When a dog is a young puppy and full of energy, there’s few things cuter or more adorable than a puppy jumping, playing, and showing so much love towards you and others. Everyone loves a puppy.
However, once puppyhood is over and the dog gets bigger, the jumping goes from adorable to annoying quickly. For some dogs it can even become dangerous.
Here are some tips to help prevent your dog from jumping on people:Don’t Show Affection or
1- Reward the Dog When the Dog Jumps on You
One of the best feelings in the world is coming home and knowing your dog is going to shower you with love. If you reward excitement when you first come home, then you’re teaching the dog that excitement is how introductions are. The best way for a dog to introduce themselves to another dog or person is in a calm way. That’s just good manners! A calm dog is less likely to jump and a calm down is less intimidating to other people and dogs. Ignore the excitement and wait for the dog to calm down before rewarding the dog when you come home. Eventually every dog calms down, you just need to use patience to outweigh the dog’s excitement.
2- Claim
If you claim, then you can tame. Dogs don’t look at who pays the rent or who pays the mortgage. It’s about their space. If you back up a dog and make them turn around and go away from the door, then you are saying the people entering the home are yours and the dog needs to calm down first before being allowed to introduce themselves. The more distance you give between the front door and the dog, the easier it is for the dog to calm down.
3- Challenge Their Excitement
Have a dog that loves treats? Grab one once you come home and make the dog go into a sit position instead of jumping. When the dog sits then you can give the dog a treat. Start developing a habit to use the dog’s energy in a different way than jumping. If you practice having the dog sit each time you come home because you have a treat, eventually the dog will start sitting each time you come home because it will be a habit and you won’t even need treats.
4- Be Calm
To teach a dog to calm down, you have to be calm. If you yell at the dog, get frustrated at the dog, or get annoyed with the dog, then you are already setting yourself up for failure. Dogs communicate through their energy and you must remain calm to have a dog calm down. If a dog is hyper and just hears yelling, how will a dog ever learn to be calm from that?
5- Practice! It’s a Marathon. Not a Sprint
Dogs are creatures of habit and if your dog has developed a habit of jumping then you need to create new habits that are the right action. Erasing habits takes consistent work and dedication. Don’t give in to a dog even just a few times or you will confuse the dog. Be consistent; do the same thing over and over until you get the behavior you want. Once you do this and start seeing results, then the habits will change and your dog will start doing the right thing instead of the wrong thing consistently!
Matthew Stewart
President, The Pup Camp
