advice, I really hate it when dogs jump on me even tho I am a dog lover.
Thank you! Me too, Loveofnight!
My german shepherd has been learning for the entire first year of his life... NOT TO JUMP.. Did he quit with responsible training and not rewarding his actions.. NO he is now 100 pounds and jumps 7 feet in the air at the door long before i can get there. I dont yell at him.. As i know it does NO good. SO suggestions here would be great. He has been through three obediance classes and goes weekly to continued training twice a week also does fun matches etc... But do you think he would listen at home.... ? No. Thanks for literature that did nothing.
Jaxdia, consistency is key. If your dog is ever rewarded for jumping with attention of any sort he will continue to practice what he has learned to be rewarding.
In your situation I would recommend that you tether your dog away from the door before you let guests in and then only let him receive attention when he is sitting or lying quietly on his mat where you have him tethered.
Also, make sure he is getting plenty of exercise and mental stimulation. Dogs need a minimum of a once daily walk off the property to maintain their mental health and to help them be calm when indoors.
I suggest you look for a clicker trainer in your area, preferably a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner who will teach you something other than "obedience." You will learn how to train and modify your dog's behavior with very little effort at all. With a 100-pound dog it's even more important that you use brains rather than brawn to train your dog. You can find a Karen Pryor Academy trainer on the Karen Pryor website or by calling 800-472-5425. Good luck!
Excellent information! We taught our Labrador Retriever Maya not to jump on us in this same way. But she still tries to do it to other people. She has learned that jumping on us won't work. The problem is that strangers don't react to her jumping the same way we do. I make Maya sit while they come to pet her, but she almost always tries to jump on them. And despite my instructions to people to turn away and ignore her if she jumps, most still keep petting her. How do you provide consistency when every person my dog meets reacts differently?
Thank you! That is very challenging, because as you observed, consistency is key. What I found to be effective when training my service dog is to just tell people when they want to pet my dog, to wait. I then cue her to sit and tell people that if she jumps up I will take her away and they should say nothing. Another thing you can do is tether your dog away from the door if you are expecting guests. She needs to be sitting or lying quietly on her mat or bed (tethered, at first) in order to receive attention and petting
That is a great idea for guests coming over. I should get my new dog in that habit as well. When in public, I will try making Maya wait before allowing them to pet her. Pulling my big Lab back if she tries to jump will not be so easy, though. We will just have to keep working at it. :0)
You can try asking people to stop petting her if she starts to jump when they are petting her, but I have found that telling people ahead of time that my dog has to sit before petting is counterproductive because then they end up trying to command my dog and inadvertantly giving the dog attention, i.e., reinforcement for jumping.
That is good advice. I was able to get my present dog to do everything except stop barking. I have tried every hint I've read about, but so far no luck.
Nice hub and well-written
Thank you, Ciel! Barking can be stopped, but first the cause needs to be identified. Why does your dog bark and what have you tried? Also -- some dogs are more vocal than others - but certainly you can curb the barking with the right approach!
Great article. Voted UP!!!!
Thank you, Diana!
Thank you!
Thank you, Rufus!
Glad you liked it, John!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you, Diana!
Thank you.
Nice article. My Border Collie x Kelpie is very excitable and for the most part this method worked well for her. Although we tried to be consistent, it didn't always work so in desperation I captured the behaviour and associated it with a prompt. Bingo - she now waits for the prompt to jump. 99% of the time it's a case of no prompt, no jump. She still jumps if she gets so over-excited that her brain switches off so that is an on-going project but we've had massive improvements in behaviour using the method you describe.
Every dog is different, grumpy - that's what makes dog training an art as well as a science. I too have put jumping on cue, as well as other undesired behaviors. I had a border collie in class once that loved to pounce, so we actually used the pounce cue as a reward for performing other behaviors he like to do less!
I have to say I can't stand it when a dog jumps on me or gets too close for comfort. Thanks for publishing these tips; I hope owners will take them to heart!
Welcome to HubPages! And congratulations on being nominated for a HubNugget award!
Thank you, Marcy!
I get scared too if a dog would jump on me...this is a very useful hub...thanks!
Congratulations on your Hubnuggets nomination! To all who would like to vote for this hub, this way please http://enellelamb.hubpages.com/hub/Mysteries-of-th and you can jump! :)
Thank you!
Wonderful, straight advice! Makes perfect sense that dogs respond better to body language than verbal commands. Thank you.
Clever, observant advice ... useful hub, Dubuquedogtrainer.
I completely agree with this Hub. I first picked up on this same concept watching Cesar Milan on The Dog Whisperer. "No touch, no talk, no eye contact" when I walk through the door made my dogs stop jumping. Now my problem is, two of our dogs cry and bark like crazy when I come home. They are soooo emotional and excited to see me and just start squealing and barking. I "disagree" with this behavior by touching them and telling them "NO", but I know that is probably reinforcing it. I am not sure what to do. Ignoring them has not worked. They still cry and bark. I mean, if I've been gone for 8-10 hours while I'm at work, I don't blame them for being super excited to see me. Any tips on how to keep them calm when I come home? I tell them to "sit" but they are so just so overcome with excitement that they don't hear me. I guess I'll just have to be more firm and get their attention!
Excellent, and bookmarked!
Byee - I recommend you drop the word, "NO" from your communication with your dogs. Instead use silence as a way of communicating disfavor.
What you are doing when you ignore your dogs by avoiding eye contact and avoiding speaking to them is communicating to them that whatever behavior preceded your inattention will not be rewarded.
At the same time you need to teach them what to do to earn your attention that they so crave. If you use the word, "NO," you are inadvertantly giving your dogs attention.
You cannot mix positive reinforcement training with correction-based or "balanced" training - it makes the (positive reinforcement) training ineffective.
Also know that even a verbal, "NO" can have damaging effects on your relationship with your dog and lead to aggression in susceptible dogs.
To discourage your dogs' excited behavior, avoid greeting them when you first arrive home and wait 10-15 minute before greeting them.
Wait for them to sit and make eye contact (which is calming) before greeting them.
The reason your dogs cry and bark is because they have learned that that behavior gets them what they want.
It is totally normal for them to be excited at your arrival home after you have been gone so long, but to encourage calm behavior, wait to greet them, then use a clicker or other marker signal, such as a verbal"yes" the moment they are quiet, sitting and making eye contact - then give them attention.
Make sure you are calm in your greetings as well. Don't be more "firm"; be more calm and be careful about what you are reinforcing (rewarding).
Also understand that their behavior is likely to get worse before it gets better because they will try harder doing what they've always done to get what they want because it has always worked for them before!
If your dogs are EVER rewarded for barking or crying - with eye contact, verbal acknowledgement of any sort (negative ore positive) or touch their behavior will grow even stronger than if they were rewarded EVERY time.
Thank you, Angie!
Thank you, Will!
Thank you, Edelhaus!
Thank you. I will try ignoring my pups for a few minutes when I get home. I should really just be patient and not "give in" to the attention they seek right away. I forgot to mention that not only do they cry/bark like crazy when I get home, sometimes they will get into a fight if one dog gets too close to the other while they are fighting for my attention--not good! If I got them to stop jumping on me by ignoring them, I think being patient and waiting a few minutes until they calm down before greeting them will work, too. Will let you know what happens!
A few months ago, I learned in a different setting--but the example that was given was in dog training--that Sporadic Reinforcement is the BEST way to guarantee that a behavior will continue. That's how casinos make their money; if someone wins big once in a while & gets a number of small wins, of course they're going to keep pouring their pennies into those slot machines! If the dog gets rewarded at random for certain behavior, it's worthwhile to try it.
My grandmother has a Boston Terrier that gets incredibly excited when anyone goes to visit her. Grandma's dementia is getting worse & she's always been a stubborn lady (proof that she's my ancestor!) so training her would be an even bigger chore than training her dog, but luckily he's small enough for the jumping to be cute. In fact, when he was young & confined to the kitchen, my dad used to walk up to the gate that kept him in and encourage him to bounce & jump & stay excited. No wonder he's a hyper little dog four years later! But he's learned appropriate person-specific behavior; my aunt works with animals a lot in Colorado, & he's a perfect gentleman when she's around. When he greets me he's learned that sitting is more likely than jumping to get him love. Thank you for teaching me what I'm doing right, & helping me plan for next time I go see Grandma!
I am not a fan of harsh discipline on animals because very often they can be encouraged to do what you want with lots of love and positive reinforcement. So this is great advice. But I read a few comments at the top and was surprised to see that you had been knocked over by this behavior. I would say kneeing would be appropriate for someone who cannot resist an animal through passive means. How can you ignore a big dog that can knock you over? I don't mean to be critical at all - I plan to use your advice when I get a dog, but I'm 6'4" and it's no problem for me!
Thank you and you're welcome, Gypsy. You're exactly right about reinforcement! The reason this behavior is so problematic for a lot of people is not only that they don't know what to do about it, but because of a lack of consistency, which as you pointed out, just makes the annoying behavior even stronger!
Good luck! Just be conscious of what you are rewarding with attention. What you reward will be repeated because it works to get the dogs what they want!
Thanks for all your tips about getting a dog to stop jumping up and also thanks for answering my question :o) Voted up and shared!
Thank you, Linda!
Alexander, changing behavior is never quite as simple as what one can put into writing in one article. When I am working with clients in their homes I use a variety of techniques, none of which are force-based "positive punishment," which means applying something aversive to stop a behavior. There are many drawbacks to the application of punishment, not the least of which is that it negatively impacts your relationship with your dog. For a more complete discussion, see the AVSAB position statement on punishment: http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonline/images/stor
It's not fair to the dog that is simply trying to greet us to punish it. If we do not train a puppy to sit or stand for greetings, it is not the dog's fault when it reaches 70 or 100 pounds that it is strong enough to knock us over when it jumps. After all, we are the ones who reinforced this behavior to keep it strong.
This method works very well if applied consistently.
Kneeing is never appropriate. Think of it this way. If you were placed into the home of a group of giant aliens who had customs that were totally foreign to you and you went to shake one of their limbs to say hello and they kneed you in the chest how would you feel? You might not attempt to shake hands with them again, but wouldn't it have been more kind and considerate for them to teach you their customs?
Now imagine if these giant aliens had a clicker...just bear with me. Maybe you'd never even heard of a clicker before, but every time you heard this neutral sound, a piece of (insert favorite food on earth) appeared. Hmmm....I bet you'd try to figure out, and figure out pretty quickly what it is these aliens like and expect of you!
Watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1e-7g0iLT8
This kind of training is not "passive" at all. It is quite an active process of learning. Clicker training - even though I didn't mention clicker training in this particular hub, is what I do. To modify behavior, we ignore (do not reward or reinforce) undesired behavior while teaching a replacement behavior - solid science - and it works!
I agree with you. My dogs get really excited when my little grand daughters come over and all hell used to break loose. Now they have to sit (with rewards) until they are calm, then the children are let through into the room where they are.
Makes sense to me. Have two Border Collie McNab mix. One would never jump. It's below his dignity; his brother on the other hand doesn't know how to keep his feet on the ground. But he can't stand being ignored. When he jumped on me just now I turned away and he got down. Nice
Glad to hear it worked for you, Traveler!
I have a 14 month old golden retriever. Sshe doesn't jump on people in the house - just when she meets them outside. I will try this
.... thank you!
Glad to help, Gale - I also have a Golden Retriever!
jandee Level 5 Commenter 3 months ago
Yes ,makes good sense.....Oops! Mine are Boxers and very hyper! My friends would call and with the long summery scarves and flowing skirts well! it was just too much for my nutty dogs- anyway lots of laughs and they are well sorted nowadays,good read,
best from jandee