You love your dog, but it is getting a little bit bigger than a puppy now, and has developed a habit of jumping on people. Most adults don’t mind, and you can usually placate the ones who do, unless of course, they are a stranger on the street, it has been raining, and jumping up has led to dirty paw marks on clean clothes. It can be scary too, if your dog suddenly jumps up on a child. That child may be knocked over, and get injured, or have a fear of dogs that your loveable mutt has just reinforced. This is not good behavior for your dog to do.
Why is Your Dog Jumping on People?
The obvious answer is the dog finds this fun, jumping on people is a normal part of puppy play, and your dog is usually rewarded for this by being petted and clapped, and fussed over, so what is not to like for the dog, and this is why it carries this behavior over from puppy status to adult – Every time they jump on someone, they get a reward of attention, so they are going to persist and keep it up. The dog is not being nasty or behaving badly, as far as they are concerned they are a ‘good dog’, as they’ve been repeatedly told since they were a pup. The behavior has been learned. Saying ‘No,’, ‘Down Boy,’ or pushing the dog away, has little effect by this time, the overly excited dog just thinks this is part of the play.
Some Ways to Stop Your Dog Jumping on People
At home it is easier, keep your dog in an area where it can’t easily get access to visitors to jump on, perhaps another room or behind a baby gate. When they are a bit calmer and have lost the excitement of a new visitor to the house, then let then have access to the newcomer. Hopefully they will be more sedate in their welcome. If so, reward them with a treat. If not, back behind the baby gate and try again later.
If out for a walk, keep your dog on a leash. If you meet an oncoming stranger, have your dog sit and hold him steady till the stranger passes. If your dog sits nice and makes no attempt to misbehave, then reward them. After a time, your dog will begin to realise that treats come with not jumping.
If your dog persists in jumping up on people, this could be a sign of stress or over-excitement. If you’ve tried the above and have absolutely no success you may have to take your dog to a professional dog trainer for a few visits to see if they can be properly trained.
How Do You Want Your Dog to Greet People?
Your dog will never lose the desire to meet people, especially people it remembers affectionately, and will grow excited to approach when they see them coming near. With your dog on the leash, ask them to ‘sit’, and ‘wait,’ until the person arrives. Reward them with a treat if they do so, and if the person pets your dog, when they are next to each other, then the dog has been doubly rewarded. Keep a tight hold on the leash, and if your dog is overcome with excitement and tries to jump, then hold them back and reinforce the ‘sit’ command until your dog relents. Again, reward with a treat to reinforce the fact that good behavior results in more treats.
The more people that your dog meets when out and about, and the more times your dog behaves well, then eventually you will not have to worry again about your dog jumping up on people. It will take time and patience, but finally your dog will learn that good behavior is best when meeting people.
See Also: Unlock the Secrets to Perfect Puppy Training: What Age is Best?
And: How to Manage Your Dog’s Shedding Problem
When Your Dog Persists on Jumping
Sometimes, depending on the breed of dog, and the time you can devote to training, your dog will not learn to refrain from jumping, and persist on jumping on people at more or less every opportunity. This will be when a few visits to a professional dog trainer will pay off. It may cost you a bit of money, but it will result in you having a well-behaved dog, that will not embarrass you, or scare someone, when out and about, by jumping up on them.
Conclusion
Your dog jumping on family members when they return home, can be rewarding for the dog owner, and the excitement of the dog proves a unique bond of love that reinforces the relationship of humans and dog. The dog has just shown you how happy it is to be a dog in your home.
Conversely, your dog jumping up on strangers in the street when out for a walk, can be a negative experience for the stranger, especially if they are a child, and could get you, as the dog owner, in trouble if someone is caused alarm and fear because of the behavior of your dog.
With some training though, and a bit of time and patience, your dog will lose the habit of jumping up and become a delight to take out and about anywhere without worry of it jumping up on people again.
