Stop Dog Jumping On People

Learn how to stop a dog from jumping on people and avoid jumping situations

See also dog fence jumping and free dog training guide

Picture this: You’ve just returned home from shopping and you enter your house with grocery bags in both hands.

Your dog is so excited to see you, he runs up to you and “Boom!” he jumps on you and knocks all of the bags out of your hands.

Your groceries are scattered on the floor and you now have several hurting scratch marks on your arms and legs. Does this sound like a familiar scenario? When your dog jumps on you or other people, it’s not a good way to greet and he can cause injury in the process.

So, how do you stop a dog from jumping on people? Read on to find out how.
 

Training Your Dog to Stop Jumping

Teaching your dog to stop jumping on people can be one of the harder lessons for your dog to grasp because it is a natural reaction for him to jump up when he’s excited. Your dog is happy and gets excited, so his first reaction is to share all of that with you by jumping on you repeatedly. It’s also hard to teach your dog not to jump because you need the help of other people – everyone has to react the same way when your dog starts jumping on them or he won’t learn.

The method here uses a situation where your dog begins jumping on you to greet you when you return home to him. This method can be applied to any situation where your dog jumps on you or any other person.
 

How to stop a dog from jumping on people

When teaching your dog not to jump up on you or others, use the following methods:

1.       First, during the training period, you’ll always want to operate with your hands free. This means, if you’re just coming home, you’ll have to drop your shopping bags and whatever else you may have outside your door before you enter your home.

2.       Approach your dog as usual.

3.       As soon as your dog attempts to jump on you, say in a firm voice “No. Off.”

4.       At the same time, get a hold of your dog’s collar under his chin and pull it downwards. Doing so forces your dog down on all fours.

5.       Once your dog is down on his four paws, come down to his level by kneeling or sitting on the floor.

6.       Greet your dog with attention and reward him with a treat.

7.       Continue to do this every time your dog attempts to jump on you. After a few days, your dog will automatically stay on all fours so you can greet him and treat him without him jumping up on you at all. Make sure the same method is used by any person who your dog jumps on. Otherwise, he may only learn not to jump on particular people or he might not learn at all.
 

Can't I just knee my dog in the chest to stop it when my dog is jumping on a person?

Absolutely not.  Kneeing your dog in the chest can seriously hurt him and won't solve the problem.  Never use pain as a way to teach or punish your dog.  Use the methods above and you'll get better results while keeping a healthy relationship with your dog.