Because not everyone enjoys being body slammed by your dog (even if we do).
In my work as a therapy dog trainer, one of the questions I get most is, "What do I do when my dog jumps up on people?" Jumping up is a huge no-no for therapy dogs, and it's the main reason why we have to reject otherwise perfectly suitable dogs from therapy work. And even if you don't want your dog to be therapy dog, your guests might still appreciate you teaching your dog not to jump.
First, let's talk about the why:
Though jumping up can seem cute (especially in small dogs), it can pose major risks in certain situations, no matter the dog's size. Some people are a bit wary of dogs, and while they might want to interact, a full body slam can be overwhelming. If someone has sensitive skin—particularly older people—those little nails can inadvertently cause injury. For sick populations like those often visited in therapy dog work, a little scratch can turn into a major infection. When visiting healthcare settings, a jumping dog can also inadvertently rip out vital equipment like IVs. And some people just don't want dirty dog paws on their clothing. (Ah, the number of times I've come back from the dog park completely muddy because a stranger's dog jumped all over me!)
But from your dog's perspective, jumping up can seem, well, incredible. Dogs are social creatures, and they often want to get closer to our faces to greet us. They might want your attention, and they learn quickly that jumping on you is an excellent way to get you to interact with them. They don't mind whether the jumping results in petting or a reprimand and a push away—dogs love to be pushed around! (My dog Milo's favorite game to play with me involves me gently pushing him, then backing off, then pushing him again.)
So dogs quickly learn that putting their paws on people gets results. And dogs do what works for them, so they keep practicing that behavior until it's an ingrained habit.
But where does that leave us? How do you teach a dog to stop doing something they find rewarding, like jumping up?
If you've done any work with me, you probably already know that "no" is not a behavior. Humans are exceptionally good at using "no" to mean a whole host of different things, but dogs don't have the capacity to understand the absence of an action. You can teach your dog "off!"—that's an action, one that tells your dog what TO do. (More on that later.) But you can't teach them "don't." Their brains just can't absorb it. Toddler parents may relate.
Because of that, you'll want to take a two-pronged approach to the jumping issue.
First, make sure jumping up is no longer rewarding.
No matter what you do, if jumping up is rewarding to your dog, they're going to keep doing it. So you'll need to adjust your behavior to make the game (as your dog sees it) un-fun. That means taking away your attention when they jump. Don't look at them, don't talk to them, and definitely don't push them away! Just silently turn your back on them. When they've got four paws on the ground, then you can interact with them.
Note: If your dog has issues jumping on guests, friends, or strangers, do not trust other people to do your training for you. No matter how much you coach them, they'll probably give your dog some attention, which is understandable. Your dog is cute! But that won't help your training. For jumping on other people, you'll want to focus on a different approach:
Prevent your dog from practicing the unwanted jumping-up behavior.
As with many nuisance behaviors in dogs, once you see the behavior, the genie is out of the bottle; the battle is already lost. Don't despair. This provides important information for you: you now know this is a situation where your dog can't yet handle keeping four paws on the ground. Maybe you've just come home from work, or they're greeting a beloved friend. Did you notice them looking up at you before they jumped? What did you see in their body language before they sprang? You'll want to pay attention to those details, because they can help you predict your dog's behavior in the future.
But how do I prevent my dog from jumping on people?
So glad you asked! There are a few different approaches to try; you may have to try multiple options depending on your specific dog and each situation situation. Below are a few good options.
Reward your dog when they have four paws on the ground—before they jump.
Teach your dog that petting and attention happens when they have all four paws on the ground. That means getting to them before they jump up. You can try kneeling down to give them that closer access they want. If they jump anyway, stand up and turn away. Wait a beat, then give them back your attention when they have four feet on the floor again!
Get your dog to focus on the ground, not people's faces.
You'll want to change your dog's established habit of run up to person -> jump to greet. You can replace it with another action like see a person -> eat treats off the ground. Keep treats near your front door and in a treat pouch when you're out and about. Before your dog has a chance to jump, say "Find it!" and scatter a handful of treats at their feet. Sniffing helps calm dogs down, which will help them approach the person without losing their minds. For particularly excited dogs, you may want to keep them sniffing for a while—if they gobble up the treats and immediately launch themselves upward, you may need to do the scatter again. The more often you do this, the more the dog will catch on to the pattern see person -> look toward the ground where the treats always appear.
Teach your dog to get up on the couch to greet you.
This one is particularly good for little dogs, who understandably just want to get closer to you when they're excited to greet you! You can give them what they want without all the jumping by creating a ritual for greeting. When you walk in the door (or a guest does), don't immediately greet them; lead them over to something like an ottoman or the couch and encourage them to get up on it, then give them all the love and attention they deserve. Eventually, your dog will learn that greetings happen in that spot, and they'll naturally gravitate toward it. (Important note: You must be consistent about this!)
As with all dog training efforts, the more you practice good behavior, the more you'll see good behavior. However, if you periodically reward the unwanted behavior—say, if a friend comes over every once in a while and pets your dog when they jump on them—it'll make it that much more tempting for them to try it out on a regular basis. (That's what we call intermittent reinforcement, which is the key principle behind what makes slot machines so fun.) That's why we put so much emphasis on that prevention part.
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Some dogs just naturally have more bounce than others (looking at you, poodle mixes!), which means some of you might be fighting an uphill battle. In that case, it's all the more important to prevent the jumping from happening. If you know your dog wants nothing more than to jump up and boop a new person in the face with their snout, you'll want to keep that from happening—because whether the person responds by cooing and petting your dog OR pushing them away in disgust, that's still going to be rewarding for your dog. And as the saying goes, what gets rewarded gets repeated!
When in doubt, hook a finger in their collar/harness to physically prevent them from jumping.
When you know they can't handle the situation, you may need to gently hold them back from practicing that unwanted behavior. Kneel down next to them and grab their collar or harness to keep them from springing up at someone. Alternatively, it would be a good idea to simply prevent them from getting into a situation they can't yet handle in the first place—which may mean using the leash to keep them from getting close enough to the person to jump.
Whatever you do, do not reward your dog immediately after they jump off you.
Dogs are excellent at chaining behaviors, meaning they learn exceptionally quickly that they can make a treat happen by jumping on you, then getting off. That's why it's so important to make sure you head the jumping off at the pass, because teaching them an "off" behavior can often backfire.
Behavior change takes time, so don't be surprised if it takes your dog a while to get the hang of it. Want faster results? Book a private session! Virtual and in-person options available.
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